A first-year Indian student at the University of Massachusetts was found dead in March and is being investigated as apparent suicide by the authorities. It is believed the 20-year-old was playing the "Blue Whale Challenge," an online game which has also been called a “suicide game.”
What is the Blue Whale game challenge?
The Blue Whale Challenge is an online game that originated in Russia and is infamous for its sinister nature. It typically involves a series of tasks or dares assigned to players by a curator over 50 days.
The first tasks could include challenges such as "Wake up in the middle of the night" or "watch a scary film". But gradually, they escalate to more dangerous and sinister ones, like "stand on the ledge of a tower block” or "cut a whale into your arm." The final challenge ultimately ends in asking the user to kill themselves.
Participants are often forced into completing these tasks through threats, blackmail, or psychological manipulation. The game's name is derived from the behaviour of blue whales, which are known to beach themselves intentionally, which often results in the death of the whale.
In 2019, reports of the "Blue Whale Challenge" being allegedly linked to hundreds of deaths by suicide spread from Russia to other countries like Ukraine, India, and the United States
The narrative of the Blue Whale Challenge traces back to the tragic case of Rina Palenkova. On November 22, 2015, Ms Palenkova, a teenage girl from Russia posted a selfie online. In the photo, she stands outdoors with a black scarf hiding her mouth and nose, while showing off her middle finger, which appeared to have been coated with dried blood. The caption read, "Nya bye." Ms Palenkova died by suicide the next day.