It’s Not Just a Game: Netflix’s Squid Game
What would you do for a large sum of cash? I mean, think of the life you could make for yourself with say $38.5 million…college paid off, a nice house, or an expensive car. The drama series and current cultural phenomenon, Squid Game, explores this very question, critiques our capitalistic society, and discusses the value of human life. The Top-10 Netflix series not only sparked the interest of millions through social media conversation but a political conversation in South Korea where the show takes place.
The Story of a Poor Man
*Spoilers ahead*
Filmed in Seoul, South Korea, Squid Game follows Seong Gi-hun, a man working as a chauffeur who is taunted by his debt after gambling all of his family’s money in an attempt to make their life better. Gi-hun is encountered by a businessman (who knew a suspiciously large amount of information about him) at a train station. He ends up playing a game with this stranger for a chance to win some money. Afterward, he is handed a business card with a phone number on the back after the businessman encouraged him to enter a game with a potentially large monetary prize for the winner.
The 456 competitors in the game all end up battling for a cash prize of 45.6 billion won (about $38.5 million USD) by playing beloved childhood games. The only downside is that any mistake would result in a player’s death. Full of twists and turns, watching Squid Game is truly a unique experience for the viewer. The life-or-death take on childhood games like Red Light, Green Light, and Tug-of-War, create a very haunting atmosphere. Words can’t emphasize how gripping this story is, it’s a must-watch.
A Familiar Capitalistic Society
Squid Game blatantly depicts mixed economy within South Korea and capitalism in the modern era. The driving force behind every characters’ motivation is money to pay off the debts or loans that they have accrued over the years. Some characters also just wanted to provide for their families.
The people running the games, and the guards constantly create conflicts between players, similar to how capitalism promotes competition in our own society. The reason for the game’s creation even ties back to capitalism: (spoiler) One of the players in the games turned out to be the host and creator of the game. Working in banking, the individual got bored of being rich and getting whatever they wanted, so they created the games as entertainment for themself and their wealthy friends (the VIPS seen in the later episodes). While this is absolutely horrifying, the story depicts events that aren’t too far off from our own society, which adds new levels of horror to the games.
Squid Games Impact in the Real World
The show resonated with some residents of Seoul, South Korea so much so that recent protests have been inspired by the methods and themes featured on the show. VICE World News reported that these rallies occurred in 13 cities across Seoul where people are fighting for better rights for workers and demanding job security.
Korean audiences agreed that some scenes depicted in the show were very difficult to watch as they too experienced similar tribulations within their own work experiences. Most notably, many related to being laid off unexpectedly after management wasn’t able to pay their workers and barely being able to make ends meet. Due to current COVID-19 policies in South Korea, rallies are currently banned to help prevent further spreading of the virus and President Moon Jae-In pleads that these union workers halt their protests while the pandemic is still greatly affecting the country.
A Chance to Change your Life
While Squid Game is a TV show that many people watched for entertainment it left the people of South Korea questioning their government and economy.
For other viewers, it left people thinking about if they would join the games. Most of us are on a budget, so would any amount of money convince you to risk your own life and risk others’ lives? Would you succumb to the upper-class capitalistic ways? Or would you do anything to avoid the horrifying games?