Blue Whale Challenge: The Game of Death

The Blue Whale Challenge, also known as the Blue Whale Game of Death is the internet’s ugly phenomenon wherein the participants playing this online trash tend to win this game by committing suicide. Yes, you have heard it right. The challenge of this game is to take your life at the final stage.

The Story Behind the Game of Death

The origin of the term ‘Blue Whale’ is from the beached whales. There is a huge story behind this game. When a whale becomes stranded on a land, it begins to suffer immediately and that also to great extent. As sea creatures, Stranding on the beach is the last thing a whale wants to have. This huge creature begins to collapse and suffocate under their own weight and the last option they have is to die because of dehydration.

Similar is the game, the main motive of the creator of the game was to help out the people who don’t deserve to live or the one who doesn’t want to live anymore.
The game began in Russia in 2013 with “F-57” which is one of the names of the so-called group ‘death group’ and it was invented by Philipp Budeikin who was a psychology student expelled from his university.

Philipp Budeikin

This is the game that is reportedly responsible for more than 1,000 suicides all over the world. The premise and curator see young people signing up and agreeing to follow the increasing bizarre instructions over the course of 50 days. You must send the proof that you have fulfilled their demands. At the end of the 50 days, you win the game by killing yourself hence the name game of death. The task in the game can include cutting yourself, waking up at odd hours or listening to particular songs.

In 2017, Russian authorities arrested 21years old Philipp Budeikin who has been charged to form 8 different troops between 2013 and 2016 promoting suicides among the teenagers. After his arrest, it was found a certain reduction in the number of suicide cases, though there is new fan fear of vulnerable teenagers which are still being swayed by the social media accounts. In a disturbing interview, Budeikin said his victim has died happily. “I gave them their wish which they did not have in real lives, Work, Understanding, and Connection.”

Reports say that the teenagers influenced by this bizarre game are told to watch horror movies all through the day and to wake themselves at 4:20 am. They also urge to use knives or blades or razors to make the shape of a whale on their wrists, arms or legs. When you signup to play the games on the online chat rooms, you are given an administrators or curator which is assigned to you. This curator gives you certain tasks to do over a period of 50 days and you must send them the proof that you have carried out their demands. At the end of those 50 days, the final task is to end your lives.

So, how does it go?

In a transcript of an online conversation with a curator, the conversation went something like this:

Victim: I want to play this game
Curator: Are you sure? There is no way back
Victim: Yes, What does that mean – no way back?
Curator: You can’t leave the game once you begin
Victim: I’m ready
Curator: You carry out each task diligently, and no one must know about it. When you finish a task, you send me a photo. And at the end of the game, you die. Are you ready?
Victim: And if I want to get out?
Curator: I have all your information. They will come after you.

Now, the first task to the correspondent was to carve F-57 on the arm. They tried to Photoshop the image and send it to the curator, but the curator stopped responding.

Now, why do people tend to play this game of death?

Well, it’s reported in some cases that the victims on social media get a private message with a link, and when you click the link, you accidentally give your IP address away to malicious people and then they threaten you to play the game. This game of death is certainly very malicious and causes mental trauma among the teens.

And it is reasonably accepted that the teenagers who have suicidal tendency are simply drawn to same social media groups and not that the groups care to cause them to commit suicide. If many people are playing the game like this ‘Blue Whale’, it may be that the games like that might attract people who already have suicidal tendencies and this could definitely be enough to push them over the edge. It is incredibly disturbing that games on social media groups that encourage suicides to exist.

Investigations still haven’t got to the bottom of these tragic cases but this social media movement is certainly one of the most disturbing trances that anyone has ever seen. It is completely unhealthy and alarming. What may be just a game to one person, might be the last decision of someone else’s life. So, if you are feeling a bit depress or upset make sure you talk to somebody. It will definitely help a lot. And remember there is no such thing that can’t be helped.

All the best!!