On October 12, “Squid Game” reached 111 million viewers, making it the biggest series launch in  Netflix streaming history. It was also labeled the biggest Korean show in the US. I started watching “Squid Game” shortly after the series came out and finished it within the week because of how captivating it was. It is in Korean, but there are subtitles available as well as English voiceovers.

“Squid Game”focuses directly on a group of people with debt in South Korea. In the beginning, they are somewhat tricked into playing the deadly version of the children’s game, Red Light Green Light, leaving many participants in fear of what they signed up for. 

The series represents capitalism and the effects that it has on a vast majority of people. It shows how “the rich” (higher class/bigger corporations) have the power/control over those that are lower class. The people that run the “Squid Games” are representing the bigger corporations and those of higher class and income, whereas those that are involved in the games represent the lower class. 

The higher class made the lower class believe that they are given the option to play the game, when in reality it was either play the game or continue to live life in poverty. These people who participate in the games are all in such high debt that there was no way they could ever pay it back. They are so desperate that they are willing to risk their lives; not to mention many of whom had families, for a monetary prize. Nobody and nothing could help them.

 I think that the series did a brilliant job of representing capitalism, especially since it is a major problem that we have not just in our country but in the world we live in. In simple terms, it is extraordinarily easy to climb down the social ladder, but difficult to go up. The players of this game attempt to make their way up, even if it means they will not make it out alive. But are they really better off? Although the lack of money called for struggles in the society, these players also suffered from addiction. Addiction is a disease that puts many people in a daily chokehold. We see this occur with many characters in the show. One of the main characters, Seong Gi-Hun frequently indicates that he would much rather risk any money he has in an attempt to receive more. Most, if not all, have a gambling addiction. Not so surprising, considering they are all in debt. 

A huge flaw in our world today is how quick people judge others who struggle with addiction. Addiction is legitimately a disease and a serious one. Whether it be an addiction to money, drugs, or to anything else, it is not something to take lightly. Overall, I think they did a great job of showing how serious addiction really is. 

The series shows an accurate representation of the real world with some of the financial struggles that people endure on a daily basis. I found it to be very clever and would 100% recommend it to the next person. However, it has various gory scenes and can be rough on the eye to witness. There were many occurrences where people were brutally murdered and it is not censored.