Safeguarding Alert - Online Video Game

Please be aware of the dangers of the online ‘horror’ game Doki Doki Literature Club.  Doki Doki Literature Club is an anime-style video game that has been downloaded between two and five million times since it was released in September 2017.

Described as a "visual novel", it features a boy who joins a high school poetry society and grows close to four teenage girls.  While it appears to be a cute "dating sim" game, it opens with the warning: "This game is not suitable for children or those who are easily disturbed."

Players follow the story and interact with the characters by chatting and writing poems.

The interactions take a dark turn as the girls become obsessive, and the story contains disturbing references to violence, self-harm and mental health issues and a scene in which a character's neck snaps.

A number of alternative endings are available depending on the player's input.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/technology-44644127/doki-doki-warnings-over-suicide-themed-video-game