A macabre Russian game, "Blue Whale", has led to the suicide of 130 young people
A few weeks ago, coinciding with Valentine's Day (February 14), a girl of only 10 years was taken to the hospital for concussion and other injuries after jumping from a window in Kirishi (Russia). Apparently, the girl had rushed to the void due to a game that has become a new social phenomenon, known as "Blue Whale", "blue whale" .
On February 20, the Russian media reported that from the Federal Security Service of St. Petersburg has opened a line of investigation to clarify what is happening. According to several sources, the total number of victims of this game has already risen to 130 people.
- Related article: "The relationship between depression and suicide from Psychology"
Blue Whale: the suicide game
Throughout the territory of Russia and in some Central Asian countries such as Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan, Blue Whale have become a very worrying phenomenon, since there are many cases of children and adolescents who have died as a result of the use of this game.
This game is a viral challenge in which participants must go through several tests , like tattooing a blue whale with a knife, jumping into space from great heights, watching horror movies the whole day or staying awake for long periods of time. The last test is suicide.
Several challenges in 50 days
The game has a simple but dangerous operation and, in its last phase, deadly . Once the participant registers he is assigned a curator. This then gives him different tasks to do that, during the next 50 days, he must go one by one. The participant, to demonstrate that he has overcome the different challenges, must record with video or share a photograph of the completion of the test. After overcoming different challenges, the curator asks the participant to commit suicide.
According to Radio Free Europe (also known as Radio Liberty), the curators use different hashtags in Russian which translated mean: "blue whale", "sea of whales", "I'm in the game", "wake up at 4:20" Among many others, this practice has become a social phenomenon among the youth of the country.
- Related article: "Suicides: data, statistics and associated mental disorders"
The viral phenomenon started in Vkontakte
As is known, this trend started on the social network Vkontakte, also called Vk . Although it is unknown to many people, it is widely used in countries such as Russia, Belarus or Ukraine.
In Spain it is also used, since there are many Russian inhabitants who vacation in our country. Some Spaniards use it because, despite having an aesthetic similar to Facebook and sharing some features with this social network, it also shares functions similar to some apps to link (such as the location of Happn), but without this being its end or its objective. According to the data provided by several local media, only on January 20, 2017 there were 4,000 searches for hashtags of this game.
An example of how curators act
As surprising as it sounds, some children and teenagers get carried away by this game, many of them with the idea of doing something forbidden. Therefore, a journalist from Radio Free Europe (RFE), decided to create a fake profile of a 16 year old girl to be able to speak they are a healer through Vk. The conversation went like this:
RFE journalist: "Good morning. I would like to play the game, what do I have to do? "
Curator: "Are you sure? Once you have started, there is no way to turn back.
RFE journalist: "I'm sure, but what does that mean?"
Curator: "Well, you can not leave the game once you start, if you accept, you must assume the rules of the game." RFE Journalist: "I'm ready, so go ahead." Curator: "You must perform the tasks diligently, and no one should know what When you finish each task, it is necessary that you send me a photo or video so that I can verify that you have passed each phase, and at the end of the game, you die.
RFE journalist: "What if I want to leave the game?"
Curator: "I have all your information. They will come for you. "
The journalist states that the first task was to make the symbol "F58" on his arm with a knife. Then he had to send a photo to show that the test had ended successfully.
- You may be interested: "The influence of child sexual abuse in cases of adolescent suicide"
Some hypotheses that are considered
The mental health professionals and officials of the Russian state are expressing concern . That is why they are trying to identify the factors that motivate young people to be interested in such macabre games.
This matter has reached the Russian political landscape , who see in this phenomenon an argument to strengthen control over the Internet. In a hearing held on February 16 in the Public Chamber of Russia to discuss a bill that increases penalties for inciting suicide, accusations were heard stating that this phenomenon has been created by "Ukrainian nationalists" as a campaign ready to catch 2 million young people, according to a report of the meeting in the newspaper Kommersant.
Suspects and guilty of inciting suicide
Several media outlets have reported on the investigations and arrests that are taking place. The newspaper of the region of Ossetia, in northern Russia, reported on February 17 that four people from the town, including two minors, had been arrested on suspicion of having played a decisive role in the suicide of a minor 15 years old on February 1st.
On February 20, Altai prosecutors (Russia) opened an investigation on suspicion that an unidentified group of individuals He pushed a 15-year-old boy to commit suicide for a period of three months , unsuccessfully.
