In Pic: The Blue Whale Challenge requires cutting one's arm in the shape of a whale On May 11, Budeikin pleaded guilty and was sentenced to three years in prison. He was arrested with charges of inciting at least 16 teenagers to kill themselves. According to Budeikin, his purpose was to 'clean' the society by pushing to suicide those he deemed as having no value. Philipp Budeikin, a former psychology student who was expelled from the university, claimed that he invented the game. The game reportedly started in Russia in 2013 with F57, one of the names of the so-called 'death group' of VKontakte - Russia’s largest social network - and allegedly caused its fi rst suicide in 2015. ET Magazine looks at its origin and its reported victims from around the world. The challenge has allegedly claimed over 130 deaths so far, with multiple teen suicides in India. The contestants must prove that they have completed the tasks by sending proof - pictures and videos - to their 'curator' or the 'whale' who had been instructing them all this while. As the game progresses, participants reach the final day that supposedly culminates in suicide. Spread over 50 days, the challenge reportedly instructs participants to complete 50 tasks that include self-harm, body mutilation and watching scary videos.
The dare-based 'game', Blue Whale Challenge, is making headlines for its sinister nature.
