(Corrects a word in headline from “Games” to “Game”)

By Sangmi Cha

SEOUL (Reuters) – The hit Netflix (NASDAQ:) series “Squid Game” from South Korea has gone viral across the world and online by morphing childhood games popular before the digital era such as “Red Light, Green Light” into deadly survival challenges.

In the chilling thriller, six children’s games have fatal consequences. One of them is the playground game in which players must stop and run at the tagger. It was named after the South Korean version of the tag that was played on a dirt board in the 1980s. Players are killed for not standing still during the red light calling in the episode “Red Light Green Light”.

To win a cash prize of 45.6 Billion Won ($38.66 Million), the Squid Game must be won by the remaining 456 contestants. These include a North Korean defector and a fund manager accused with embezzlement.

Since its Sept. 17 premiere, the horror series is gaining popularity and has become the first Korean drama to be featured on Netflix. According to Ted Sarandos, Co-Chief Executive of the company, it may be their most watched show worldwide.

He said, “We didn’t see it coming in terms of its worldwide popularity.”

South Korea, Asia’s fourth-largest economy, has established itself as a global entertainment hub with its vibrant pop-culture, including the seven-member boy band BTS and movies such as Oscar winners “Parasite,” a satire about class and society, and “Minari,” about a Korean immigrant family in the United States.

“Squid Game’s” fame has spread to the digital realm, also known as the metaverse. This is where people can move around and interact in virtual spaces.

Many thousands of people have played “Red Light Green Light” online in various game rooms called “Squid Game”. Roblox is a California-based producer of top-rated online gaming platforms.

These rooms are designed to look like different film sets, and users can register for “Red Light Green Light”.

On Twitter (NYSE:), the hashtags “SquidGame” and “RedLightGreenLight” were trending and reviews of the Roblox games have inundated YouTube and other social media.

Other venues are taking advantage of the popularity of the show.

One Facebook post (NASDAQ:) showed that a Quezon City mall had placed a 3 m (10 ft.) doll. It calls out commands from the episode “Red Light, Green Light”. This invites users to cross a street and earn prizes.

Season two of “Squid Game”, a nine-part series that was wildly successful, is currently in production. Netflix plans to spend $500 million this year on original movies and television shows in South Korea. South Korea is Asia’s largest market.

($1 = 1,179.6200 won)