Whether "Blue Whale" is inspiring teens to commit suicide or not, it seems clear the game itself is dark and malicious. Why does such a game exist in the first place, and who is behind it? Those questions are difficult to answer.
"Blue Whale," like many memes, has spread far beyond its origin. Multiple people and groups now run similar games, most in the alternate reality genre. Nearly all involve macabre content. Some encourage players to simulate self-harm and suicide attempts, using Photoshop or fake blood to simulate a gruesome scene. These games, while troubling, don't appear to call for players to hurt themselves. They seem connected to creepypasta, a type of Internet horror folklore (the infamous Slender Man was born from this genre).
In these cases, the game is exploring dark themes, something many young people feel compelled to do. The exclusivity and secrecy of the games boosts players' feelings of inclusion and importance. While the games might have troubling psychological implications, they aren't outright demanding players end their lives.
Financial gain and online fame could be another motivator. A piece on the site Lenta.ru mentions a curator named Myron Seth, who was interested in monetizing the game through online advertising. More page views translates into more money. As such, creating a game that attracts a lot of attention has value. And from a cynical point of view, a game that kills off its customers will have a hard time remaining profitable.
To complicate matters, some curators (or people who pose as curators) have claimed their motives were to help prevent suicidal teens from harming themselves. Rather than lecturing the teens or posting transparent messages offering help, these curators use the game to reach people actively seeking out dark content. They claim to then use their positions to help guide the teens to seek help.
Then there's the tale of Philipp Budeikin (aka Philipp Fox) who was arrested and sentenced to three years in jail for inciting teenagers to commit suicide through the game. Initially, Budeikin claimed that the game itself was a joke and not intended as an actual means to hurt people, reported the BBC. But on May 10, 2017, he pleaded guilty to the charges at a court hearing and said the teens who played the game were "biological waste." According to BBC, Budeikin had refined his approach over several years, starting in 2013.
Whether or not Budeikin created "Blue Whale" is unknown. The game and its various spinoffs have certainly grown beyond his involvement in any case.
History has recorded previous panics similar to the "Blue Whale" phenomenon. The Satanic Panic played out in the 1970s and '80s. A related panic focused on the role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons. In both cases, concerned adults concentrated on what to them appeared to be the root cause of troubled children. "Blue Whale" goes further in that in some instances of the game curators are actively encouraging players to commit harmful or dangerous acts.
But many experts warn that we should concentrate less on the game and more on the underlying factors that lead people to suicidal thoughts. We shouldn't ignore the game entirely — playing the game could indicate that someone needs to reach out to that player. But the game itself isn't the real issue here. To address those problems, we must look deeper, perhaps confronting some very difficult realizations in the process.