What Is Korean Task-Based App ‘Love Game’? Inside The Game Linked To Minor Sisters’ Suicide And Addiction

A Korean task-based online game, known as the 'Love Game', has come under fierce investigation following the suicide of three minor sisters in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. The three sisters - Nishika (16), Prachi (14) and Pakhi (12) - were said to have committed suicide after jumping off the ninth-floor balcony early Wednesday morning, with police probing whether addiction to the game contributed to the circumstances leading to the tragedy.

Police said that the sisters appeared heavily obsessed with the Korean-themed online game and had seemingly become emotionally obsessed with it. Police authorities said a suicide note was recovered from the home in which the sisters have been said to have penned down - "Sorry, Papa... We can't leave Korea. Korea is our life, and we can't let go of it. That's why we are taking our lives." Police haven't named a particular app in the note, but state that the girls have been heavily influenced by Korean culture.

What is the Korean 'Love Game'?

The Korean 'Love Game' has been described as a task-based online 'romantic' game where one can interact with a virtual companion. In a first-of-its-kind report by News18 Hindi, the game involves selecting a virtual Korean body-partner, who sends loving messages and engages in interaction to return the affection one gives.

Unlike regular mobile games, which are created to serve as pure entertainment, these platforms are believed to walk the 'fine line' between gaming and emotional role-playing. Daily objectives are issued like regular chatting, uploading photographs and constant online presence of the user for game purposes. Over the course of the game, the objectives tend to become increasingly demanding and invasive, resulting in longer and longer screen time and increased emotional engagement.

These games take inspiration from Korean pop culture trends like K-dramas and K-pop aesthetics, and give users a make-believe long world that feels very real. Police authorities believe this is how the three sisters got caught up with the virtual world during the COVID-19 pandemic, where they absconded from school and then spent practically the entire day together at home.

Korean Task-Based Game Linked to Three Minor Sisters' Death

Speaking to ANI, the girl's father, Chetan Kumar, said that despite repeated warning the girls refused to leave the game and stated, We had asked our girls 10 to 15 times to leave playing the Korean game, but they refused. They said to us, 'Papa, we cannot leave Korea. Korea is our life. Korea is everything to us. You cannot separate us from it. We will give up our lives.' I have just seen the suicide note. This is very tragic. I appeal to all parents to be careful and keep a check on the extent to which children are getting obsessed with new technology," he said.

DCP Trans-Hindon Nimish Patil confirmed that while no specific app was mentioned in the note, the influence of Korean culture was evident. Police also said the girls had not attended school since the pandemic and often played the game together.

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Is the Korean ‘Love Game’ similar To Blue Whale Challenge?

Several reports have compared the Korean ‘Love Game’ to the ‘Blue Whale Challenge’, a Russian online game which supposedly set out a sequence of escalating tasks over 50 days with the ultimate objective of self-harm. While early tasks were fairly safe, the ultimate conclusion of the game saw encouragement of dangerous conduct and self-destruction, lawyers say.

Authors state that, while it remains unconfirmed that the Korean game in focus falls into a similar age range, game experts believe that task-oriented games, which create emotional reliance, can be hazardous for minor users.

The Ghaziabad incident

The three sisters were said to have jumped from an apartment at Tower B-1 in Bharat City Society under Tila Mod police jurisdiction. The girls had been immediately admitted to the hospital in Loni, where doctors announced them dead at the scene. According to NDTV, the three sisters had locked the doors from the inside before jumping off their balcony, and had subsequently adopted Korean aliases in the preceding months.

As the investigation develops, the case has brought up fresh protests over the potential dangers of online game addiction, illegal apps and the difficulties of vigilant parenting.

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