As a child, hours would feel like minutes when playing with friends. Think about all the games you played. Do you think you could still master the games? What if your life depended on it? A new Netflix original, “Squid Game,” is just that: multiple contests that need to be done correctly and on time or you could die.

Disclaimer: may contain spoilers.

“Squid Game” is based on the poorer side of South Korea. According to Statista, the household debt ratio has increased by over 15% in Korea. “Squid Game” revolves around the idea that humans will do anything to get out of poverty. At the start of the first episode, we are quick to learn that the main character Seong Gi-Hun (Lee Jung-Jae) is very poor and places bets on horses to try and make any money he can. Even when he does make the money, it gets stolen right away.

Seong Gi-Hun is met by a well-dressed man who offers 10,000 South Korean Won, which is about $8.46 in USD. All Seon Gi-Hun has to do is beat the man in Ddakji, which is a paper game. The point of the game is to throw a folded piece of paper at another folded piece of paper on the ground and try to flip over the paper that is on the ground. If Gi-Hun fails to do so, his opponent gets to slap him across the face. After many failed attempts, Gi-Hun finally wins his 10,000 won, but he also receives a business card with a time and place written on the back and is offered more money if he shows up. Of course, he accepts. Gi-Hun is not the only player, however; he is 1 of 456. All the players have one thing in common: their debt.

Seong Gi-Hun and the other contestants have to play Red Light, Green Light. Seems like an easy game to win, right? Wrong. If you are caught moving during a red light, you are eliminated. You may think being eliminated means getting kicked out. Wrong again. Getting killed is their form of elimination. It comes as a shock when the first player gets shot and killed.

Personally, I have never seen someone get shot. “Squid Game” gave me an idea of what that looks like. It was so disturbing, but I never looked away. The show had my blood pressure rising just by sitting behind a phone screen. There was never a time that action wasn’t occurring, but it also wasn’t an absurd amount of stuff going on, it was the perfect amount. I think that the overall concept of the show was a very good idea. It was very similar to “Hunger Games” but with childhood games. One big conflict is Seon Gi-Hun is competing against his long-time best friend. Does Gi-Hun choose his friend, or does he choose the money?

The original idea of “Squid Game” was developed in 2008 by Hwang Dong-Hyuk. The idea was rejected by studios for over 10 years. Dong-Hyuk was in a very bad financial situation when writing the script; he was forced to sell his laptop and had to stop writing the script. Even after these upsets, “Squid Game” is ranked number one in over 90 countries.

There are a few flaws, sadly. Since the show is based in Korea, the original show is spoken in Korean. In the American version, there are English voiceovers, so the lips don’t match up with what is actually being said. So, some translations could also be slightly off. This doesn’t ruin the show, but some people, like me, just have small pet peeves like that. Another flaw is “Squid Game” was only nine episodes. It took me one day to watch the show. What do I do now? I feel emotionally attached to the show now.

If you are planning to watch “Squid Game,” I would recommend not scrolling on TikTok or Instagram because “Squid Game” is taking over those apps. I can’t swipe for five minutes without seeing a spoiler or a meme about “Squid Game.” So if you are planning to watch it, what are you waiting for?