[Inside Chodong] 'Squid Game' Disappearing from the Playground

"Do you know what people who have no money at all and those who have too much money have in common? Life is not fun. When you have too much money, no matter what you buy, eat, or drink, it all eventually becomes boring. (...) So everyone gathered and thought about it. What could make life more fun?" This is why Oh Il-nam (Oh Young-soo) designed the game in the Netflix drama Squid Game. Dutch historian Johan Huizinga (1872?1945) defined humans as 'Homo Ludens,' meaning 'playing man.' It was a paradox that play is not just an element of culture but that culture itself has the nature of play.

Play is led and created by people. Through it, people find their humanity. However, if the playthings are flashy or the act of playing itself is overly focused on, it becomes diminished or obscured?just like the participants in Squid Game who meet tragic ends. Play is a non-productive activity whose purpose is play itself. People practice freedom, autonomy, and creativity according to various rules in a fictional world separate from reality. Rich experiences create an atmosphere that requires mental tension, balance, and order, and further become the driving force leading culture. During growth, play is life itself. Friends meet, feel each other, cherish one another, and socialize. In doing so, they learn about themselves and cultivate the wisdom to live together with others.

Today, as students focus intensely on advancing to higher education, such opportunities have largely disappeared. Even adults dismiss play as useless or a waste of time. The spread of COVID-19 accelerated non-face-to-face interactions, and the phrase "play is education" lost its persuasiveness. Adolescents raised under the pressure to study find it difficult to feel freedom even while playing. Instead, they feel anxious and guilty. An atmosphere that does not allow play creates a covert and distorted culture where they gather separately to enjoy themselves. Adolescents try by any means to have their own world. As a result, they easily fall into unhealthy and abnormal deviance. They indulge in alcohol and smoking, and commit delinquency and deviance such as drug use, sexual issues, and running away from home.

The problem also lies in the play that does occur. Adolescents dislike ranking and competition but cannot imagine play without competition. They simply replicate the adults’ hierarchy. Some even break the established rules to become number one. Inconsistent reversals, cheating, and luck betray everyone’s agreement and ruin the essence of play. Inner satisfaction or fulfillment cannot be expected from such play. Deep encounters or moving feelings with friends are no different. Only external rewards remain like scarecrows.

A world without play is filled with low-quality information in the information age. Platforms like YouTube deeply penetrate and drain the spirits of adolescents with weak self-control. They become unable to distinguish between virtual and real, leading to social crimes. For those whose minds are sick and tired, play is more effective than any education, counseling, or therapy. It induces a state of selflessness, offering a chance to meet one’s inner self and become healthy. It is truly humanization through practicing freedom, autonomy, and creativity while recovering.

Oh Il-nam knew this value better than anyone. That is why he enjoys the play with a brighter face than the other participants. "When I was young, no matter what I did with my friends, it was fun. I never noticed the time passing. Before I die, I want to feel that once again. That feeling you can never get sitting in the audience."