Kids are playing Squid Game at school and schools are now warning parents about instances of fighting. Now, this is by all means not every school. But, there are instances of some Netflix-flavored dustups at Communal d’Erquelinnes Centre in Belgium and other schools like it. A Facebook post from there warns the parents to pay attention to what their kids are doing. (As with most of these stories, a TikTok trend had a large hand in spreading it around.) It seems like another run-of-the-mill controversy, but people are gravitating to this saga online. Part of the consternation on the part of viewers is that Squid Game itself is based on children’s games. It’s complicated and nowhere near widespread, but there is a conversation to be had about talking to the children involved about playing a little bit nicer with their classmates.
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“As a result, some children are trying to replicate show scenes at school but what sounds harmless (who didn’t play Red Light/Green Light as a kid?) is not actually harmless because the game in the television show includes ‘elimination’ (death) and we are seeing kids trying to actually hurt each other in the name of this ‘game,’” reads the post. “Please make sure you’re aware of the content your children are accessing online and that you talk to them about NOT playing violent ‘games’ at school… We don’t want anyone to get hurt and we don’t want to generate discipline referrals for students who don’t really understand what they are re-enacting,”
On an appearance with Jimmy Fallon, Squid Game star Wi Ha-joon explained some of that inherent appeal to the late-night host, “I definitely think part of the appeal is the Korean children’s games. That can be very original, refreshing, and also shocking at the same time to the global viewers. I also feel like we did a good job expressing the true human nature of raw greed and human nature that took place inside the games, which I believe resonates with a lot of the audiences.”
Netflix describes Squid Game: “A mysterious invitation to join the game is sent to people at risk who are in dire need of money. 456 participants from all walks of life are locked into a secret location where they play games in order to win 45.6 billion won. Every game is a Korean traditional children’s game such as Red Light, Green Light, but the consequence of losing is death. Who will be the winner, and what is the purpose behind this game?”
Have you watched Squid Game? Let us know down in the comments!
