Squid Game took the world by storm in a matter of days, on pace to become Netflix’s most-watched show in the history of the streaming service. It follows down-on-his-luck Seong Gi-hun, an estranged father with a gambling addiction, whose mother becomes sick and is unable to pay for her medical bills. Desperate, he comes across a man who offers him to play a game for money, which involves being slapped in the face if he loses. He agrees, willing to sacrifice physical pain for the chance at a few bucks.
Later he receives a mysterious business card. When he calls the number on it, he is invited into a world where fellow contestants are forced to play a series of children’s games to compete for the chance of a prize of almost $40 million. The one catch, however, is that if they fail to follow the rules of the games, or lose, it quickly becomes a matter of life or death. To further complicate things, a policeman seeks to uncover the sinister motives of the creators, and the wealthy people who finance the game. After watching Seong Gi-hun navigate the devastating game, viewers can’t get enough of the addicting series, as evidenced by the explosion of internet searches about the show. If Squid Game left you with more questions than answers, read on to discover more about the series.
Will There Be a Squid Game Season 2?
While fans are clamoring for a second season, director and creator Hwang Dong-hyuk has already said that a second chapter of the series is not in the works. He said the first season was so time- and labor-intensive that he doesn’t think he has it in him to make another one, instead opting to go back to working on feature films. Nevertheless, if there’s anything the show taught us it’s that money can make people do anything, and Netflix sure has a lot of money.
Is Squid Game a Real Game in Korea?
While the practice of forcing adults to play children’s games for their lives portrayed in the show is most definitely not real, at least to the best of our knowledge, the games-within-the-game are all real. From red-light green-light to marbles to the eponymous squid game, these are all common games played by children in Korea and perhaps other parts of the world, albeit with significantly lower stakes. The real squid game involves a crude squid drawn in the dirt, and two or more players divided into teams, offense and defense. One side tries to get to the squid’s head, while the other tries to push the opposing team outside of the confines of the drawing.
Is There a Squid Game Video Game?
While there currently is no official Squid Game video game, there are a few options for people who just can’t get enough. For starters, people have developed versions of red-light green-light and other games within the online gaming platform Roblox. If that’s too tech-savvy for you, cafes are popping up all over the world that let you play the game where you must carve shapes out of sugar candy without breaking them. And if you really want to see if you have what it takes, a real-life version of the game is set to take place in Abu Dhabi, though no one’s life will be on the line.
Is Squid Game for Kids?
Squid Game is decidedly not a show that is suitable for kids to watch. While they play actual children’s games in the show as part of the competition, it’s in a ruthless competition for their lives and is as bloody and gory as television can get. Reminiscent of a Tarantino film, blood flows freely and often, to the point where by the end of the series the viewer gets almost as desensitized to it as the contestants seem to. Beyond the gore, there is also a sex scene, frequent cigarette smoking, discussion of sexual assault, and more fare that is far too mature for a child.
What is the Point of Squid Game?
The purpose of the game is to win a prize of 45 billion South Korean won, which is equal to about 38 million dollars in the United States. To do so, players must outlast their competition in a series of increasingly grueling challenges, which seem specifically dark considering they’re based on children’s games. For each player eliminated, money is added to a giant piggy bank suspended from the ceiling in the living quarters, serving as a constant reminder of what’s at stake for the players.
Is Squid Game Japanese?
Squid Game is an entirely Korean series, though like any work of art it takes major influence from other works that have come before it. The director, Hwang Dong-hyuk, cites Japanese comics and films as influences for his work, such as the movie Battle Royale, which was adapted from a Japanese novel and manga series of the same name. Squid Game has even been accused of ripping off the Japanese film &&As the Gods Will, because of some similar elements, including the motion-detecting robot in the first game, though the show and the film prove to bear relatively few similarities in the end.
Is Squid Game Dubbed In English?
Netflix does have the option to watch Squid Game dubbed in English, but if you do opt for the dubbed version, the experience of watching the show as intended is lost. There are scenes later on in the series where English is used, so if watching the whole series in English you would miss out on seeing the contrast of the moments written in English for dramatic effect. Also, having to read subtitles keeps you laser-focused on the already-gripping show, ensuring you don’t miss anything by looking at your phone.
Who Are the English Language Actors of Squid Game?
In the seventh episode of the show, VIPs are brought to the island to watch the game. These men, ostensibly all American billionaires, bet on the members of the game during one particularly tricky challenge, making a mockery of their life-or-death struggle. We only see the face of one VIP, played by Geoffrey Giuliano, as the other two, played by Daniel C. Kennedy and John D. Michaels don animal masks the whole time.
Where Can I Get a Squid Game Track Suit?
With Halloween coming only a month after the release of Squid Game, it’s no wonder why so many people are clamoring for the iconic green tracksuits. Several websites are already selling the outfits with the numbers of key characters like the old man and the pickpocket pre-stitched on, while companies with plain green tracksuits for the more do-it-yourself crowd are also experiencing a rush in sales. You can even purchase handmade copies of the business cards in the show on websites like Etsy.com.
What Kind of Shoes Do They Wear in Squid Game?
In the show, the contestants all wear white Vans slip-ons, or a similar style of shoe. Whether or not they are actually Vans brand doesn’t seem to matter to the skate-shoe company, as sales of their white slip-ons have skyrocketed since the show came out by a whopping 7,800%. If you want to join in on the fun, or complete your costume, you can purchase them on the Vans website, or other major shoe retailers like Zappos.com.
Why Is Squid Game So Popular in the U.S.?
It’s unclear why Squid Game took off in America the way it did, but it likely has something to do with the strength of the series, and how easy it is to identify with the characters. The director made the show with the goal in mind of leaving the rules of the games simple to allow for viewers to connect with the characters, rather than be mired in figuring out how the games work. In addition, the central themes of the ruthlessness of capitalism are just as relatable to an American audience as a Korean one, as both societies are dealing with a widening wealth gap and dissolution of the idea that hard work alone guarantees financial stability.
Where Can I Watch Squid Game?
All nine episodes of Squid Game are available to watch on Netflix, with subtitles in several languages. Each episode is an hour long, with the exception of episode eight, which has a runtime of 30 minutes. This means it’ll take you eight-and-a-half hours to binge the series–the equivalent of a typical workday. While it seems like a lot of television to take in at once, we guarantee that each cliffhanger ending will have you clicking “next episode”. Before you know it, you’ll be done and hungry for more.