5 Shocking Real-Life Truths That Inspired Netflix’s Squid Game (It’s Not What You Think)

The question of whether Squid Game is based on a true story is one of the most common searches on the internet, and the answer is both a definitive "No" and a chilling "Absolutely Yes." As of December 10, 2025, no actual, clandestine death game has been discovered where 456 highly indebted individuals compete for a massive cash prize. However, to dismiss the show as pure fiction is to miss the terrifying reality that inspired its creator. The dystopian thriller is a brutal, metaphorical mirror reflecting the harrowing economic and social crises plaguing modern South Korea and the world.

The series, conceived by director Hwang Dong-hyuk over a decade ago, is a profound commentary on the crushing weight of debt, the desperation of the working class, and the inherent violence of hypercapitalism. The "games" themselves are fictional, but the social desperation that drives people to sign up for them is tragically real. Understanding the true origins of Squid Game requires looking beyond the gore and into the very real, often deadly, struggles of South Korean citizens.

The True, Harrowing Inspirations Behind Squid Game

While the concept of a deadly survival tournament is borrowed from the Japanese manga and anime tradition, the emotional core and character backstories of Squid Game are rooted in specific, painful events and systemic issues in South Korea. Creator Hwang Dong-hyuk meticulously crafted each character's debt-fueled crisis from documented real-world tragedies.

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1. Gi-hun’s Backstory Was Inspired By a Violent Labor Strike

The main protagonist, Seong Gi-hun (Player 456), is a divorced, gambling-addicted, and severely indebted man. His backstory, however, is not just about personal failure; it's a direct reference to a major national tragedy. Director Hwang Dong-hyuk confirmed that Gi-hun’s history as a laid-off worker was directly inspired by the 2009 Ssangyong Motor strikes in South Korea.

• The Event: In 2009, Ssangyong Motor, a major South Korean car manufacturer, announced massive layoffs following the 2008 global financial crisis.
• The Violence: Thousands of workers staged a months-long, violent protest and sit-in at the factory, leading to deadly confrontations with police and security forces.
• The Parallel: The trauma and desperation of these workers, who were fighting for their livelihoods and dignity, mirrors Gi-hun's own sense of betrayal and economic ruin, which ultimately drives him to the game.

2. The Crushing South Korean Household Debt Crisis

The central premise of Squid Game—456 people driven to risk their lives for money—is a powerful metaphor for the crippling debt crisis in South Korea. The show’s narrative accurately reflects the extremity of this financial burden.

• The Reality: South Korea has one of the highest levels of household debt among developed nations, often exceeding 100% of the country’s gross domestic product (GDP).
• The Impact: This hyper-competitive, debt-fueled economy forces people into precarious situations, constantly struggling to pay back loans for housing, education, and basic living expenses.
• The Metaphor: The debt crisis is so severe that it is tragically linked to millions of suicides in the country every year. The show suggests that for many, the "game" of life under hypercapitalism is already a deadly, high-stakes gamble.

3. Ali Abdul's Story Reflects Real-World Migrant Worker Discrimination

The character Ali Abdul, the kind-hearted Pakistani migrant worker, represents another deeply rooted social issue in South Korea: the exploitation and discrimination faced by foreign workers.

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• Wage Theft: Ali is driven to the game because his employer has withheld his wages for months. This issue of wage theft and poor working conditions for migrant workers in South Korea is a documented, frequent problem.
• Personal Experience: Hwang Dong-hyuk has stated that Ali's story was inspired by his own experiences witnessing racial discrimination and the precarious legal status of foreign workers in the country.
• The Entity: Ali embodies the global economic disparity where people from less wealthy nations are forced to take dangerous, low-paying jobs abroad, only to be exploited by their host countries.

4. The Creator’s Own Financial Struggles and the 2008 Crisis

The concept of Squid Game was first written in 2008, a period immediately following the global financial crisis. The director, Hwang Dong-hyuk, was himself struggling financially, which provided a powerful, personal lens for the story.

• Personal Debt: Hwang Dong-hyuk admitted he was in significant debt and often spent time reading survival game comics, which led him to imagine a scenario where he would be desperate enough to join such a game.
• The Long Wait: For over a decade, the script was rejected by studios who found the concept too gruesome and unrealistic. This rejection period itself reflects the difficulty of getting a project about economic despair funded in a system that often prefers escapist content.

5. The VIPs and the Global Elite’s Indifference

The wealthy, bored VIPs who watch the games and bet on the contestants are a scathing critique of the global elite and the capitalist class. They view the lives of the poor as mere entertainment, completely detached from the human cost of the competition.

• The "Game" as Entertainment: This element highlights how the suffering of the lower class is often commodified and ignored by the ultra-rich. The VIPs represent the ultimate beneficiaries of the hypercapitalist system that created the debt crisis in the first place.
• Topical Authority: The VIPs' casual cruelty and their existence outside the rules of the game symbolize the way global financial systems allow the wealthy to operate with impunity while the poor face life-or-death consequences for minor failures.

The Survival Game Genre: A Fictional Template for a Real Problem

While the social commentary is original, the narrative framework of a death game tournament is not. Hwang Dong-hyuk openly acknowledged that he drew significant inspiration from the Japanese survival game genre, particularly manga and anime.

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Entities and Inspirations from the Genre:

• Battle Royale (2000): A classic film where a class of high school students is forced to fight to the death.
• Kaiji: Ultimate Survivor (1996-Present): A highly influential manga series focused on a deeply indebted man forced to play high-stakes, psychological games for survival. This series' focus on debt and desperation is a clear precursor to Squid Game.
• As the Gods Will (2011): Another manga featuring high school students forced to play deadly versions of children's games, similar to the structure of Squid Game.

By using the familiar, over-the-top fictional template of the survival game, Squid Game makes its underlying message about real-world economic violence all the more shocking. The vibrant, childlike setting of the games—like "Red Light, Green Light" and "Dalgona"—creates a jarring contrast with the brutality, emphasizing how the simple, innocent games of childhood become deadly traps in a cutthroat, adult world.

Beyond Fiction: The Legacy of Squid Game's Realism

The massive global success of Squid Game was not just due to its thrilling plot or visual spectacle; it resonated because its core themes of economic disparity and debt are universal. The show became a global phenomenon because people from all walks of life, from South Korea to the United States, recognized the desperation of the contestants.

The show's power lies in its ability to take a fictional premise and use it to expose the very real, systemic violence of modern capitalism. It forces the audience to confront the uncomfortable truth: while the games are fake, the conditions that would make 456 people volunteer for them are tragically, undeniably real. The true horror of Squid Game is not the death count, but the fact that the economic system itself has become a lethal, high-stakes game for survival.