This new dimension of madness is taking over the world by storm. Video Games that at one point of time were considered fun have now assumed dangerous proportion..
A lot of them not only harm the gamers physically through augmented reality, but are also causing serious damage and behavioural change…
These dangerous games must stop and our collective action is the need of the hour to prevent even downloads of these games. After all we cannot allow this insanity that is disguised as entertainment to take the lives of our children..
Please be aware that our curated list is just the tip of the iceberg and there may be many, many more such gaming predators lurking in the dark. Be Aware and Stay Clear !
Blue whale: Blue Whale which is also termed an ‘online suicide challenge game’ began in Russia in 2013. It asks players to draw a blue whale on a piece of paper and carve the figure onto their body. That is the first of 50 dares, which may include watching horror movies alone or harming themselves. The final task is to commit suicide. It also asks for images or films to be shared as proof. Across 130 deaths across Russia and one in India has already been linked to this dangerous game.
Pokemon Go: A virtual treasure hunt, unlike many other games, Pokémon Go was the
smash hit of 2016. It was the most downloaded game probably because the television show pokemon was very popular, also the fact that the characters can be caught in reality. The old versions of the game, like Pokémon Ruby, were played on consoles like a Nintendo DS or Gameboy. They were fun, fantasy games that were perfectly safe and really enjoyable for the whole family. You can still play them on your computer through sites like Gamulator. But the new game doesn’t stop within your house, and players go around catching them as part of the game in open areas only focussing on their phones 24*7 without observing the surroundings for possible danger.
This one game caused several accidents, including car crashes, people falling into pot holes, children lured to secluded places and more. Mumbai was however the first city in India to record accidents driven by Pokemon Go. Surely, roads are not the best place to play games but who listens..
My Talking Angela: An advanced version of Talking Tom, a virtual petting game, Talking Angela however for some, is much more than pure fun. In this gaming app, the cat asks questions to the kids such as their names, age, gender, address etc. She also copies facial expressions while accessing the camera on the phone.
Although there is a childmode which when activated refrains it from asking such potential questions it is advisable to keep a check on the child from switching it back on. Cases of spying and kidnapping have been lodged across the country linked to this game.
Man Hunt: Manhunt is a psychological horror based game. The game consists of twenty levels but the players survive the scenes by dispatching enemy gang members, primarily by slyly executing them. The game is totally disturbing and involves a high level of realistic violence. The game came under the radar when a 17-year-old from England was sentenced to life for reproducing a death scene in a video game, where he stabbed a 14-year-old kid over 50 times until he died.
Grand Theft Auto: GTA is an action-adventure video game series that focuses on a virtual world where the player can choose missions to progress as well as engaging in activities consisting of action-adventure, driving, third-person shooting, stealth, racing and more.
A report also stated that an 18-year-old shot three police officers and fled with a police car, stating that ‘life is a video game. You’ve got to die sometime’. He was caught for the real-life sequence similar to the game and was given the death penalty. Subsequently, it was alleged to be the most controversial video game series in history.
While some games are still intended for fun, many such games may cost a life.
We sincerely believe that it is important to be vigilant and aware of such potentially life threatening forms of amusement that exist today in our environment..
After all, unlike what these game creators believe, Life is certainly not a game!
#All images used for representation only
##Readers are advised to desist from any attempt at playing these life threatening games.
Reach her at loveleen@pune365.com or tweet @KaurKaur18
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