Is Squid Game a Representation of Our Current “Real World”?
By Youssef Chaz Chronic
I first heard of Squid Game when I opened up Netflix last week to see if there was anything interesting to watch. I saw it featured at the top of the platform’s home screen, but it didn’t entice me enough to click on it. And besides, I thought it was a weird name for a show…
A few days later however I received a text from my podcast co-host - Legina - who suggested that we discuss the series as a topic on episode 27 of our podcast. Being that she is Korean, she was really excited about discussing the show which was blowing up everywhere.
“It’s a new series on Netflix that is super trending, and it’s Korean! You should watch an episode, you’ll be hooked!” she said.
Sounded good, but I told her that I could probably only watch till episode two by the time we were due to record. She said no problem. Her on the other hand she had already watched the entire series in two days!
I’m a huge fan of the book 1984 by George Orwell as well as other dystopian books like Brave New World. So when I watched the trailer and learned that it was a dystopian series I decided to watch it that night. After watching two episodes I came up with my own analysis of what I thought the “game world” in the series represented to us the viewers.
Now let me be clear, this is my own analysis. I am a thirty eight year old dude who is a musician and an aspiring author who believes that the 9 to 5 job life is a bullshit way to live, and that life should be about doing, and following, whatever path you want to do, irregardless of the pressures put upon you by society or your parents. I believe that what we call the real world of today is a travesty. A farce. It’s only objective is to engender a passive and docile society that will do, believe, and buy whatever it is being sold. And that thee mechanisms in place which control this society do it primarily by instilling fear, and by encouraging personal greed. Now that I got that out of the way, let us begin.
In the show, the contestants leave the normal world to go to a secret island where they partake in a series of games where if they successfully complete each game and make it out alive, they will get the prize which is a whole lot of cash.
I believe that the game is a warped version of OUR own real world. Particularly, the world of work. Most people live their lives working a job they hate, or have zero interest in, because they need the money to survive. They don’t want to do it, but reasons lead them to do it. Don’t get me wrong I know there will always be bills to pay, and I know that it’s just the way our type of society operates.
These contestants in the show are indebted, broke, and desperate, filled with fear yet mesmerized and dominated by the idea of money and of financial rewards. To varying degrees, this is precisely how most people live their lives everyday in the societies of our present world. They go to work for a corporation that offers an image of stability. Stability in the form of a paycheck, health benefits, and a matching 401k. People think this will solve their problems. Yet they might as well be dead because in many ways - they are.
That corporation of our current real world, is the Squid Game that the participants play. And that image of stability is the cash prize. They get sucked into the game (soul crushing job at a corporation or company) and get sucked into the politics and schemes of the other participants (office politics). The prize is so enticing that they decide to risk it all. To risk the prime years of their productive lives for a promise of financial security that they may never get.
People during their lifetime might want to do something that they find interesting and that they find personally rewarding. Or maybe they have already embarked on their path but come up against failure and then fear takes over their mind and it makes them look for the exit, makes them turn towards something that they hope will fix their problem. That thing is the game.
Yes I know it’s a little extreme of a take, but it is also an extreme show. I also only watched the first two episodes (actually as of this writing I have now watched till episode 4). When I complete all the episodes I may have a more complete analysis.
For a more encompassing discussion about the show, watch the video at the top of this post which is a clip of episode 27 from my podcast. Not only does it include my views which you just read about, but it also includes Legina’s take on Korean society and the social dynamics exposed by Squid Game.
