I’m very sure all our readers here have joined the crazy thrilling game event in the latest Netflix Korean Series, Squid Game (오징어게임) together with 456 people in an isolated island. Full with blood and suspense, I can feel the rollercoaster ride myself in the game with different plot twists and excellent screenplay in the short 9 episodes series.
Four hundred and fifty-six people, who have all struggled financially in life, are invited to play a mysterious survival competition. Competing in a series of traditional children’s games but with deadly twists, they risk their lives to compete for a ₩45.6 billion (US$38.5 million) prize.
WIKIPEDIA
The main characteristic of this game event is by using Korean childhood games as the missions to select the winners and ‘eliminate’ those who fail to complete. Different with the other similar dramas (like Japanese series Alice in Borderland), using Korean childhood games as the main concept of the drama is a BIG move from the producers to create resonance among the Korean viewers. This explained why Squid Game is such a HIT as it was premiered in less than 3 days!
In this post, I will introduce the Korean childhood games that were featured in the drama. There might be some spoilers ahead, so please be aware for those who haven’t finish the series!
Ddakji (딱지)
The first game that all the invited players involved was the traditional game Ddakji! The ‘man in suit’ (played by Gong Yoo) invited Seong Gi Hun (played by Lee Jung Jae) to play Ddakji with him in the subway station. If Gi Hun win by flipping the opponent’s card, then he will be rewarded cash. This is a classic scene where many fans mentioned they are waiting for the man to approach them so they can be invited to the main game.
Ddakji 딱지 is a traditional South Korean game that uses folded paper tiles or Ddakji tiles. It is similar to the game Pogs (America), Menko (Japan), or Teks where the players take turns in flipping a tile. However, in Ddakji, there is no need for a slammer piece. The popular Korean variety shows Running Man featured this game often in their missions. Thus, it may have contributed to the widespread popularity of the game internationally.
Korea.net
How to play Ddakji?
To win the game, simply you just have to slap the opponent’s Ddakji hard on the floor, in order for it to flip. As the opponent’s Ddakji is flipped, then you will win the game!
Actually it’s not hard to do Ddakji even at home! Watch this video from Kat on how she make them creatively!
Green Light, Red Light
‘무궁화 꽃 이 피었 습니다!’ (mul-gong-hwa kkot i pi-eot-sseup-ni-da)
The song of this game ‘Green Light/Red Light’ kept playing on my mind since the day I watched this episode. Many of us remembered very much the HUGE ‘patung’ (figure) with laser scanning eyes that are somehow creepy even though it is a very common childhood game for most of us!
This game is played by many people in different countries. For Western, it’s called ‘Green Light Red Light’; for Chinese, it’s called ‘1,2,3 mu-tou-ren’; for Koreans, the sentence literally means ‘The hibiscus is blooming!’.
The game rules are simple. The contestants have to reach to the end line from a distance, however, you only can move when the ‘game master’ in front are saying the specific verse, facing backwards with the others. As the game master turns over after each verse, everyone must freeze at the spot until the game master continues for another round.
This is a very common game that ALL KOREANS once played before. Check out how TXT played this game!
Tug Of War (Tarik Tali)/(줄다리기)
Tug of War (simply tarik tali in Malay) is another common childhood game for Koreans and also most of us. Tug of War in Korean is called 줄다리기 (jul-da-ri-gi) which traditionally played as a ritual and praying purpose in the agricultural communities. It is played in two teams, competing of strength of each team which can consists from few people to few hundreds people.
Juldarigi is not all about strength, but also about strategy, teamwork and unity, just like how the old man (player 001) suggested in the drama. This game represents the unity and solidarity across the community, win or lose.
Marble Game (구슬치기)
The marble game mission was introduced at the 6th episode. This episode for me is the most touching one especially the scene between Sae-byeok and Ji-hyeon. Two members make into each team and they were instructed to play marble games with each other. The one who gets all the marbles (10 marbles) wins.
There are many ways to play marbles in Korean culture. The most common one is 홀짝과 쌈치기 (hol-jak-gwa ssam-chi-gi), by guessing the marbles in the opponents’ hand if they are in odd or even number. If you guess it correctly, you will get the marbles from your opponent with the number of marble you holding in that round. If you guess it wrongly, you will handover the marbles to the opponents.
Squid Game (오징어 놀이)
The last game determines who is the winner in the drama, which is the ‘Squid Game’ itself. Squid game (오징어 놀이) is a popular Korean school backyard game back in the 80s. The players will be tagged as ‘offender’ or ‘defender’. Defense will stay inside the line, while offense will be outside the line, target to attack into the ‘squid’.
From the drama explanation, once the game starts, the defense can run around on two feet in bounds, while the offense outside the lines are only allowed to hop on one foot. But if an attacker cuts through the waist of the squid past the defense, they are given the freedom to use both feet (which is how Gi Hun enter the squid by attacking Sang Woo with the sand).
In order to win, the attackers must tap the small closed off space on the squid’s head with their foot. But if someone on the defense manages to push you outside the squid’s boundary, the defense will fail the game.
The Trending Dalgona Candy
Another mission game that worth to mention here is the Dalgona Candy game! Back in childhood time, the Dalgona candy is the favorite after school snacks among Korean children. It is common the stall selling Dalgona candy will challenge their buyers to ‘poke’ out the shapes in the candy with just a needle.
There is a trend in Malaysia and all around the world to make Dalgona Candy at home and try the game by ourselves. Indeed it’s very easy to make at home!
Are you all confident to survive in the Squid Game if you decided to join? Share us what is the game that you most CONFIDENT about.
MyDaehan 🍂 