Detect the whale

A 15-year-old teenager from West Midnapore district in West Bengal, a 14-year-old student from Andheri, Mumbai and a 15-year-old boy from Jalgaon have a common link connecting them — all three of them were playing the deadly online game ‘Blue Whale’ that claimed their lives.

With an increase in Blue Whale related deaths in India, one wonders what might be drawing youngsters to the game. Child psychologist, Dr Samir Parikh says, “The issue is not that these kids are already in turmoil, the truth is that this game is accessible to almost anybody around us. Children, tweens and teens — all have a certain vulnerability. It can arise from curiosity, isolation and self-doubt. A youngster might be wondering somewhere if he does this dare, will his peers like him more. Once you start doing something and even get recognition from a handful of people who you consider important in your life, you will get hooked on to it. It is a vicious cycle.”

Students from Dehradun, Indore and Solapur were, on the other hand, fortunate enough to be rescued on time. The game has, undoubtedly, raised its ugly head among Indian children. 

Game developer Nipun David says that these days human interaction at a personal level is heading towards a dead-end: “A lot of teenagers as well as adults are seeking attention now. It has become a trend. Social media has degraded real friendships to a large extent. People rely on social media to seek emotional support as well as forge friendships. Human interaction at a personal level is heading towards a dead-end. So what are we left with? Things like internet games, social media websites also propel people towards becoming a social media star. Many people are seeking the limelight and the world of gaming has a huge platform for that. Some game developers are misusing this knowledge. It is cold blooded murder.”

While the game developer of Blue Whale is definitely to be blamed, Dr Parikh believes that media portrayal of the game too is very important at this point. “The social narrative around this game needs to be looked into because there is a fine line between helping people understand an issue and creating inquisitiveness among people,” he says. 

However, he also believes that apart from media, schools also need to take responsibility in this matter. “By talking to adults about it, children can filter this and take responsible decisions. Parents also need to have conversations around media literacy with their children.”

While there are many tasks, some of them include making cuts, which could be scary enough to make one seek help — however, that doesn’t seem to be the case. One is made to feel good after a task. It’s like any other game in terms of thrill and a sense of accomplishment. 

With much being written and talked about the game on media, it is hard to believe that youngsters who dive into this game don’t know the end result. “But it is not about that. The issue is not the final step, the issue is your vulnerability at the step when you register for this game. Peer network also encourages you and you get hooked in no time. Smoking is injurious to health but teenagers get pulled into it due to peer pressure and a sense of thrill. This starts in a similar way,” says Dr Parikh.

At the same time, he believes that spyware is not a solution to this game. “There needs to be an open and healthy discussion about it in educational institutions, maybe that can prevent more disasters,” he adds. 

David also informs that while Blue Whale is blatantly challenging people to commit suicide, there have been other games that have claimed lives before. “In Japan and China, there have been cases before where people in order to challenge each other and win, have played games on gaming forums without taking any breaks for days, even to eat food and use the washroom. This have led to organ failures and has claimed lives too. This sort of game-jamming is addictive and harmful. Of course, when we develop games we want them to be popular, but one has to keep in mind that these things are meant for entertainment. We should know where to draw the line,” he says.