Betrayal, sweat and tears to compete for money and entertainment—a common theme found between “Squid Games” and “Beast Games”. “Squid Game” is a Korean dystopian television series, where a group of indebted people play a selection of kids’ games, and when eliminated, they die. If a player can survive all six games and is the final person standing, they will receive the prize blood money, 45.6 billion won (USD 31.4 million). A group of individuals put together the games because they had more money than they needed and wanted to give low-income individuals the chance to win money.
“Some people may interpret it as a depiction of real life,” Kayden Li (12) said. “The masked people are the elites, and they watch the common people do actions for them.”
The competitive reality TV series “Beast Games” depicts another group of people who are set to compete for a mass amount of money. However, this time, real people are competing for $5 million, facing a series of games and challenges to proceed. These people all have their own reasons for being on the show, some wealthy, some in need of financial aid, but a common reason they do share is being exploited for entertainment purposes.
“It’s 2,000 people competing until one is left,” Jenny Nguyen (12) said. “They play psychological and physical games.”
Both shows share a similar premise, but their connections go beyond that. Many have found that the shows are driven by the influence of money and its impact on one’s rationality. In desperate situations, people are often willing to take extreme risks, as financial survival becomes a powerful motivator. For example, in “Squid Games,” contestants knowingly risk their lives, fixated on the life-changing potential of the prize money.
“Most of them chose to stay in the games because they have nothing at home,” Nguyen said. “The money would give them freedom, so they don’t have to hide from who they’re in debt to.”
Similarly, in Beast Games, contestants experienced a level of grief even without the fear of dying. People who were sent home became emotional because they were walking away empty-handed. Many say that money can change someone’s life, opening hundreds of possibilities that are not available to those without it.
“Money definitely takes over what people think,” Nguyen said. “Money can save their family and their [livelihoods], so they’re going to make the impulse decision of keeping the money rather than other people’s feelings.”
Another similarity between these two shows is the disregard for names. Players are identified by numbered suits rather than personal identities. Some people look past this, while others find it to be a bit creepy and inhumane. A form of symbolism can be seen in the elites’ not acknowledging people’s lives as their own but instead treating them as competitors to bet on, much like racehorses. It also goes for the players themselves, who disconnect from their opponents, unable to know them personally.
“It detaches you from their personality,” Li said. “People are mostly known for their number [and it makes] choices easier because you’re not thinking, ‘Oh, he’s a fellow human.’”
These games, despite their apparent simplicity, are highly stressful because there is so much on the line. Disregarding the life-or-death aspect involved with “Squid Game,” the stakes are roughly the same for both games. The chance for a person to change their life by something so easy makes a simple task daunting in seconds. This tension is what makes the games so exhilarating, both for the participants and the audience.
“[The games] are definitely psychological,” Nguyen said. “It might hurt some people’s feelings.”
Overall, “Squid Game” and “Beast Games” share many similarities and can be life-changing for the winner. Whether exploiting people’s desire for money and entertainment is ethical remains a topic up for debate, but the competitions continue to prove interesting for many. After all, if the audience had the chance to win $5 million by playing a few little games, what would they do?
“I’m not much of a materialistic person,” Li said. “But I would love to have enough money to be financially free.”
