Squid Games

Films that consist of “survival games” have always been top hits in America and all over the world. Squid Games is a tv series about common children’s games played in Korea, which we know that k-dramas are also trending so there’s no surprise that Korean filmmakers made another top film. Squid Games is a dystopian film that represents capitalism and demonstrates class disparity and income inequality. 456 players are in debt due to the corrupt people in their lives either from personal problems or other bad decisions these individuals made. It has translated well across borders other than the obvious which is the options in languages but more because of the way that people can relate to some of the characters. The characters in Squid Games are all desperate for money because they have a debt to pay off and they also have families that they need to support financially. In many countries, most people work hard to succeed in life but you either win or lose. The games are seen as an easier way to obtain money even if it means that you die when you lose, they believed they had a higher chance of surviving in the games than outside in the real world. Many people can relate to the situations the characters were in which is why they enjoyed the film.

Preliminary Thesis: While many claim that Squid Games translated well to the U.S. because it consists of survival games, I claim that the representation of capitalism and income inequality through children’s games caused a connection between the real world and a survival drama series. Many Americans have created an obsession with Korean dramas and now a TV series in which many Americans can relate because some individuals in today’s society still fight for basic worker rights, Squid Games is one of many to include structural inequities and class dynamics.