Cursed Video Game

The Midnight Article "A Cursed Game" was written by u/Roblox838 and posted to r/MidnightPaper.

The text of the Article was as follows:

A CURSED GAME

Some news has appeared from the Russian Federation. An unknown game that makes people disappear/die after playing it has just recently appeared.

The cursed game, which has nothing on its cover, which is white, was first spotted in Rostov-on-Don, in Russia. The first victim was Ilya Fyodorovich Sovarienko. His father, Fyodor Yakovlevich Sovarienko, has personally been interviewed.

"He wanted it. I should've refused. I didn't, and now he's gone. I'm sorry! Please, forgive me! PLEASE!" Fyodor kept crying until he coughed up blood and vomited.

A tester said, "The game is similar to Grand Theft Auto, except it's more realistic". The day after, he disappeared.

Another parent also coughed up blood and vomited after he gave someone an interview, which means that this game might not only make players disappear, but their parents cough up blood.

Putin is due to make a speech about the game on the 27th of October, after 129 people were reported missing across Russia after the first incident on the 12th of October. Most of these reports mention a game with just a white cover.

Description:

The "Cursed Video Game" is an Object-Type Oddity in the shape of a video game disc and its accompanying box. What console the game can be played on is unknown. However, as a tester compared it to Grand Theft Auto, a series of games that launches on seemingly every console imaginable, it's not hard to imagine that there is a version of the game available for every current generation console and PC.

The game itself comes in a plain white box, with its cover being completely white as well. There are no identifiable markings, logos, ESRB ratings, or publisher names of any kind. The game itself was first spotted in Rostov-on-Don, Russia, where it would soon claim the lives of several young people.

The game appears to be available for purchase in some way, as Fyodor Yakovlevich Sovarienko admitted to buying it after his son Ilya asked for it.

Gameplay:

Since a tester compared the game to Grand Theft Auto, it can be inferred that the Cursed Video Game is an open-world action game of some kind. It's likely that the game takes place in a modern setting and features driving and shooting gameplay mechanics.

However, what is troubling (and horrifying) about this particular game is that it's "much more realistic." Video games offer their players access to a wide variety of actions that they could not, or would not, do in real life. Anything from running over pedestrians to going on an all-out killing spree is possible. But what if these actions would have real consequences? What if they were somehow being used to judge or punish the players who perpetrated them? Something like this may be going on with the Cursed Video Game.

Symptoms:

The first reported victim, Ilya Fyodorovich Sovarienko, disappeared shortly after his father bought the game for him. Sometime after, his father vomited and coughed up blood while giving an interview.

A beta tester also went missing the day after playing the game, and the parent of another missing player also coughed up blood after participating in an interview.

It appears that the Game has two effects that are caused as a result of playing it: 1. Anybody who plays it will disappear shortly after, most likely within 24 hours. 2. Their parents will be inflicted with some condition which causes haemoptysis (coughing up blood).

Aftermath:

What becomes of the players of the Cursed Video Game is unknown, it appears that they simply vanish into thin air. Whether their parents live or die is also a mystery, as is why the game targets the parents in the first place.

Irresponsible Parent Theory:

It is possible that, given how exactly the game affects those that play it, that it is targeting and punishing those parents it deems "irresponsible." If the beta tester is to be believed, the Cursed Video Game is a lot like Grand Theft Auto, a violent game that is explicitly labeled as being for Mature Audiences. However, many parents still purchase the game for their children, who are often between the ages of 12 (or even younger) and 17. What if the Game knows this? What if it punishes not just the players who engage in violent activity in the Game, but the parents who bought it for them?