I’m sure I’m not the only person who watched Squid Game and naively thought to themselves “yeah, I could probably do that one” about any of the challenges. From the comfort of my own couch, practically anything seems possible. Jumping over a skipping rope with a broken ankle? Done. Carving out a shape from dalgona? I’ve got a steady hand. Sometimes I’ve really convinced myself that I probably could walk away with all the money.
But obviously if you actually put me into the position of a player, I would be utterly useless. I get sweaty hands the second a bit of pressure is put on me. The slightest threat and I’d probably crumble to my knees and, more than likely, cry. So, it’s a good job I’ll never actually find myself in Squid Game, but thanks to the amount of people who have recreated the experience for me in Roblox, I can at least give it a good go.
There’s an overwhelming amount of Squid Game spin-offs circulating on Roblox at the moment, taking you through each of the show’s games individually, or even keeping you hostage for the entire thing and offering an in-game cash prize if you find yourself victorious after its randomised minigames. I expected them to be quickly cobbled together off the back of the popularity of the series, but I was met with detailed recreations of the show and minigames which actually stressed me out a bit.
The experience I joined, Squid Game X, threw me into a lobby with a crowd of other players and assigned me a number before briskly sending me into my first game, Red Light Green Light. All of a sudden I felt that pang of fear. My palms started to get a bit clammy, my heart beat a bit faster. I know it’s literally just a game, and a game in Roblox of all things, but when you’re standing in front of that horrible doll singing its song and the sound of gunshots echoes through your headset, it does get you a little bit tense. Everybody wants to win the game they’re playing, but whether I was having a physical reaction to the competition or a reaction to the fear, I couldn’t tell you.
The biggest knife to the back came from my fellow players though. In one of the more challenging minigames, Mingle, you’re tasked with getting into different rooms with a certain number of players within a time limit. If you don’t you’ll get shot and eliminated on the spot. It’s one of the more stressful games since you have to really rely on other players, but fortunately I soon partnered up with someone else and stuck with them. We sparked up a conversation while we camped in our little room, talking about the show, and devising a plan to help each other through the rest of the games. To my surprise, we successfully made it to the final challenge, the Squid Game.
Only one player can make it out of this game and win the money, and I was face to face with my new best friend when we spawned in. We weren’t the only two players, so I expected them to turn to the others and push them out of the grid first—which was my first mistake. After wishing them good luck, the countdown began. I was facing the other players and ready to push, when all of a sudden my so-called friend rushed towards me and immediately shoved me out of the ring. There was no apology, no explanation as to why, they were just playing the game after all.
I was immediately eliminated and sent back to the lobby, pleasantly humbled and completely reassured I would never make it through Squid Game. Which was the whole point of playing in the first place, I guess. I just wish I at least had a friend request to soften the blow slightly.
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