The Netflix series from South Korea, Squid Game, is now officially one of the most successful shows on the streaming platform. Its popularity beat Bridgerton, Sex Education, and various other series first worldwide. This is quite surprising because this series is broadcast in Korean, which is still relatively foreign to the ears of many Netflix viewers. In addition, the content also tends to be full of cruelty and brutality, which is generally not suitable for everyone.
But the fame of this film proves that many people enjoy the spectacle covered in blood and classified as vile. Squid Game tells the story of a deadly game played by a group of people to get a large amount of money.
On the other hand, its contestants’ survival stunts are watched by billionaires who make it purely for entertainment. This nine-episode series is a social critique of the worldwide economic inequality and financial instability many people feel. This is increasingly felt when the pandemic occurs globally and makes things worse.
However, seeing the series from start to end, we may know that children’s games inspire the games. The “games” every contestant should play are traditional Korean games but modified to some extent.
Facts About Squid Game
The series, which tells the story of the struggle of 456 people who participated in a game to win a prize of 45.6 billion Won, was also widely discussed on social media.
In addition to its thrilling story, Squid Game also presents a variety of warm stories, which can make the audience shed tears. Here are five facts from the series starring Lee Jung Jae and Park Hae Soo.
Origin of Title
Director and creator Hwang Dong-hyuk explained that the origin of this series’s title came from his childhood game.
“When I was little, I used to play Squid Game in the schoolyard or the street in front of my house. This series is about people who used to play this game as a child and now return to playing when they are adults. Squid Game is one of the most physically demanding games and one of my favorite games,” explained the Squid Game director.
The Script was Completed in 2009
Hwang Dong Hyuk admitted that he started writing the script for Squid Game in 2008, long before he produced various box office films, such as Silenced and The Fortress. Then the script was completed in 2009 when the story in Squid Game was considered too foreign, with a lot of violence, complicated, and not commercial.
“I also failed to find investors, and it was difficult to find the right actors. I considered it for a year but then decided not to continue, “said Hwang Dong Hyuk. After ten years with Netflix, he has succeeded in realizing the story.
The Masked Men
If you look at The Masked Men, they wear masks with different symbols. Inspired by the ant kingdom, the three symbols used have their respective meanings.
“The circle mask for workers, who wear masks with a triangle symbol are soldiers, then the square symbol is the manager,” said Hwang Dong Hyuk.
Interestingly enough, the sets for the Squid Game series are custom-made and made as real as possible. Various large properties were deliberately made to produce a real impression and minimize the use of computer effects.
Simple and Easy to Understand
Squid Game has a unique side that is different from similar genre series. The director also made it simple and made the audience not think hard to understand the game in it.
“Considering various factors, I believe that simplicity is the key. The audience doesn’t need to spend much time or energy understanding the rules because everything is very simple. Instead of the gameplay, Squid Game focuses more on how the participants behave and react. In a survival game, we tend to pay more attention to the winners. But in the Squid Game, we actually see who loses. There will be no winners if there are no losers.”
Where to Watch Squid Game
Squid Game is available on Netflix and is still considered one of the most successful series on the platform. Upon opening Netflix, you may notice that sometimes Squid Game is put on the front as one of the popular series. However, it may happen because of geo-restrictions if you can’t find the Squid Game. Thus, we want to recommend to watch Squid game with cheapest monthly VPNs. And please note, although the price might be affordable, the features are still pretty helpful. Check the review to find which one is the best for you.
Games That “Inspire” Squid Game
There are so many traditional games in Squid Game, such as:
1. Tug of War
Of course, you are already familiar with it when you watch this 3rd game. In the series, the game looks like two teams are challenged to compete against each other.
One of the differences is that the “Squid Game” series adds a thrilling element to the survival game. The participants follow the game “Tug of War” at a height. Each participant’s hands were handcuffed to a rope. If one of the teams loses, they will fall to the ground.
2. Glass Stepping Stone
“Glass Stepping Stone” is the 5th game in the “Squid Game” series. If interpreted, this game can also be referred to as a glass bridge game where each player will be asked to cross a bridge with two different types of glass: strong and fragile glass.
The glass is placed alternately right and left. Of course, a player who puts his foot on the fragile glass ends his game and his life. The game is exciting and nerve-wracking, something we hope for in the Squid Game Sequel. However, the game feels and looks familiar to Hopscotch.
3. Marbles
The 4th game in this series tests your patience, doesn’t it? The reason is in this series, players are asked to make their playing partner an opponent or enemy.
They are free to play anything that uses marbles, provided that participants must succeed in seizing all the marbles from their opponent if they want to win this game. Seeing marbles is their game; it’s certainly not a strange thing. In Asia, marbles also gave birth to various kinds of games we used to play as a kid.
4. Red Light, Green Light
Who feels this first game is very imprinted on our memories? Yup, it’s natural, considering that the game “Red Lights, Green Lights” is familiar to Asian people.
In this series, participants are asked to approach the guard doll facing the tree and back to the participants. The guard doll will look at the participants at a very high speed. This is where the game begins.
Participants caught moving when the guard doll is looking will be shot dead. In Asia, this game also has a similar concept. This game also places one guard whose job is to chase other participants. One example is Daruma san ga koronda from Japan.
But, of all of them, the main inspiration of Squid Game is fragments of reality. And we know reality can be harsh sometimes, especially for unfortunate people. The series shows the divide between different economic classes, not to value money in the price for humanity.
