Squid Game takes world by storm: ‘Electric, addictive, sickening’ — or over-hyped and boring?

Abu Dhabi/Dubai: There’s no question Squid Game has made a splash around the world. Its appeal has reached pandemic proportions.The plot is shockingly simple: cash-strapped contestants accept an “invitation" to compete in children's games. The prize is extremely tempting — the stakes are horribly deadly.

Now, schools and parents up in arms against the Netflix sensation. There’s no question the South Korean series has gained extreme virality no other show has seen.

As with anything that goes viral in the virtual world, the show has gotten on the radar of children and teenagers, thanks to apps such as TikTok.

There are reports of kids recreating in real life the games they saw in the series. Schools around the world — from the UK and Egypt to Belgium and Australia — have warned parents about this and urged them to ban their kids from watching the show.One Belgian school issued a notice to parents after children were caught playing a version of ‘Red Light, Green Light’ from the show.

“We are very vigilant to stop this unhealthy and dangerous game! We count on your support and collaboration to make your children aware of the consequences that this can cause!” read a Facebook post from the school Erquelinnes Béguinage Hainaut, according to Brussels Times.

In Egypt, parents got an email from a school warning them to keep their children away from the show due to its violence.

In Australia, the Dulwich Hill Public School sent a letter to parents saying that the series was “simply not suitable for primary and early high school-aged children” and that the games and “other inappropriate content are negatively influencing playground games,” the Sydney Morning Herald reported.

Compelling plot, screenplay and set design lend to its appeal

Its compelling plot, brutal character archetypes, a gamified exploration of class divides and their disturbing impact have made Squid Game into a runaway hit. The show, now Netflix’s most-watched series ever, has been just as widely consumed in the UAE, with teens and young adults testifying to its bingeable nature and appeal.

Kinda Kassab, 14, a Palestinian student in Dubai, said she watched the show when it was first released, and couldn’t wait to get to the end.

For 15-year-old Adithyan Ajithkumar, a Grade 11 student in Abu Dhabi and aspiring filmmaker, it was the show’s captivating screenplay and filmmaking.

Ajithkumar, who himself developed a short film last summer, said he will finish watching the series once his exams have finished.

“The screenplay is truly addictive, especially the use of cliffhanger endings. And I believe it was the use of unique design elements, like the distinctive game participant uniforms and giant doll figure, that has made the show into such a singular phenomenon. For me, it is amazing that these sets were filmed entirely in a studio with the use of a blue screen,” he said.

Not all teens, however, were as impressed.

Jana Mouazen, a 20-year-old Lebanese student of American University in Dubai, said she felt bored after the first few intense moments.

Mouazen, however, did say that the show exposed viewers to a singular world of its own. “What I found interesting is that it is a little bit different than the rest; still it was not life-changing,” she added.

The survival drama also had its takers among young adults, who used it to reflect on human nature.

Hasna Saheer, 26, a real estate executive from Sri Lanka, said she finished all nine episodes in three days.

“I generally like thrillers and crime shows, so when I came across the hype surrounding Squid Game, I had to watch it. It is interesting to see how the characters prioritise money over lives, and it makes you question what you would do in a similar situation. The ending also has me hooked, because it doesn’t resolve all the questions raised by the show,” she said.

Saheer has previously watched movies with a similar survival gaming theme, like The Hunger Games and The Maze Runner. “I like the dystopian nature of these movies, so Squid Game was obviously something I was interested in,” she said.

Squid Game itself comes with a warning about an age limit — it’s labelled as 18+

Parents are deemed responsible for enforcing rules with their children and setting the appropriate parameters on Netflix accounts and internet usage.

However, content takes a life of its own. The biggest point of contention is the high level on violence, though it's not a first for any piece of media (remember the ‘Saw’ franchise or even ‘Game of Thrones’?)

Since Squid Game has taken over the world, combined with young people having more access to social media than ever before, it does become harder to shield children from this type of content. It’s up to parents to have the tough conversations with children about what they should be watching and how they should be behaving with others.

