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CONTENTS
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Suicide Prevention Information
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Stop loan sharks
Suicide Prevention Information
Applies to-All schools
Ms J Kearsley
HM Senior Coroner
Manchester North
I am emailing you in respect of an issue which has come to light in an ongoing Inquest. 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. 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. He lived and was at school within the Bury area. Evidence obtained suggested he had used an online game called DOKI DOKI. I requested GMP obtain further information about this game.
Yesterday I received a statement from the DI. In researching this the DI has liased with the NSPCC online safety officers.
To summarise his statement says as follows;
“ Doki Doki also known as Doki Doki Literature Club. Developed in 2017. It does warn it is not suitable for children however the graphics etc are clearly aimed at young people. This is the first game produced by Salvato and has won a number of awards since it was launched in August 2017. It was downloaded over 2 million times in the first 4 months.
In essence the story plot seems to be that a male character joins a literature club and interacts with female members. There are alternative endings depending on choices made during the course of the game. The story plot uncovers suicidal thoughts the members have. The multiple outcomes follow things such as mental health issues (voices in their head), self-harming, suicide and violent scenes such as one of the player’s neck snapping. All of this then links the reader back to an outcome whereby you are made to think the PC has taken over your computer and you have to continue playing. Some outcomes lead you to consider what you could have done to prevent one of the characters deaths. One even shows you messages from the players who have passed away saying “ now you can all be happy I am gone”. This is a psychological horror game with suicide as a main feature.
This game is free of charge but an upgraded version can be purchased for $10 to unlock extra content.Prior to our contact the NSPCC Online Safety team had had no calls with regards to this game but they are now alerted to its existence.
As a result they reviewed information from their Childline Counsellor Facts notes since April 2017. Two counselling sessions had made notes with regards to Doki Doki – these were in November 2017 and January 2018. One talked about a friend playing the game. It was noted the game can trigger emotional responses. The other session noted the young person had been playing it and their favourite character had committed suicide – the young person was thinking about ending their life the same way.”
Please note I have yet to hear this evidence but I feel it is important to share this information
Stop Loan Sharks
Applies to-All schools
NEW CAMPAIGN TARGETS PARENT VICTIMS OF LOAN SHARKS
- Research shows 50% of loan shark victims are parents of children
- New video shows distressing impact of illegal money lending on parents and children.
- Video released to coincide with #mymoneyweek
- Help, advice and support is readily for anyone who believes that they may have been the victim of a loan shark
The England Illegal Money Lending Team (IMLT) have released an impactful new video, which aims to bring awareness to the issue of how parents are affected by loan sharks. The short dramatic video, produced by Birmingham-based Voiceboxx: The Agency, shows the devastating effect of illegal money lending, and is part of a larger campaign to raise awareness of the rights of victims, and the help available to them.
The video is now available to view on www.stoploansharks.co.uk