The popularity of Netflix's Squid Game has resulted in some fights on school playgrounds due to children trying to re-enact "games" from the show. Netflix released the South Korean thriller series on September 17 and it became one of the streaming platform's biggest and most successful shows of all time. In just the first month of its release, Squid Game has been watched by 142 million households across the globe. It's an amazing feat on its own, but even more impressive considering the minimal marketing campaign prior to its release and the fact that the majority of the cast is strictly Korean-speaking.
Squid Game follows a group of contestants who compete in childhood games in an effort to win a massive fortune that would help them each pay off their various debts. However, when a player gets eliminated, it results in their death. The show has resonated with audiences by making commentary about capitalism, ethics, and greed. Additionally, the mostly unknown cast members have become instant superstars overnight, thanks to all of the people tuning in to the first season of the show. Squid Game has also affected some Halloween costume ideas after becoming a cultural phenomenon.
But there have been a few negative effects of the show's popularity. As pointed out by Comic Book, some schools are warning parents about their students playing games inspired by the Squid Game competitions, with some events leading into schoolyard fights. One school in Belgium, called Communal d'Erquelinnes Centre, wrote a post on Facebook warning parents about the series — particularly because the show itself isn't exactly appropriate for children. The post read:
"We are very vigilant to stop this unhealthy and dangerous game! We rely on your support and collaboration to raise awareness of the consequences this can bring about. Penalitites will be imposed on the children who will continue this game (to hit other children)."
While Squid Game isn't age-appropriate for young kids to watch, the use of Korean children's games is a peculiar, yet deliberate choice. And the juxtaposition does though it helps hone in on the intensity of the show (with dire stakes on the line while playing simple games like tug of war), but it still makes sense that kids would have an interest in the first place. But unlike in the fictional world of Squid Game, "eliminating" people or causing physical harm isn't the best lesson to teach kids. Even though that's not what the creators of Squid Game intended to do.
Squid Game will likely see another season, considering its cliffhanger ending and widespread popularity. It's unclear whether or not children's games will remain central to the storytelling, but it clearly had a major impact during the debut. In the case of kids playing Squid Game games at school, that impact isn't always positive.
Source: Comic Book
