Why Squid Game Has Taken the World by storm – The Social Metaphor of Survival Games

Netflix’s mega-hit drama Squid Game Season 3 has been announced to be released on June 27, 2025, along with a teaser poster and trailer.

As Season 3 approaches, I would like to analyze and summarize the reasons why ‘Squid Game’ has become a worldwide success.

A story that sheds sharp light on social inequality

At the heart of the drama are the inequalities and class structures of modern society.

‘Squid Game’ is not just a tense development of the survival genre, but also a sharp depiction of inequality in modern society and the dark side of capitalism.

The participants in the drama are all socially underprivileged who are driven to a dead end, and they jump into the game of risking their lives to survive in their respective debts and despair.

Through their stories, the drama clearly showed the gap between the structure and class dominated by money in modern society.

In particular, the reason why participants participated in the game was beyond just a desire for survival and from economic pressure such as debt, which evoked intense empathy in viewers and delivered a social message beyond just entertainment.

Intense visuals and iconic production

Visual design and symbolism maximized the originality of ‘Squid Game’.

The game place in the drama consists of a colorful and simple design reminiscent of a play area in childhood.
However, the brutal survival game played here gave viewers a strong shock and contrast.

In particular, hosting agents in pink uniforms and VIPs in masks represent power and control, and their anonymity emphasized the inhumanity of the system.
In addition, the set design that appears in each game is not just visual pleasure, but contains symbolism that reinterprets traditional Korean play in a modern way.

For example, the first game, Mugunghwa Bloomed, added a life-or-death tension to the rules of simple play, contrasting the innocence of childhood with the brutality of modern society.

A character-centered, immersive narrative

The stories of various characters gave viewers a deep sense of immersion.

The success of ‘Squid Game’ does not depend solely on the brutality of the game.
Each character’s personality and narrative left a strong impression on viewers.

Sung Ki-hoon, the main character, is an ordinary character suffering from hardships in life, but his humanity and moral conflict evoked deep sympathy in viewers.

In addition, characters from various backgrounds such as Sang-woo, Dawn, and Ali appear, and their relationships and choices doubled the tension of the play, especially the betrayal and solidarity between the participants raised questions about human nature and created a narrative that was more than just a survival game.

Korean elements and universality that captivated global viewers

Korean culture and universal themes are in exquisite harmony.

The drama used traditional Korean games such as ddakjigi and dalgona drawing as the subject matter, but simplified it so that global viewers can understand it.

These traditional elements were able to easily reach viewers around the world based on the universal theme of human instinct and competition while containing Korean sentiment.

In addition, since the themes of capitalism and class structure are issues that can be sympathized with both East and West, a wide range of empathy could be obtained from audiences from various cultures.

A tense development and a shocking twist

Unpredictable developments and twists have made viewers immerse themselves to the end.

‘Squid Game’ maintained viewers’ tension by presenting new games and rules in each episode.
In particular, the story was enriched not only by the results of the game, but also by delicately dealing with the psychological changes and conflicts of the participants after the game was over.

In addition, the twist revealed in the last episode shocked viewers and reminded them of the drama’s message again.
This twist means more than just a surprise, revealing the theme that penetrates the entire drama more intensely.

The influence of a global platform called Netflix

The distribution strategy of global streaming platform Netflix supported its success.

‘Squid Game’ was simultaneously broadcast in 190 countries around the world through Netflix, making it easily accessible to global viewers.
Netflix’s recommendation algorithm and viral effects through social media played a big role in the drama’s success.

In particular, Netflix’s support for subtitles and dubbing has helped break down language barriers and allow viewers around the world to easily enjoy dramas.

This is evaluated as an example that opened up new possibilities for Korean content to succeed on the global stage.

Closing remarks

Squid Game, a Social Phenomenon Beyond Simple Drama

‘Squid Game’ is more than just a drama for fun; it is a work that confronts the problems of modern society and creatively resolves them.
Its deep insight into social inequality and human nature, unique directing, and character-driven narrative have left a deep impression on viewers around the world.

This work presents new possibilities for Korean dramas and will further strengthen Korea’s position in the global content market.
* I think season 2 had a strong bridge character, so I’m looking forward to season 3.

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• IMDB : https://www.imdb.com/title/tt10919420/
• TMDB : https://www.themoviedb.org/tv/93405