By Axel Lagunas
Spoiler Alert!
With eye-catching effects, an interesting plot and a twist on traditional South Korean childhood games, the Netflix series Squid Game has gained massive popularity. But what is the deeper meaning behind a series based on adults playing games for children, in a competition for a grand amount of money or just dying in the process?
Squid Game, a series on Netflix has recently been skyrocketing in streams after being released in September. It is likely to be the most popular Netflix show ever. The series is based on a collection of 456 individuals who are incredibly in debt and feel forced to participate in a series of six games in order to earn a massive amount of money. The catch is that each game kills a significant number of the contestants until only one remains, the winner.
The games played in this series consist of Red Light, Green Light, Dalgano Game, Tug of War, Marbles, The Glass Tile Game, and Squid Game. If a player does not pass or win the game then they will be eliminated and therefore killed. In the end there is only one winner who wins 45,600,000,000 South Korean Won ($38,460,271.20 USD).
Overall these games were chosen because they are considered fair for everyone, being commonly played by children in South Korea as it was mentioned by the characters at the beginning of the series. These games however contain a twist, which is a death penalty if you lose. The suspense in the series is due to win or die. These contestants are fighting for their lives.
The first game played in Squid Game is called Red Light, Green Light. The game consists of one person, in this case an iconic South Korean doll. One person went across a field and yelled “Green Light”. Now players at the other side of the field try to cross the field. It is the same game we all remember playing as children. When the player yells out “Red Light” they turn around and if they see a person move then the person is eliminated. They continuously do this until there are no players left in the field. In Squid Game any players who are moving are eliminated and are killed. If you are caught moving you are not just out of the game, your are out of your life. Only 187 players remain after this round.
Dalgano game, a.k.a. the honeycomb game is the second challenge. This game has players cut around a sugar cookie type of circle with a shape molded into it. They only have a needle to use as a tool. The players randomly choose between one of four shapes. The triangle is the easiest and the umbrella the hardest. The catch is that it is more difficult than it looks, there is a ten minute time limit, and if the cookie breaks, the player is eliminated. Again, that means death. After the second game only eigthy contestants were left.
The third game in this series is a classic tug of war. Of course there is a twist in this game as well. Teams were chosen and unknowingly some of the weaker players are found on one team. Just as in a regular game teams of players pull a rope to get the other team to move over a central line, but there is no mud puddle in the middle of this tug of war. There is a huge void and the losing team falls into a pit and die. Thirty nine participants are left after the end of this match.
The fourth game that takes place is the marble game. In Squid Game the players are made to choose a partner to compete for the next game. In this game the twist is that the person that the people chose are the people they are playing against. During this game, participants were given ten marbles and had the option to play whatever games they liked with the marbles as long as they did so peacefully. And of course if you lose your game you lose your life, so only sixteen participants remain after the end of this fourth game.
In the next round, the fifth game was the glass tile game. This game drastically removes a great number of players. It is deadly. Contestants were assigned numbers that corresponded to tiles that would break on the way to your numbered tile. So, like walking across a mine field the players guessed their way to their destination, most dying along the way, with only three surviving to the other side.
With only three left the tension is dramatic. The tension for one of the players is too much and they try to win the game before they get to the next game. There is only one player left at the end, winning the prize and getting himself out of debt.
Now what is the deeper meaning in a series based on games for children? Many may believe that Squid Game is just a battle royal killing game, however they are wrong as this is just the surface of the true meaning within Squid Game. At the kickoff of the season we learn about the protagonist Gi-hun and his tragic story of debt and sorrow.
Through the season we learn about some of the other protagonist’s backstory and the unfortunate events that got them to play the game. We see how people place themselves in debt due to bad habits or tragic life stories that make playing Squid Game the only way to get them a second chance to start over in life.
It seems like in this society the only way many can get a second chance in life is by risking theirs. The commentary of the society that places such a high priority on money over the lives of people is not subtle.
Furthermore, the commentary about people willing to risk their own lives and do horrible things to others to get ahead is a sad look at human nature. Many of the contestants are willing to kill other players in order to win. The creation of gangs and corrupt authorities in this society means that some players withhold information about the game levels to give themselves a better chance of winning and staying alive.
Song-woo represents people who will succeed over the lives of others. We see how he progressively becomes more aggressive and betrays his partner in the Marble game and ultimately makes the biggest betrayal by killing one of his former teammates the night before the sixth game. All this shows human nature and the ability of humans to create a corrupt society in order to gain unfair advantages and get ahead of each other. In this way the show is deeper than just an action show.
The show gets progressively darker with each episode. Towards the end of the season we see what may be the darkest part of the series. We see the game is run by Player 001, Oh Il-nam, along with several other wealthy people who admit the game was created purely with the intent of entertainment. The owners find entertainment by watching people place their lives on the line by trying to gain a second chance at life.
We can see this in today’s society with major corporations taking advantage of lower-income people by giving them things that will end up hurting them and placing them in debt. This may also show the class system that is emerging in South Korea as well as other countries. Although class systems have been eradicated people are still economically sectioned based on income and the occupation they have. This raises the question, what would people do in order to gain a financial advantage in our own society?
There is a great deal of corruption represented in Squid Game. The officials wear Square, Triangle, and Circle masks to split contestants into groups with people getting each other killed as well as starting illegal business such as the selling and harvesting of human organs.
Present day society sees this with the existence of the black market as well as the trafficking of drugs and humans. These are some of the issues that are hidden behind masks or in this case walls of the government that are not spoken of.
However, human nature is not all dark, there is goodness as well. This show is not depressing. The creation of friendship and empathy between players also grows with each episode (at least for those who stay alive). We see friendships that are created even in the worst of situations. We saw players communicate and become close to one another between the betrayal and corruption of the game.
Towards the very end of the last episode we see that within random people kindness and compassion can form. Friendships and bonds stayed until the very end of the series. Kindness can be born out of even the darkest places.
