- By Prateek Levi
- Wed, 04 Feb 2026 05:32 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
Korean Task-Based Game: In a distressing incident that unfolded on Wednesday, three minor girls, who were sisters, died by jumping from the 9th floor of the building situated in Bharat City Society in Uttar Pradesh's Ghaziabad. The victims have been identified as Nishika (16), Prachi (14), and Pakhi (12), daughters of Chetan Kumar. According to officials, the three girls had not attended school since the outbreak of COVID-19.
According to the police, the three girls were clearly influenced by Korean culture and used to play an online task-based game. DCP Patil stated that the police have found a suicide note at the residence, which clarified that they were influenced by Korean culture. However, no specific name of any game application was mentioned in the note.
"Sorry, Papa. We cannot leave Korea. Korea is our life, and you can't make us leave it. That's why we are committing suicide," the alleged suicide note reads.
#WATCH | Ghaziabad | DCP Trans-Hindon, Nimish Patil says, "In the early hours of 4th February, we received information that three girls jumped from a building. They were declared dead at the hospital. We have found a suicide note in the case. From the suicide note, it is clear… pic.twitter.com/haImybH3cV
— ANI (@ANI) February 4, 2026
Soon after the incident came to the fore, a section of the media claimed that the sisters jumped one by one as a part of that task-based Korean 'Love Game,' which they were apparently addicted to.
While police have not named any particular game, they expressed that the victims were influenced by the Korean culture. Reports also suggest that the victims' family was not very financially well-off and prohibited their daughters from watching such content and took custody of their phones, which might have prompted such an action.
What Is This Korean Love Game After All?
According to media reports, the Korean "Lover Game" is a task-based online 'romantic' game, which allows users to interact with a virtual partner. Players choose a virtual companion who chats in Korean, sends affectionate messages, and assigns daily tasks.
What starts with casual conversations or photo sharing gradually becomes more demanding, sometimes crossing into personal, risky, or even harmful territory. The game taps into the global appeal of Korean entertainment, pulling users into a fantasy where they feel part of that world.
Ghaziabad Assistant Police Commissioner (ACP) Atul Kumar Singh said, "The girls left behind a lot of notes in a diary and stated that they were sorry and also made a crying caricature. They were highly obsessed with the game and thought that they were not Indians but Koreans. They also portrayed themselves as Korean princesses under the influence of the game."
Is This The New Blue Whale Scenario?
According to multiple reports, the game is being compared with the previously notorious "Blue Whale" Challenge, a game that assigned 50 tasks over 50 days, with the final task leading to serious self-harm. It was infamously called the online suicide game. Starting with fairly basic tasks, it usually progressed further with each task getting more difficult, culminating in the user's death in the end.
Rising Concerns Over Online Gaming Addiction
This incident brings something a lot more important to the fore, that is, the behaviour of children interacting with these games and how it impacts their minds and decision-making.
Oftentimes, curbing their usage and restricting access to their devices can also be seen as problematic; a similar case highlights this, where a Class 10 student in Telangana's Nirmal district committed suicide after his parents took away his phone because of PUBG addiction.
These games have a more overreaching impact on children's brains with their flashy visuals. Apart from that, task-based games create a sense of reward that children get easily baited into, which adds to the problem, as these tasks then start to get followed blindly after addiction, and when left unsupervised, the problem goes deeper.
This incident also serves as a sad reminder that parents need to be on the vigil when it comes to device usage and usage on the internet, and children need to be made aware of the dangers that prevail in the online space. Parents should, for the most part, encourage an open channel of communication with children before it's too late.
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