The creation of streaming services like Netflix, Hulu, and Disney Plus has influenced the emergence of some of the most popular TV shows and movies of all time. The next big hit in the world of streaming has come from Netflix. 

On September 17, Netflix released the Korean drama Squid Game. The show is one of the most talked about shows in history, and has already broken records in just over a month since its release. The show is so popular that it has become the most watched Netflix original in only a month. The show has been watched by 132 million Netflix accounts, breaking the record previously held by Bridgerton. Bridgerton was watched by 88 million Netflix accounts.

Squid Game follows the story of protagonist Seong Gi-Hun. The backstory of the plot is that he tried to make some money to support him and his mother by gambling. He failed in this, and ended up in gambling debt. One night on a subway, a man approaches him and offers to play a game with Gi-Hun for 100,000 won, which is equivalent to $84.43.

 After the game, he offers Gi-Hun an invitation to play another game. Gi-Hun takes the offer and travels to an island to play this game, which consists of 456 players who all play six different childhood games. If they lose the game, they are eliminated. 

When someone is eliminated, they are killed by the guards running the event. Only one would survive, and that one would win $45.6 billion South Korean won, which translates to $38.3 million US Dollars. The six games played are Red Light Green Light, Honeycomb, Tug of War, Marbles, Glass Stepping Stones, and Squid Game. 

Gi-Hun also faces other battles in the outside world. His mom is in the hospital with diabetes and he does not know how she is doing while he is playing the game. His other problem is trying to see his daughter. His ex-wife, the mother of the girl, and her new husband plan on moving to the United States with the girl. With all of this going on, Gi-Hun still enters the game. 

Along with Gi-Hun’s perspective, another storyline brews about police officer Hwang Jun-ho. Jun-ho’s brother, In-ho, has been missing since 2015. When Gi-Hun reported the acts of Squid Game to the police, Jun-ho found the card. He then wanted to use this opportunity to search for his brother, thinking that he may have participated in a past Squid Game. 

Other characters participating in the game include Sae-Byeok, a defector from North Korea, and Ali, an Indian man looking to win the money to help support his wife and baby. Gi-Hun also finds  his childhood best friend Sang-Woo entering the game, which surprises him. Sang-Woo is an incredibly smart person who went to Seoul National University, or SNU, who is destined to grow and do something great in the world, at least in the perspective of Gi-Hun. But he instead found himself in serious debt, and wants to change that through the game . 

One of the antagonists is Deok-Su, who is a gang leader back home. Then there is player 001, named Il-Nam. Il-Nam is an elderly man with a tumor in his brain. His intentions for why he entered the game are not revealed until later in the show. 

There are many twists and turns in the show that you must watch to find out about. The death of characters we fall  in love with and the drama that comes with the plot is what has made many people addicted to this show. The concept of people playing children’s games for their lives and billions of dollars is very interesting to see. The show has yet to be renewed for a second season, but it is expected to come. It will be very interesting to see the continuation of the story and where it goes.