The Blue Whale Game (Russian: Синий кит, Siniy kit) also "Blue Whale Challenge", is an Internet "game" that is claimed to exist in several countries. The game allegedly consists of a series of tasks assigned to players by administrators during a 50-day period, with the final challenge requiring the player to commit suicide.[1][2] The term "Blue Whale" comes from the phenomenon of beached whales, which is linked to suicide.

Blue Whale began in Russia in 2013 with "F57", one of the names of the so-called "death group" of the VKontakte social network,[3] and allegedly caused its first suicide in 2015.[4][5] Philipp Budeikin, a former psychology student who was expelled from his university, claimed that he invented the game. Budeikin stated that his purpose was to "clean" the society by pushing to suicide those he deemed as having no value.[6][7][8][9][10][11][12]

In Russia in 2016, Blue Whale came into broader use among teenagers after a journalist brought attention to it through an article that linked many unrelated suicide victims to the Blue Whale, creating a wave of moral panic in Russia.[13] Later, Budeikin was arrested and pled guilty to "inciting at least 16 teenage girls to commit suicide", leading to Russian suicide prevention legislation and renewed world-wide concern over the Blue Whale phenomenon.[11] It has also been linked to other rising self-harm trends, such as "human embroidery" in China.[14]

Game structure

The game is based on the relationship between the challengers (also called players or participants) and the administrators.[15][16] It involves a series of duties given by the administrators that players must complete, usually one per day, some of which involve self-mutilation.[4][17] Some tasks can be given in advance, while others can be passed on by the administrators on that day, the last task being suicide.[18][19] 

The list of tasks, to be completed in 50 days, includes waking up at 4:20 A.M., climbing a crane, carving a specific phrase on the person’s own hand or arm, doing secret tasks, poking a needle to the arm or leg, standing on a bridge and roof, listening to music, and watching videos sent to the challengers by the administrator.

Reported cases

A 16-year-old boy from Kerala in Southern India was reported to have committed suicide on 26 July 2017, after playing the online Blue Whale game. Hailing from the city of Thiruvananthapuram, it was said he ended his life after allegedly completing the tasks of this deadly game. Recalling the ordeal, the mother of the deceased told the media, boy had committed suicide after deleting all the games from his mobile phone. Acknowledging that her son had informed her about playing the fatal game, she said she had persuaded him to refrain from playing it, but to no avail. She also said he had downloaded the game nine months ago and that he told her not to worry if he dies soon. His mother also revealed that he used to visit cemeteries during the night and go to the beach alone. One of the tasks assigned to the players involved watching the horror videos sent to them by promoters of the game, it is believed. The boy had also drawn on his wrist with a compass, his mother said, adding that he had offered to donate his organs after his death.[103]

Reaction

In March 2017, Romanian Minister of Internal Affairs Carmen Dan expressed her deep concerns about the phenomenon.[171] Mayor of Bucharest Gabriela Firea described the game as "extremely dangerous".[172]

The game has caused significant concern in Western Europe, including France[173] and the United Kingdom.[174]

In Brazil, in response to the game, a designer and a publicity agent from São Paulo created a movement called Baleia Rosa (Pink Whale),[175][176] which became viral and relied on the collaboration of hundreds of volunteers.[177][178][179] The movement is based on positive tasks that value life and combat depression.[180] Also in Brazil, Sandro Sanfelice created the movement Capivara Amarela (Yellow Capybara),[181] which proposes to "combat the Blue Whale game" and guide people seeking some kind of help.[182] Participants are separated between challengers, who are the people who seek help, and the healers, who are kind of godfathers of these people.[183] An Adventist school in southern Paraná, in partnership with other education networks, also sought to reverse the situation by proposing another charity game, the "Jonas Challenge" (referring to the biblical character Jonah, who was vomited up by a large fish three days after being swallowed by it).[184][185] Other games created in Brazil in response to the Blue Whale were the Baleia Verde (Green Whale) and the Preguiça Azul (Blue Sloth). In the United States, one site, also called the "Blue Whale Challenge" does not immediately identify itself as an effort to combat the game, but offers fifty days of challenges that promote mental health and well-being. [186]