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.
