11/20(Sat) Squid Game—Why so popular? The games, the issues, and the psychology (Host: Kat)

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Kat C
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註冊時間: 週三 9月 08, 2010 10:31 am

11/20(Sat) Squid Game—Why so popular? The games, the issues, and the psychology (Host: Kat)

文章 Kat C »

圖檔

Dear friends,

What’s the talk of the town—or in fact, the world—at the moment? No doubt Squid Game would be one of the first things that comes to mind.

It’s by all definitions a true “phenomenon.”

"Squid Game" is the most-watched series in the history of Netflix. In the first 28 days since its release, the show was watched by viewers from more than 142 million households. As a frame of reference, this makes the show more than 7-times more popular than the most-watched episode of "Game of Thrones." (Psychology Today)

“The dystopian series is set to generate almost $900 million after costing only $21 million to produce.” (Casting Frontier)

What makes it so popular? A non-English speaking TV drama that has swept the world (reaching the top-viewed program in 94 countries), it touches upon many social issues.

“Squid Game raises the bar by shining a light on the plight of marginalised groups rarely featured in South Korean film and television. Its characters include migrant workers, North Korean defectors, divorcees, the long-term unemployed and those with mental health issues.” (East Asia Forum)

Now it clearly has resonated way beyond its border.

The show is not without its critics, however.

“Squid Game has been rated appropriate for viewers aged 15 and older and Netflix gives a series of content warnings including sex, violence and suicide. It's not the first time the streaming app has faced accusations that its most popular programmes have inspired dangerous behaviour among young people.” (iNews, UK)

Even if you haven’t seen it, you must have heard about it. You don’t have to have watched the series to come to the meeting. We’ll talk about the psychology behind the phenomenon, inequality, violence, games, social media, and the power of conversation. I was a theater critic for an American newspaper, so I'll also offer my thoughts on the series (It has received 94% recommendation from 63 critics on Rotten Tomatoes.)

And you know I'll be sure to throw in a game or two for fun—no blood, of course! :mrgreen:

Would you join the game? :wink:

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📌 We'll explore some of the ideas from the links below. The views expressed are solely those of the respective authors:

➤ Squid Game Official Trailer (Netflix / 2 mins)



➤ 'Squid Game' takes the world by storm: What's behind the hype? (DW News / 6 mins)



➤ Why Squid Game Is Unlike Anything You've Seen Before (Movie Morj / 9 mins)



➤ Director of ‘Squid Game’ talks about the hit show (Good Mornring America / 3 mins)



➤ Netflix's 'Squid Game' is a sensation. Here's why it's so popular (NBC News)
https://www.nbcnews.com/pop-culture/pop ... s-n1280646

➤ The Unpredictable Popularity of "Squid Game" (Psychology Today)
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog ... squid-game

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圖檔

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Agenda:
3:45 ~ 4:00pm Greetings & Free Talk / Ordering Beverage or Meal / Getting Newcomer’s Information
4:00 ~ 4:10pm Opening Remarks / Newcomer’s Self-introduction / Grouping
(Session I)
4:10 ~ 4:50pm Discussion Session (40 mins)
4:50 ~ 5:10pm Summarization (20 mins)
5:10 ~ 5:15pm Regrouping / Instruction Giving / Taking a 10 Minutes Break (Intermission)
(Session II)
5:15 ~ 5:55pm Discussion Session (40 mins)
6:00 ~ 6:20pm Summarization (20 mins)
6:20 ~ 6:30pm Concluding Remarks / Announcements


Meeting Date: As shown on the Subject Line
Meeting Time: 4:00pm – 6:30pm
Meeting Venue: 丹堤咖啡 Dante Coffee (Minimum Order $100)
Address: 台北市濟南路三段25號[MAP]-捷運忠孝新生站3號出口步行3分鐘

Important Notes:
1. We advise participants to print out the discussion questions and bring them to the meeting for reference. As for the supporting articles, feel free to print them out, as well, according to your preference.
2. We suggest that participants read the articles and think about the questions in advance.
3. Newcomers should prepare a two-to-three minute self-introduction in English to deliver when called upon by the host before the start of the discussion. The host may also ask you to give brief feedback about the meeting at the conclusion of the meeting.
4. We conduct the entire meeting in English. All participants should have at least moderate English-conversation skills and be able to articulate your ideas for each discussion question.
5. We welcome newcomers and other guests to attend the meetings and join the discussion freely for two times. After that, we hope you will consider becoming a YoYo English Club member. We charge a NT$1500 lifetime membership fee, or NT$1000 for students.
Michael-liu
YOYO member
文章: 708
註冊時間: 週五 4月 24, 2009 6:09 pm

Re: 11/20(Sat) Squid Game—Why so popular? The games, the issues, and the psychology (Host: Kat)

文章 Michael-liu »

By the way, we mentioned Squid Game has made a huge amount of money for Netflix in the meeting.

A question occurred to me. As we all know, Netflix subscribers pay monthly fee. It is not pay per view. In that case, how does Netflix make more money if there are more subscribers watching it?

Kat, another question. What do you think is the meaning of the leading actor dyeing his hair to red at the end?
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Kat C
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註冊時間: 週三 9月 08, 2010 10:31 am

Re: 11/20(Sat) Squid Game—Why so popular? The games, the issues, and the psychology (Host: Kat)

文章 Kat C »

Hi Machael,

Thanks for joining the meeting, and for great questions!

Over 99% of Netflix's revenue is from viewer subscription fees generated through its streaming services. But now that Netflix is creating its own content, it also makes money from licensing frees and product placement.

As Netflix is big on using customer data, they can track exact viewership and streaming time of each show or film on its platform. Then they should have no trouble translating those data in dollar terms.

To learn more about Netflix's business model, this is helpful:
https://www.investopedia.com/insights/h ... kes-money/

For Squid Game's dramatic red hair in the finale, writer-director Hwang Dong-hyuk explained in an interview, "[Gi-hun's red hair] represents that he will never be able to go back to his old self. It is also a sign of his rage."

He won the game and money, only to find his mother lying dead unnoticed in their home. I think the shocking hair conveys his shock and guilt very aptly.

Hope that helps! :sun:
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