Squid Game The Challenge rewards antisocial behavior in pursuit of personal reward. It’s the opposite of what society needs right now. KEY POINTS Just in time for Thanksgiving, Netflix released a new reality game show: Squid Game: The Challenge. The contrast between Thanksgiving and unfettered callousness is a social commentary, suggesting no limits to what people will produce (and watch) for entertainment. However, that’s a statement about the show in a societal context. The larger message of social inequality in the series is missing in The Challenge, which rewards self-preservation by any means in pursuit of a big cash prize. While this translation of the brutal series will increase curiosity among those familiar with the original series’ violent ruthlessness and ominous visuals, it remains to be seen if watching people alternatively collaborate and betray is enough to sustain audience interest. I am more concerned, however, with the messages people –especially young people–will take away. Audiences of “spin-offs” come with expectations based on the original. Even the most benign adaptation of the original series will not be mentally divorced from the brutality. The producers may attempt to satisfy fans’ expectations by replicating part of what was compelling in the original—startling and ominous settings and … Continue reading Squid Game: The Psychology of Why of Turning Violent Fiction into Reality TV is Dangerous