Exactly how many downloads it has had is unknown. The game has gained a cult following, being described as an “innovative horror”. How popular is Doki Doki Literature Club?
It is free to download and play, although you can purchase an in-play fan pack for £6.99. It is also available via Freeware software. The game is available through Microsoft Windows, macOS, the gaming host website itch.io and the digital distribution store ‘Steam’. How can children play?ĭoki Doki Literature Club is a downloadable computer game. The player follows the story and interacting with the characters by chatting and writing poems. Whilst the characters befriend the player, they turn nasty if the payer fails to do these tasks. At certain intervals in game play, the player is prompted to make decisions and complete tasks, which can affect how the story unfolds. The game then gets darker and darker, starting over, but his time without the girl and with more involvement from the other characters. However, she suffers from depression and eventually after she fails to answer his text messages, he goes to her house to find that she has hanged herself. He starts to take part in the club’s activities and as the game unfolds, one of the girls reveals she loves him and expresses this in poetry. The story follows a boy high school student who joins the school’s Literature Club and then interacts with its four female members. However, it is in fact a dark psychological horror story. It is an anime-style video game described as a “visual novel”, initially giving the impression that it is a light-hearted dating game. The game was released in September 2017 by US-based developer Team Salvato. The reason for this, is that Doki Doki Literature Club is a psychological horror game with suicide at the heart of the gameplay. Those concerns are that the game may trigger suicidal thoughts in young people, particularly those who are emotionally vulnerable or have mental health problems.
The Coroner felt compelled to issue the alert to councils and schools, warning of the potential dangers the game presents. Ben’s father Darren Walmsley has said that he believes his son was “dragged” into the game. However, at a pre-inquest hearing on 27 th June the Coroner was prompted to issue a warning about the psychological impact of the game, a warning that was also echoed by the police and Ben’s father who have also said that that the game poses a significant risk to children and young people. The inquest which had been due to held at the end of June, has been delayed to November to allow Bury safeguarding agencies to complete a serious case review. Ben’s death is still under investigation by the police on behalf of the Coroner and so it would be improper to speculate on both the cause of death and whether the game played a part. The game ‘Doki Doki Literature Club’ is a dark and disturbing ‘visual novel’. The Coroner examining the circumstances of the death has issued a warning around an online game, that Ben was heavily involved with, at the time of his death. At the end of February 15-year old Ben Walmsley from Bury was found dead.