The Blue Whale Game

What is the game?

The Blue Whale Game began in Russia on social media. It consists of a series of tasks that are given to players by the administrators. The tasks are given over a 50 day period and start off seemingly harmless at first, but would slowly include self-harm and lead up to final challenge: suicide. 

The game itself is named after a phenomenon called cetacean stranding where whales and dolphins beach themselves and die.

The aim of this game is to break the spirit of the players and to encourage them to commit suicide.

The Tasks

The game is made up of 50 tasks and they are given to a player via a curator. Some reports state that they would need to send photographs after each task to prove that they had completed it. 

The following are some tasks rumoured to have been part of the game:

1. Wake up at 04:20am and watch a scary video provided by the curator.
2. Draw a whale on a piece of paper.
3. Cut your lip.
4. Watch scary videos all day.
5. Go to a roof and stand on the edge.
6. Climb a crane.
7. Write yes on their leg if they are ready to be a whale.
8. Speak to another whale.
9. Meet another whale.
10. Do not talk all day.
11. Sit on the edge of the roof with your legs dangling.
12. Carve a blue whale into your arm.

How do people start playing?

The game is run through social media and the admins target vulnerable young people online. The admin looks at the comment sections on several different websites to find their players. It is a sick game that was created to goad young players to self-harm and commit suicide. People are invited to play this game and are contacted directly asking if they would like to play.

Who created this game?

The game is named after a phenomenon where whales and dolphins beach themselves and die. 

The Blue Whale Game was created by a young Russian man called Phillip Budeikin. He claims that the young people that were targeted were a biological waste and he was cleansing society. He was 22 years old when he was sentenced, and admitted that he would intentionally push the young players to commit suicide. 

He would select people that he considered to be weak and easily manipulated to play his game. When questioned about the game he claimed that he had personally influenced 17 people to commit suicide. After he was sentenced he was still receiving love letters from girls still under his influence.

When the authorities investigated the game they found 130 separate cases of suicide linked to it. This included the sad story of 2 young girls that took their lives together in Siberia by jumping off of a building. It was linked to the game by the posts the girls added to their social media right before they died.

What can we do to stop this happening again?

It is unknown how many people are currently taking part in this game, or even how many people have become victims of it. 

Now that the game has gone viral we are aware that games like this exist on the internet, which means we need to start educating ourselves and vulnerable young people. The internet is fantastic but it can also be dangerous. This doesn't just mean educating them on the game specifically, but about the dangers of the internet when talking to strangers.

We need to start talking about social media and what is and isn't safe to share online. If someone is unhappy or struggling they need to be encouraged to seek help and support from people they know and trust. I believe we all share too much online, and this leaves us vulnerable to these games and the wicked people that run them.

What do you think of this game and the people that run it? Please let me know in the comments below!