Teen's Death Being Linked to Controversial 'Doki Doki Literature Club' Game

Doki Doki Literature Club is a deceptively cutesy visual novel game available on PC that looks soft and fluffy on the surface, making the "Psychological Horror" tag all the more confusing. After having played the game myself out of morbid curiosity, my world is effectively rocked because oh my god, what the hell? Not too many games pull a fast one like that, but it's definitely earned it's "WTH" medal in the gaming community. Unfortunately, the anime-based game is back in the spotlight and for reasons that are significantly less celebratory worthy.

The game itself comes with the warning on the front page, "This game is not suitable for children or those who are easily disturbed." Now the title is being warned against by the teachers at Sunderland following the recent death of a teenage boy at the behest of the local coroner's office.

According to the Manchester coroner's office, "I believe the information is so concerning that this warrants my writing at this stage to make the local authorities aware of the issue so appropriate information can be disseminated."

They added, "This has arisen due to the fact I am conducting the inquest into the death of a 15-year-old-boy who died earlier this year. Evidence obtained suggested he had used an online game called Doki Doki."

According to a recent report from Sunderland Echo, the Chairman of the Board, Sir Paul Ennals, had his own statement to make regarding the safety of the children under their care:

"The Sunderland Safeguarding Children Board and its national and regional partners all work together to protect children and young people and promote their welfare. "Part of this is sharing concerns about issues and community safety messages on how they might be addressed."

He continued, "On this occasion it was to share information with schools about the death of a young person outside of our area, which the coroner at the inquest felt it was relevant to share with colleagues across the country."

According to reports, the investigation into Ben Walmsley's (15) death is still pending at this time.

Have you had a chance to check out the Doki Doki Literature Club yourself? What do you think about the insane plot twist that this game offered? Do you think that this concern is justified or is it jumping the gun?