Could an online battle game have influenced 13-year-old Dadar resident Tirthesh Chetan Khanolkar to take his life? This question has left the police, investigating his death, and several cyber experts, baffled. Khanolkar hanged himself at his home on February 13, covering one of his eyes, perhaps to look like a character from the online Garena Free Fire game. Cyber psychologists believe that with students spending hours on their smartphones due to virtual schooling post-pandemic, young children are increasingly getting addicted to online games, where the lines between reality and fiction are often blurred.

Garena Free Fire, also known as Free Fire, is a survival shooter mobile game. It was initially released in 2017. Each 10-minute game places you on a remote island, where you are pitted against 49 other players, all seeking survival. Players freely choose their starting point with their parachute, and aim to stay in the safe zone for as long as possible. The goal is to survive and answer the call of duty. It’s ironic then that Khanolkar, who experts feel was influenced by the game, could have chosen death.