The Blue Whale Challenge is up and running and yes, it has hit Pakistan like a time bomb. Teenagers from all over the country are indulging in this suicidal game and facing the consequences.
Before dissecting this game, let’s talk about the origin of this game.
Origin
Russia seems to be the country from where this game originally started.
A young student, by the name of Philipp Budeikin, invented the game back in 2013. In June 2016, he was arrested by the native police on the charge of enticing 16 school girls to commit suicide. In his defense, he confessed that he only wanted to clear the world from the ‘biological waste and have fun.’ Quite a bizarre way to have fun, I presume.
How Does The Game Work?
When I heard of this game initially, I wasn’t really sure that it was real. It’s hard to imagine that people commit suicide while playing this game, but I was sorely mistaken.
Let’s talk about the game and its instruction manual. The game comprises of 50 questions. With every question, the player has to go through a self-mutilation act in order to reach the end-the 50th question. In the final act of the game, the player is asked to commit suicide.
Reported Cases in Pakistan
Many cases have been reported in Pakistan, but the first ones were from the province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK)
Teenagers from all over Pakistan are playing this game and are falling into the trap of this epidemic. There have been reports launched by the medical officials that teenagers who are the victims of anxiety and depression are more likely to get involved in this killer game.
One case from Jhelum reported that two girls were expelled from their college as they were caught by their classmates. They both had the ‘blue whale’ mark on their hands, and were on Level 18 and 22 respectively. The headmistress of the school advised their parents to keep a check on their activities and get medical attention for their kids (bache).
The Social Media Response
After getting to know about the atrocities of this game, the social media took action against the ‘Blue Whale Challenge’
Facebook has led the charge to stop people from committing such acts of self-harm. People from all over the world are providing help to those who are addicted to the game by giving them mental health advice or medical attention.
Facebook’s Safety Centre also offers guidance for parents, teenagers, educators, and law enforcement officials to start a conversation about mental health and support.