7 Shocking Real-Life Tragedies That Inspired Netflix's 'Squid Game'

Despite being a fictional dystopian thriller, the global phenomenon Squid Game is fundamentally rooted in the harsh realities of modern South Korean society, making the premise far more chilling than a simple work of fiction. As of December 2025, the show's creator, Hwang Dong-hyuk, has repeatedly confirmed that the desperate situations of his characters—and even the games themselves—are direct reflections of economic inequality and social struggles that are tragically authentic. This article dives deep into the true-life events, from corporate violence to personal debt, that served as the dark blueprint for the series.

The show's power lies in its ability to take familiar childhood games and juxtapose them with the brutal, life-or-death stakes of a capitalist nightmare, a concept Hwang Dong-hyuk developed after his own family faced severe financial hardship. While there is no secret underground organization running a deadly tournament, the desperation that drives 456 players to sign away their lives is a very real crisis for millions facing crushing debt in South Korea and globally. The following sections reveal the true stories that inspired the most shocking elements of the show.

The Creator's Blueprint: Hwang Dong-hyuk’s True-Life Inspirations

The mind behind Squid Game, writer and director Hwang Dong-hyuk, spent over a decade trying to get the show produced. His personal and national history provided the core themes of debt, desperation, and systemic failure.

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• Full Name: Hwang Dong-hyuk (황동혁)
• Date of Birth: May 26, 1971
• Place of Birth: Seoul, South Korea
• Notable Works: My Father (2007), Silenced (2011), Miss Granny (2014), The Fortress (2017), Squid Game (2021)
• Inspiration for Squid Game: His own family's financial struggles after the 2009 global financial crisis, the Ssangyong Motor Strike, and Japanese survival manga.
• Current Status: Developing the second season of Squid Game for Netflix.

1. The Violent Ssangyong Motor Strike: Gi-hun’s Origin Story

The most direct and harrowing real-life inspiration for the main character, Seong Gi-hun (Player 456), is the 2009 Ssangyong Motor Strike in South Korea.

The show’s backstory for Gi-hun, a laid-off worker from a car manufacturing plant, mirrors the mass layoffs at the Ssangyong Motor Company. In 2009, the company announced the layoff of over 2,600 workers, leading to a massive, violent strike. The confrontation between the protesting workers, management, and police became deadly, involving the use of tear gas, water cannons, and violent clashes. Hwang Dong-hyuk specifically cited this event as the catalyst for Gi-hun's character, highlighting how systemic economic violence can destroy a person’s life and drive them to desperate measures.

2. The Crushing South Korean Household Debt Crisis (The 456 Players)

The 456 players who enter the game are not just random people; they are a microcosm of South Korea’s massive debt problem. The nation has one of the highest household debt-to-GDP ratios in the world, a situation worsened by the 2009 global financial crisis and subsequent economic slowdowns.

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The characters represent different facets of this crisis: Gi-hun with gambling and layoff debt, Sang-woo with investment fraud, and Sae-byeok with North Korean defector fees. Their choice to enter a deadly game for a chance at solvency reflects the real-life desperation of people trapped in a cycle of debt with no legal or social safety net to catch them. This pervasive economic inequality is the show's true villain.

3. Hwang Dong-hyuk’s Personal Financial Struggle

The idea for Squid Game was conceived in 2008, a time when Hwang Dong-hyuk and his family were facing severe financial hardship following the global financial crisis. He was living with his mother and grandmother and was so financially distressed that he had to stop writing the script for a year and sell his laptop for cash.

This personal experience of being "very financially strapped" is what gave him the idea for a survival game where desperate people would risk their lives for money. The creator himself was living the reality of the characters he would later write about, lending an authentic, painful edge to the entire narrative.

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The Real-Life Games and Survival Genre Inspirations

Beyond the social commentary, the show's structure and individual games also have distinct real-world and fictional origins.

4. The Traditional Korean Children’s Games

The brilliance of Squid Game lies in its use of nostalgic, innocent children's games. These were not invented for the show; they are authentic South Korean playground staples.

• Red Light, Green Light (Mugunghwa Kkoci Pieot Seumnida): A universal game, but in Korea, the phrase translates to "The Mugunghwa flower has bloomed," referring to the national flower.
• Dalgona/Ppopgi (Honeycomb Candy): The famous cookie-cutting game is based on a real street snack where children would try to cut out a shape without breaking the brittle candy for a small prize.
• Squid Game (Ojing-eo Geim): The final, titular game is a rough, physical children’s game from the 1970s and 80s, played on a squid-shaped board drawn in the dirt. Hwang Dong-hyuk played it as a child, noting its aggressive nature.

5. Japanese Survival Manga and Anime

Hwang Dong-hyuk has openly admitted that the show's concept was heavily influenced by the Japanese survival game genre, particularly manga and anime.

Specifically, the show draws thematic parallels to titles like Battle Royale and Kaiji: Ultimate Survivor. These works established the trope of desperate, debt-ridden individuals being forced to participate in deadly, psychological games for cash. Squid Game takes this established genre and grounds it in a uniquely Korean social context, making it a commentary on the nation's economic structure rather than just a survival thriller.

Debunking the False 'True Story' Claims and Modern Adaptations

Due to the show's dark themes, several false narratives have circulated claiming the show is based on a specific, horrific true story.

6. The Brothers Home Incident (A False, But Related Narrative)

A persistent, though false, claim is that Squid Game is based on the Brothers Home incident. This was a notorious South Korean state-run facility from the 1970s to the 1980s where thousands of homeless and disabled people were detained, exploited for forced labor, and subjected to horrific abuse, rape, and death.

While the show is not *based* on this, the comparison is thematically resonant. Both the Brothers Home and the fictional Squid Game facility involve the state (or a powerful elite) rounding up society's most vulnerable, exploiting them for profit and control, and treating them as disposable. The comparison highlights the show's critique of systemic cruelty against the poor.

7. The Real-Life 'Squid Game' Reality Shows

In a bizarre twist of life imitating art, the show's global success led to real-world, non-lethal adaptations, further blurring the lines between fiction and reality.

Most notably, Netflix launched a reality competition series called Squid Game: The Challenge, where 456 contestants compete in challenges inspired by the show for a massive cash prize—without the deadly consequences. Additionally, YouTuber MrBeast created a viral, high-production version of the games, offering a $456,000 prize. These adaptations, while entertaining, underscore the show's core message: the desperation for a life-changing amount of money is a powerful enough motivator to drive people to extreme competition, even without the threat of death.