제 12 호 The Reason Why Squid Game Is So Popular
Kicker: ENTERTAINMENT (DRAMA)
The Reason Why Squid Game Is So Popular:
Thanks to Reality
By Dong-Wook Kim, Editor
Squid Game is gaining sensational popularity being the first place in 94 countries on Netflix. More than 142 million people have watched this content. This number is three-quarters of Netflix subscribers. With this trend, some people might wonder wouldn’t a game like this happen in reality if the rich investors put their money into it? Japan has released a death match genre before Squid Game, which is evaluated to be similar to Squid Game. However, the content could not melt the hearts of the public. What made Squid Game more popular than other similar genre contents?
The Likelihood of the Story Different from Other Works
Like Squid Game, this kind of genre is called a battle royale. Battle Royale is a genre which players compete with each other until the last player survives in the end. It is a series of processes that players eliminate to go up. A Japanese comic named ‘Battle Royale’ was the example of this genre. The host locks up the students (players) to make each other to kill themselves. This kind of setting which is extreme gives a lot of tension to the audiences. However, there were a lot of works which use battle royale settings, but they failed to become a success.
One of the Scenes that is Used in the Movie ‘Battle Royale’.
The setting used in Squid Game is not that tempting, but the relations and the story between the characters are quite unique. Most of the battle royale story focuses on the survival of the main characters rather than how these characters end up being here or why they are fighting. The whole story gets off track and viewers lose interest. Squid Game put emphasis on the background of the characters. A man with a suit suggests people who have no money to do a game of slap-match to win for money. The people get attracted with this simple rule at the same time, dragging themselves into this money game. This action makes people who have no hope because of money to earn money easily just by winning a simple game. It helps the viewers to understand why these people are driven to the end.
Main Characters who appeared in Squid Game
During the game, there was a chance for the players to give up the game if the majority of the players agree to do so. The competitors barely gave up not to do the game but the upcoming reality was as painful as the game. The Squid Game director adds the inevitable family issue on why the players should rejoin the game. This slight detail made the viewers to empathize and get into the characters.
Simple & Interesting Korean Traditional Games
The games which Squid Game represents are very Korean style. Red light, green light, Dalgona, Tug of War, Marbles and the Squid Game. These games seem to be everywhere around the world, but they are just so Korean. This might be a reason why foreigners thought these games are very interesting and remind themselves of their countries’ way. Back in the day when there was no internet and no smartphones, the games that children were able to play must have been limited. Games, like marbles and slap-match, might be familiar to most of the people around the world. These games share a common ground that the rules are easy to understand to join for the first time.
Traditional Games in Squid Game
Something that Could Exist in Reality
Life is a circle of infinite competition. Most of the people around the world agree with this sentence. What if the reversal happens from those who have fallen behind in the competition? This extreme story makes people to put in their lives. The scene that VIPs enjoy watching the show between the competitors plays a part too. The viewers might think that this could really happen if billionaires make everything come true inside the Squid Game.
Squid Game also sets the VIPs as foreigners. When the final game, Squid Game, starts, the frontman introduces the game rules of Squid Game because the Squid Game has some typical rules. The frontman is a tool that the directors considered for foreigner viewers. Imagine if the VIPs were Koreans and the frontman is explaining the rules to them. The viewers might seem that it is a bit awkward.
YouTube Creator Mr. Beast Preparing for the Real Squid Game
Over the past few years, OTT, short for over-the-top media service, are becoming a trend. One of the dominant OTT platforms, Netflix, is investing a lot of money in Korean contents. As a reward to this belief, Korean contents are repaying with high profits. Since Disney is ready to compete with Netflix, it is important to release more entertaining original series. Korean content makers and Netflix have become interested in each other, so the subscribers’ expectations of high-quality content follow. Viewers from all over the world are falling in love with Korean content like Squid Game. The situation is win-win for both Korea and Netflix. For Korea, it is a step further to become a powerful content making nation. We are about to become a country that produces good music, dramas and movies this will help us to become a powerful nation that can influence other countries. For Netflix, they are in a situation of losing customers due to Disney and other OTT services. Taking advantage of the crisis, this is a great opportunity for them to show customers who the original owner of the OTT market is. Competition between the big platforms is always great news to the users. Let us expect some overheat in this market.
Sources:
https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/elaminabdelmahmoud/squid-game-netflix-review-lupin-international
https://www.nbcnews.com/pop-culture/pop-culture-news/netflix-s-squid-game-sensation-here-s-why-it-s-n1280646
