Many in India took to Google Play to downgrade and uninstall ‘Blue Whale Simulator App,’ mistaking it as a ‘Blue Whale Challenge’, which is an online suicide game.
The simulator game meant for kids bore the brunt after a 14-year-old boy was believed to be goaded by the deadly game into killing himself by jumping off the terrace of his building in Mumbai last week.
In a similar case of mistaken identity, netizens recently had uninstalled e-commerce app ‘Snapdeal’ to vent their ire against ‘Snapchat’ CEO Evan Spiegel, who allegedly call India poor.
The Blue Whale challenge, ostensibly created by a former convict in Russia, psychologically provoke players to indulge in daring, self-destructive tasks for 50 days before finally taking the “winning” step of killing themselves.
Accomplishment of each task needed to be filmed and shared as “proof.”
The game is blamed for hundreds of teenage suicides around the world, triggering concern over Blue Whale phenomenon. According to a report in The Sun on July 31, the game has been linked to the deaths of around 130 teenagers in Russia alone.
Mumbai police believed Manpreet Sahans, a class 9 student from Sher-e-Punjab in Andheri East, became the victim of the deadly game. It was the first suicide in India linked to the phenomenon.
During the course of the game, the participants could be asked to watch horror and psychic movies, cut their hands with blades and needles, causing self harm.
Despite a number of explainers doing the round, people still seem to be unaware of the fact that the Blue Whale challenge is not an app or a game that can be downloaded on mobile phone.
