A Real-Life Squid Game Took Place In Abu Dhabi

It was just a matter of time before a real-life Squid Game took place, as it did recently in Abu Dhabi. Squid Game is a South Korean survival drama about 456 individuals who compete in a series of life-or-death children’s games for the chance to win a large financial prize.

The Netflix series first aired in September of this year on the streaming site, and it immediately became a worldwide sensation. Squid Game blew past the title of most-watched Netflix series in various regional areas within the first week of its debut. Furthermore, within its first 28 days of airing, the show drew over 111 million viewers, surpassing the network’s most-watched series at the time, Bridgerton.

Squid Game drew so many viewers that Netflix was sued by a South Korean internet service provider owing to the enormous surge in traffic. The series has also achieved almost universal critical acclaim, with a Rotten Tomatoes approval rating of 91 per cent. Furthermore, it would be an understatement to suggest that Squid Game has become a cultural phenomenon.

Because of the show’s enormous popularity, the Korean Culture Center in Abu Dhabi decided to make Squid Game a reality, albeit without the murder. The event was held in two sessions in the United Arab Emirates on Tuesday.

Red light, green light, Dalgona sweets challenge, and the paper-flipping games; Marbles and Ddakji were among the challenges that two teams of 15 competed in. While there was a financial award mentioned on the website, it was unclear how much was won; nonetheless, it’s unlikely it was the life-changing sum from the Netflix show.

Squid Game Is Being Played All Over

Both teams wore T-shirts with the show’s branding during the competition. The event’s employees, on the other hand, dressed up in pink circular triangle costumes; that looked similar to the guards’ jumpsuits from the Squid Game death games. Unlike the rest of the series, the Abu Dhabi event saw neither violence nor bloodshed.

This wasn’t, however, the first time Squid Game had been played in real life. Youngsters at a school in Belgium performed the red light green light challenge; (after binge-watching the 18 and up show); earlier this month, it resulted in violence and the children who lost were beaten up.

But keeping in mind the show’s popularity, this will not be the last Squid Game that is played in person. The series’ influence will extend throughout mainstream culture, given how popular the show’s jumpsuits are for Halloween 2021.

There wasn’t any violence fortunately at the Abu Dhabi event; which can imply that more replica games will emerge in the following months. Look out for any life-changing monetary awards.