Every so often, a show comes along that takes the world by storm and becomes must-watch television. Usually, these shows are made in English-speaking countries. However, in 2022, Netflix’s “Squid Game” captivated the platform’s viewers with its bright color scheme, intricate set designs and simple yet terrifying costumes. The show is centered around a series of children’s games where the contestants have the opportunity to win a large sum of money. The only catch is that if they lose, they are eliminated. Permanently.
To give fans of the show a chance to experience the high-stakes competitive intensity of “Squid Game” for themselves (without the death part), the Squid Game Experience opened in midtown Manhattan near Herald Square. I had the chance to visit with my friends Tzvi, Daniel and Aaron, where we competed in one of the most intense and exciting competitions of our lives among 19 other strangers.
Located a few blocks away from the Empire State Building, the Squid Game Experience is on the first floor of a building on 33rd Street (which happens to be the same office building where my wife, Ahuva, works). The outside windows of the Squid Game Experience are covered with images from the show, such as the iconic girl doll in an orange dress, used as the motion-sensor animatronic known as “The Doll” in the show’s first challenge, “Red Light, Green Light,” as well as the Masked Men wearing pink jumpsuits and black masks with different shapes on their faces.
Tzvi and I, both living in Teaneck, took a bus to Port Authority and walked to the location, where we met up with our friends Daniel and Aaron, who already live in the city. Upon entering the building, a replica of the giant see-through piggy bank from the show was on display, filled with a lot of fake $100 bills. There was also a replica of The Doll as a photo op. From there, an employee wearing a pink jumpsuit greeted us and motioned us forward into the dystopian world of “Squid Game.”
As we moved into the lobby, we were met with a bizarre scene filled with “Squid Game” merchandise, unusual Korean snacks and drinks, and random arcade games scattered throughout. Walking around, we spotted the show’s infamous “Recruiter,” who was lurking among the unassuming guests, trying to convince them to play a game of ddakji. This popular Korean game involves attempting to flip a folded piece of paper tile over on the floor, and was the same game the “Recruiter” used in the show to recruit players for the Squid Game contest. My friend Daniel played against the Recruiter and won, earning himself a scratch card for a prize in the gift shop. I played after our experience, so I will go into more details about that later.
Each day, there are 15-minute time slots to choose from to sign up for the experience, ensuring that each slot doesn’t exceed the total player limit. When it was our group’s turn, we lined up to enter the arena and received our own unique green wristband with a different player number in white font, reminiscent of the green and white jumpsuits the players wore in the show. These wristbands would be important during the contest, as they were used as scanners for surviving players to save their points scored. With our wristbands on, we headed into the game.
Just like in the show, before the games began, we first lined up and had our headshots taken by a rectangular photo booth that told us to smile. Throughout the process, staff dressed in pink jumpsuits stared at us through their dark masks, creating an unnerving sense of dread and a lack of humanity since we couldn’t see their facial expressions. One woman took on the lead role, yelling out orders to each of us and making sure we were always kept on our toes.
For example, if visitors took too long at their photoshoot, she would yell at them, or if you weren’t in a straight line, she would correct you. Once the photoshoot was complete, we entered the Squid Game dormitory filled with bunk beds for the players, just like in the show. In the center of the room, the Front Man, the masked leader of the Squid Games, appeared and gave a terrifying speech about how the games would work and how not all of us would make it through.
To make the scenery even more jarring, there were fake bloodstains painted on the dormitory walls at intervals. Following the introduction, we headed to the next room for our first game.
*Spoiler Alert*
If you would like to not know what each game is, I recommend skipping to the last few paragraphs for the full surprise. I won’t give away too many tricks though, but just in case you like the complete mystery, don’t say I didn’t warn you.
For the first game, similar to the glass stepping stone challenge, we played a memory step game where a sequence of tiles lit up green for a few seconds before disappearing. Players had to step on the correct tile based on the sequence. There were five lanes for five players, with a screen showing which row each player should go to. To throw players off, the lead lady would try and trick players into taking a step back and forward, and if they listened, they would mess up and lose. Fortunately, I got to go in the last group, which gave me a chance to watch other players’ mistakes and learn not to make them. In the end, Daniel and I both passed this challenge and were two of around six players to make it through. At the end of the round, a scoreboard on the screen showed the standings of all 23 players with our headshots and player numbers included in the rankings. This really added to the intensity of the competition, but everyone was generally very friendly with each other and cheered on and celebrated watching each other succeed in each challenge.
In the second room, a hybrid of the dalgona (a South Korean candy) challenge and marbles was set up. Instead of cutting out a shape from a cookie like in the real dalgona game, this challenge resembled the rules of dreidel. Players tossed a marble from a distance into a circular bin with a shape in the center. If it landed inside the shape, the player collected all the marbles; if it landed outside, the marble stayed where it landed until another player could collect it. The 23 of us split into groups of five to play. Aaron, Daniel and I were in the same group, with Aaron collecting the most marbles, while I was able to collect a solid amount too, leaving the rest of our group without any marbles. The set design of this room resembled the playground area from the dalgona challenge in the show, with a giant green slide, a sand-like floor, and a blue painted wall with clouds. After the game, players poured their collected marbles into a container that counted them, then scanned their wristbands to save their points.
Our third game was Battleship. Half of us went into one room, while the other half entered a different room behind a wall. Four rowboats were placed on the floor for each of us to sit in. The boats were arranged in a specific pattern on both sides, forming our layout for the game. Each boat had a captain who could fire a shot to try to sink the enemy ship. A screen displayed the enemy’s board and showed whether our shots were hits or misses. Once a boat was sunk by the enemy, that team lost a shot, reducing their shots by one each round. Working together, our team coordinated and strategized where to fire shots most efficiently, ultimately winning while only losing one boat. Afterward, we scanned our wristbands to collect points. At that point, I was in second place overall and on my way to victory.
