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The Netflix series Squid Game is a Korean drama created by Hwang Dong Hyuk that uses children’s games as a means of social commentary and class division.
In the series, these children’s games lead to fatal consequences and lure those members of society who are mired in debt or simply in dire need of money. So, after the commercial success of the series, Netflix decided to make a live game show based on it – of course, without fatalities. 456 people took part in Squid Game: The Challenge, each of which has a chance to win $4.56 million. Although the producers clearly did not want the experience to have the same consequences as the series, some contestants claimed that it caused them “anguish and trauma”.
According to a report by The Rolling Stone, some contestants said they were forced by producers to film under harsh conditions. “It was the most brutal, meanest thing I’ve ever gone through,” said one former member.
Another participant said: “All the pain and trauma we went through was not due to the game or the rigor of the game. It was management incompetence – they bit off more than they could chew.” The report also claims that the members gave details that corroborated previous reports that they were forced to film in the cold and even required medical attention because of it.
Netflix and the producers have already released a statement saying that the medical cases were minor and that claims of serious harm to players are simply not true.
