Questions & Answers on the Blue Whale Suicide Game
What does the game consist of?
The game Blue Whale - or Siniy Kit, as it is known in Russian or Blue Whale, is composed of a total of 50 daily challenges, which should therefore be completed at the end of 50 days. Each challenge is sent daily by a "curator" or "administrator" requesting evidence (such as photos or video) that the challenge has been fully honored by players who are typically teens with depression or isolation issues. One of the premises of the game is that you must play to the end, without giving up and without telling anyone. This game turns out to be, in fact, an incentive to suicide, since most of the challenges involve self-mutilation and the last challenge is "Take your own life".
The name "Blue Whale" comes from one of the challenges - in which the player is asked to mutilate and draw a blue whale in the arm - based on the belief that blue whales (animals) voluntarily give the coast with the intention of Lose their lives.
What challenges are these?
Although some challenges are simple or even innocuous, most challenges are related to self-mutilation. The first challenge is "With a razor, write 'F57' in hand and send a picture to the healer." One of the simplest challenges is to have the hashtag "#i_am_whale" shared on the pages of the Russian social network VKontakte (VK); Another asks to spend the day without speaking to anyone and in another, it is suggested that you find someone who is also participating in the game. Already several other challenges call for the person to mutilate repeatedly or to climb the roofs or bridges to sit on the edge and finally to take his own life.
Watch horror or psychedelic movies at 04:20 in the morning. They have to be movies nominated by the curator who will then ask questions to confirm that you really saw.
14. Cut your lip.
15. Stick your hand with a needle many times.
25. Meeting with a blue whale that the healer will point you to.
26. The healer will indicate the date of your death and you will accept it.
27. Wake up at 04.20 and go on a railroad.
50. Take your own life.
How to play?
The Blue Whale is played mainly in the famous Russian social network VKontakte; In other countries, the phenomenon has been propagated by other social networks. Some teens are "identified" by the healers by using certain hashtags or by being part of certain groups on social networks (such as groups on depression or suicide). After being contacted by this "administrator" or by volunteering to play, the player receives a daily challenge that must be fulfilled and recorded.
Who are the "healers"?
The "healers" are the people responsible for introducing the players - mostly young - into the Blue Whale challenges. Every day they send messages with the challenge of the day and ensure, by asking for photos or videos as evidence, that the challenges have been met. The trustees say they have all the player's information in their possession, such as their place of residence and who their family members are, which information is used as a threat in case the player wants to give up.
In November last year, Filipp Budeikin, 21, was arrested on suspicion of being one of these curators and encouraging suicide among young people. He's still waiting for judgment.
How did the phenomenon come about?
This phenomenon began in 2016 and is presumed to have started in Russia, through the most used social network in the country, VKontakte. Russia is one of the countries with the highest rate of suicides among the young population.
