Picture this: all your favorite childhood games turned into life or death situations depending on if you win or lose. Intense, I know. This is the basis of the new Netflix show, “Squid Game.” Being the first Korean drama series to enter the top 10 Netflix charts, “Squid Game” has been viewed by millions around the world.  

The show revolves around a group of people who are deep in debt and find themselves agreeing to play a mysterious game in which if they win, they receive an exuberant amount of money. The players go into the game thinking it will be just like the gambling games they are used to and that winning will be a simple task. 

They quickly find out, however, that the games are simple children’s games: red light, green light, tug of war and other popular Korean games like dalgona candy, where players must trace an image in a honeycomb toffee without breaking the cookie. But there is a catch: if the players lose the game, they are immediately eliminated and killed.

“Squid Game” is brutal, to say the least. The show contains various scenes of blood, torture and killings while still engaging the audience in the personal problems of the main characters. With some players’ identities being known and some game workers’ identities remaining unknown, the show conveys both a personal and impersonal view, according to Variety: “The violence is at once eerily intimate and impersonal: While there’s a brutal frankness to the way the competitors’ lives are cut short, the shooters are masked game employees.” 

In addition to the violent scenes shown, “Squid Game” acts as a commentary in regard to the debt crisis in Korea, which has skyrocketed over the years, and the gambling addiction within our society. After the first game in the show, players are given the option to quit playing and leave or to stay and win the cash prize if they survive all the games. 

Many players are horrified by the murders and the overall idea of the game, prompting their desire to leave. However, when they are allowed to do so,  the majority decide to return because they cannot stay away from it. Their urge to win money is so strong, they completely set aside the fact that these games can lead to death.

The  show was very well produced and despite criticism of it being too violent, it proved to have a subliminal message and insight into today’s society. I would definitely recommend watching ‘Squid Games’ if you are looking for a new thrilling show and enjoy action and drama series.