Is Squid Game A Real Game In Korea?

Netflix’s hit show Squid Game is filled with deadly variations of childhood games, but is the titular squid game real? The original survival series created by Hwang Dong-hyuk brings a new twist to the genre that has seen successful variations in Battle Royale, The Hunger Games, and The Maze Runner. The basic premise of Squid Game revolves around 456 Koreans competing in games from their childhoods, but each one has a lethal component to it.

Throughout Squid Game, the contestants battle to survive the twisted variations of these games for a chance to win 45.6 billion Won. Their first exposure to the games is by playing Red Light, Green Light. However, in this version of the game, anyone who is caught moving after the robot child says “red light” is shot and killed. Other games include creating a specific shape from a sugar honeycomb snack and a tug of war. Since the series is called Squid Game, though, the final game is known as squid game. It’s a complex game that the show sets up right from the start, and its inclusion is sure to leave viewers wondering if it is a real children’s game.

Although Squid Game‘s depiction of squid game is its own, the game itself is real. The real-life Korean version of squid game was a common children’s game during the 1970s and 1980s. Squid game is a variation of tag where players are divided into two teams, offense and defense. The goal of the game is for those on offense to tap the small area known as the squid’s head with their foot. However, the defense is forced to stay within the squid-shaped boundaries of the lines drawn in the dirt and attempt to tag those on offense. The attackers in squid game are only allowed to hop on one foot unless they manage to cut through the squid’s waist. Squid game then progresses to the final battle and sees the remaining offensive players rush from the entrance of the squid to its head without being touched. If they are pushed out of bounds by a defender, though, then they are dead.

Squid Game‘s depiction of the real squid game rules are quite accurate, although the Netflix show adds some twists of its own. Other than a flashback of Seong Gi-Hun (Lee Jung-Jae) playing squid game as a child, Squid Game saves its version of it for the finale. One difference between the real squid game and that show in the series is the team dynamic is gone. By the time Squid Game‘s ending comes, squid game becomes a one-on-one match. Of course, the biggest difference between the real-life game and Netflix’s is that Squid Game has a literal lethal conclusion to its version.

Even though squid game is a real game in Korea and a version of it is shown here, viewers will likely still be left with some questions regarding the rules. The game is normally divided into two parts, one where the attackers try to hop through the squid’s waist and another when they try to reach the head, but how the game moves from one section to the other is unclear. Despite it being known that squid game is a real Korean game, actual details on the rules and how to play are difficult to find beyond what Squid Game presents.

About The Author

Cooper Hood
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Cooper Hood is a news and feature writer for Screen Rant. He joined Screen Rant in late 2016 following a year-long stint with MCU Exchange, which came after first developing an MCU blog of his own. He graduated college in 2016 with a Bachelor’s degree in Media & Public Communication, with a minor in Media Production. Cooper’s love for movies began by watching Toy Story and Lion King on repeat as a child, but it wasn’t until The Avengers that he took an invested interest in movies and the filmmaking process, leading him to discover the world of film journalism. Every year Cooper looks forward to seeing the latest blockbusters from the likes of Marvel, DC, and Star Wars, but also loves the rush to catch up on Oscar films near the end of the year. When he isn’t writing about or watching new releases, Cooper is a fantasy football obsessive and looking to expand his Blu-Ray collection – because physical media is still king! Follow Cooper on Twitter @MovieCooper.

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