It hits social issues: debt, inequality, migrant workers' plight, capitalism's excesses

To the average non-Korean viewer there are many elements of Squid Game that might have been missed. Yes, the plot was electric and addictive, apart from violent. But some of the major aspects include its commentary on South Korean social issues such as debt, inequality, the plight of some migrant workers and capitalism.

“Over the years, South Korea has developed a very strong sense of telling stories about exposing injustice, and I think it has a lot to do with Korea’s 20th century history that has been marked by struggle and tragedy,” Suk-Young Kim, a University of California professor who researches North Korean cinema, told NPR.

“And having seen the popularity and critical response to Parasite, I am not surprised that this show, which tackles similar themes of social inequality, critiques of capitalism and dire condition of the pandemic, has been really well-embraced,” she added.

Parasite director Bong Joon-ho famously took on class divides in his award-winning movie, and has often addressed serious issues with his past projects. It’s no secret that Korean moviemakers have used their art to prod at social issues in a subversive way — as do filmmakers all over the world.

Whether such projects will lead to real-world changes is debatable. Art has the ability to influence pop culture and get people interested in deeper topics that otherwise might have evaded them. However, just like other real-world issues such a climate change and women’s rights, regular people can only do so much — it’s up to the policymakers, corporations and the society as a whole to bridge the glaring social gaps.

The new series is more than just a new competition reality show. There’s a juxtaposition of scenes of innocence — where people participate in children’s games — and hyper-cruelty, which ends in a sort of elimination by mass murder.

Though fictional, it portrays the great lengths people take in order to succeed; or, in the case of the series — in order to survive. It seems the creators’ ultimate aim is to shock viewers. And shock they did, as the games invariably degenerate into violence, both chilling and mind-numbing.

In a way, it mirrors the way people sometimes treat each other at different levels, both personal or societal, marked by an us-versus-them narrative. Its raw brutality got the world thinking — and talking.

Viewership numbers and ratings prove its appeal. Many, including school-children and teens, profess getting hooked into it, ready with rave reviews. Still, not everyone is a fan, as some find it lacking. What grown-up viewers in the UAE think:

Idroos also had ideas for the story to move forward in season two: “I would love to know if the organisation gets taken down and to find out the fate of the police officer on the show.”

From virality to an industry: The soaring popularity of the Netflix hit has stormed into the global fashion market, with Squid Game-themed merchandise now wide available online.

(As of October 17, 2021)

The Korean Wave — hanliu (Mandarin) or Hallyu (Korean) — was first coined by the Chinese media to describe what seemed like an overnight explosion of interest in Korean culture inside China.

From there, the popularity of all things Korean, from pop bands to fashion, continued to grow and spread throughout the Asian continent. This development featured all the aspects of cultural globalisation as Asian countries embraced Korean pop culture.

One common factor linked all the places where the Korean Wave hit — the originating agent was always the import of South Korean television dramas. From the initial consumption of these TV serials, the effect then spills over to other cultural areas such as music, film, food, and fashion.

Certain titles such as Winter Sonata (2002), and Dae Jang Geum or Jewel in the Palace (2003) have repeatedly made headlines or influenced major trends. The initial phase of the Korean Wave can be traced to South Korea’s export of television dramas to mainland China, Taiwan, and several other Southeast Asian countries.

Advances in telecommunications and hi-tech infrastructures laid the groundwork for South Korea to develop its own entertainment industry. Compared to Japanese and Hong Kong dramas, Korean products cost considerably less. Yet, they were high in quality and Asian broadcast companies found the productions to be impressive. At the same time, Korean pop music made a similar breakthrough in China and Taiwan.

The South Korean government, surprised and excited at the pace of events, began to draw up greater plans to support the explosive growth of Korean pop culture abroad. Korean Wave halls were planned to be set up in major cities like Shanghai, Beijing, and Hanoi, where the phenomenon had the heaviest impact.

As the Korean Wave penetrated the other countries of Asia and beyond, the developments were also varied but had visible effects.