The fourth game was Red Light, Green Light, and the set looked similar to the one from the show, with a giant, terrifying “Doll” in the front scanning players who moved during “Red Light.” The main difference was that, in the show, the game was played in an open field, but in the experience, there were obstacles and pillars that made it more difficult to navigate but also easier to hide from the scanners. Before the game, a short video clip of the Front Man warned players that sometimes the tortoise is faster than the hare. I took this to mean I should go very slow and take my time, since we had five minutes to get across. Boy, was I wrong. Each time it was “Green Light,” players could only move for two or three seconds, and it would stay on “Red Light” for a solid 30 seconds. To be funny, I covered my mouth with my arm like Seong Gi-Hun, the protagonist from the show, who did it in season 2 to guide the players safely across. I also yelled out funny things like “Nobody move!” However, my arrogance got the best of me, and I was way too slow. While I didn’t get out for moving during “Red Light” like many others, I was the only one who didn’t make it across in time. The lead lady laughed at me as I watched the last 30 seconds tick down to zero, with no “Green Light” to save me.
After this round, the scoreboard updated and showed my friend Aaron in first place! Because he was in first, he got to partake in the final challenge. A large rectangular table was set up for all of us to sit around. In front of each seat was a silver platter, reminiscent of the dinner scene in the show between the final three players. The Front Man came out in the center of the room and congratulated Aaron for making it to the finals. He then instructed Aaron to press a button, which would help choose his competitors. Once Aaron pressed the button, a light rapidly flashed from one seat to the next and eventually slowed to a stop by one woman. The Front Man then called up the woman to face off against Aaron in a game of jack-in-the-box. Each turn, the light would flash rapidly again and land on a random player who had lost. That player would open their dish, revealing a number. The player would then choose between Aaron and the woman, who would need to crank a giant jack-in-the-box the number of times shown on their number. Aaron got very unlucky this round, as he was first chosen to crank a high number of six. Then the lady was chosen to crank zero times. Afterward, Aaron was chosen to crank it eight times, and the jack-in-the-box popped out in the middle of his cranking, making him the loser. Fireworks went off across the room, and celebratory music played to mark the end of the games.
As the grand prize, the lady received a special red mask, like the VIPs had in the show, and a VIP access pass to the bar. So, despite leading the whole game, Aaron ended up losing in a very unfair way. But to be honest, that kind of is the beauty of Squid Game’s motif of being seemingly fair but actually unfair.
*Spoiler Over*
To enhance our experience, the four of us signed up for the VIP pass, which gave us access to the VIP lounge and allowed us to receive special gold jaguar masks like the VIPs had in the show. At the bar, they served Squid Game-themed drinks and bottled iced tea, which was kosher. A lounge area with couches, similar to the ones the VIPs sat on to watch the games, was also available. Fittingly, a large television was showing live players participating in the Squid Game Experience.
To conclude, Tzvi and I played ddakji against the recruiter. Before the challenge, the recruiter said that if we won, we would get a prize (like the scratch-off card Daniel had received), but if we lost, there would be a punishment. Unfortunately, we both lost. I had to put an “L” on my head and walk sideways like a crab while yelling “Dachi” for 26 seconds, and Tzvi had to spin around while crouched with his arms out like a dinosaur for 25 seconds. Although it was embarrassing, I was beyond impressed by how funny and witty the recruiter actor was. He always had the perfect response and facial expressions to whatever people’s reactions were, and he kept his cool the entire time (even when Tzvi kept trying to chicken out of the punishment). Out of all the games, playing and watching others play (and usually lose) ddakji was the best part for me. It was also great when someone did win, and everyone watching would celebrate that they didn’t have to do something embarrassing together. Although it was more funny watching people embarrass themselves.
If you haven’t seen “Squid Game” yet, the show is quite intense and not recommended for children. The Squid Game Experience is much tamer and more family-friendly with several fun challenges, but that doesn’t mean the cast doesn’t take it seriously. They did a superb job of staying in character and treating the games seriously throughout the whole experience, reminding me of the ride Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance in Disney’s Hollywood Studios, where the cast members of Stormtroopers try to be as intimidating as possible.
I absolutely loved the Squid Game Experience. Every challenge was well thought out, and the attention to detail in the set designs was impeccable. Even if you’re not a fan of “Squid Game,” if you enjoy high-stakes competitions, I highly recommend checking out the Squid Game Experience. (Tzvi hadn’t watched the show but still had a great time.) Fans of the show will enjoy it even more.
As Player 001 Oh Il-nam said, “Doing something is always more fun than just watching.” Don’t just watch the show. Be in it.
Admission: Tickets start at $29, VIP packages from $45
Hours: Thursday-Monday: 10 a.m.-8:30 p.m.
Manhattan Mall, 100 West 33rd St., New York
squidgameexperience.com/new-york
Zachary Greenberg has been an avid reader of The Jewish Link since 2015 and a member of the staff since February 2022. Zachary is currently looking for a new full-time role in a business or data-related field. Beyond writing for The Link, he works part-time as director of the Keter Torah teen minyan for boys and as the TABC track coach. Zachary recently watched “The Hunger Games”on Fios TV. He also celebrated his wife Ahuva’s birthday last week. Please email him at [email protected] if you have any suggestions. Be sure to follow his Instagram page @funzacktivities for more content!
