Squid Game Games in Order: Origins and Meaning Behind Deadly Classics Explained

Recruitment Through Ddakji

Before the televised competition begins, recruiters approach people in debt and offer money for playing a simple game. Gi-hun’s recruitment challenge is ddakji, also called ttakji. The traditional Korean game uses folded-paper tiles: players try to flip an opponent’s tile by striking it with their own. Its resemblance to Pogs is noted in the story, and its uneven dynamic is linked to the show’s critique of capitalist corruption.

A Deadly First Round

Red Light, Green Light is known by several names, including Statues and Grandmother’s Footsteps. In Korea, it is called “Mugunghwa kkochi pieotseumnida,” the song heard from the killer doll; the phrase roughly translates as “The Mugunghwa flower has bloomed.” As the first major contest, the game shows contestants that even a small movement can bring death. It emphasizes control and rapidly reduces the field, making it one of the series’ most memorable rounds. The game returns in season two.

Candy And Fragile Survival

The second contest centers on ppopgi, also called dalgona, a honeycomb toffee candy that was once popular Korean street food. Traditionally, a buyer who ate around the shape pressed into the candy without breaking it could receive another one for free.

In the competition, getting through the candy challenge means survival, while failure means death. The candy’s fragility reflects the contestants’ precarious state after the killings in Red Light, Green Light.

Tug Of War Changes The Contest

The third round is team-based tug of war, known in Korea as juldarigi. Variations have featured in festivals and community celebrations, particularly in agricultural areas. In some villages, teams from the east and west sides competed, with the winners believed to secure a better harvest. In the show, victory brings a different kind of fortune, and the contest shifts conflict from the organization toward the players themselves.