“Squid Game,” a South Korean Netflix series that was released on Sep. 17, is the show that has been the center of everyone’s discussion lately. All across the world, from South Korea to the U.S, this show has made quite the impression on viewers.
Currently being the most watched show on Netflix worldwide, “Squid Game” has a hold on the internet. From conspiracy theories, to memes, this series has captured nearly everyone’s attention.
As a warning, spoilers follow.
In basic terms, this show is about a bunch of financially struggling people in South Korea who accept an invitation to play presumably safe children’s games, like red light green light, to win a cash prize of billions of dollars and be released from their debt.
The facade quickly fades as those who fail the games are killed. The contestants, shocked at the deadly outcome, were then allowed to partake in a vote of whether to continue with the game or not. With almost an even vote, the consensus came out to them leaving the game. Shortly after, though, a large majority changed their minds and decided to come back and play the game, with the deadly intentions being as clear as ever. The cash prize and debt-free life was too tempting for the struggling characters.
Only one surviving winner in the end wins all the money that is accumulated from the deaths of the other players. The game is controlled by some of the most powerful people in the world, the filthy rich (referred to as The VIPS), who ultimately created the game for their own entertainment.
The meaning behind this show is much deeper than it may first seem, though, which has become the center of many viewer’s conversations.
The show’s creator, Hwang Dong-hyuk, told RadioTimes.com that the name of the game is inspired by a popular Korean childhood game that he would play when he was younger. This game starts with a squid-like diagram drawn in the sand. Played by two teams, one of them being the attackers that try to dominate the opposing team’s land by pushing them outside the lines of the diagram.
“It was one of the most physical and it was also one of my favourite games,” said Dong-hyuk.
The hidden meaning behind the game as a whole, though, is that it symbolizes the capitalistic society in which we live in.
“I felt that this game could be the most symbolic children’s game that could represent the kind of society we live in today,” said Dong-hyuk.
The fact that the contestants willingly played after they were aware of the death consequences sets an illusion of “free choice” under capitalism, when their only real choice is to exploit others to get ahead. Everyone became so greedy with the cash prize and their own lives that they didn’t care about others dying so they could get ahead in the game, win the money, and be freed from their debt.
One of the characters and contestants in the show, #001, or Oh Il-nam, said in the first episode, “Life is like a game, there are many players. If you don’t play with them, they’ll play with you.”
This is an example of how symbolism is hidden in just about every bit of the show, thus leading many of the viewers to believe that the game is a symbol of life created by the capitalist system and that ultimately it’s eat or get eaten in a world full of debt and money-thirsty people.
The hidden symbolism in this series is where the internet-breaking conversations and conspiracies come to play.
“I didn’t notice much of the symbolism until watching a few Tik toks explaining the clues. The detail they put into the dialogue is really great too. Like how the VIPS all have animal masks which I interpret as the rich being inhumane for taking joy in watching lower class citizens fight to the death,” said Elisa Martinez, a second year student and fan of the show.
“I feel like the meaning of the show is pointing out how some capitalist countries, kinda like America, are not perfect and we need to work on the fact that poor people aren’t poor for no reason, there is a reason and it’s not always their fault. Most of the time it’s because of things like they can’t pay taxes back, things are becoming expensive and inflation,” said Melyka Lewis, first year student.
Lewis continued to say, “I do believe that it was some kind of symbolism where people that are rich are essentially watching us poorer people fight for whatever we can as entertainment.”