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The Allure of Beast Games
Mr. Beast grins broadly, flanked by a mountain of cash—the $5 million grand prize for his Amazon-sponsored Beast Games, a real-life reimagining of Squid Game. Unlike the Netflix show’s covert, deadly competitions that exploit debtors for the amusement of wealthy sadists, Beast Games is a highly publicized spectacle targeting everyday people, turning their struggles into entertainment for Prime subscribers.
When Squid Game debuted on Netflix in September 2021, its brutal premise both captivated and horrified audiences. Written and directed by Hwang Dong-hyuk, the series follows 456 desperate South Koreans lured by a massive cash prize into participating in a seemingly simple series of games. The first challenge—a deadly twist on “Red Light, Green Light”—results in the execution of more than half the contestants. As the stakes grow grimmer, the players spiral into madness, driven by desperation.
The show’s violent critique of societal inequities struck a chord with millions. Yet, for some viewers, the takeaway was: “Let’s recreate this in real life.”
From Satire to Spectacle
The Early Stages
In 2021, YouTuber Jimmy Donaldson, aka Mr. Beast, unveiled his first Squid Game-inspired video, “$456,000 Squid Game in Real Life!” This production recreated the iconic playground sets from the Netflix series. Participants were “eliminated” using squibs to simulate gunshots, replacing actual danger with harmless theatrics. The 20-minute video leaned into the fun, featuring smiling contestants, friendly banter, and lighthearted competition. The stakes felt low, and camaraderie prevailed.
Enter Beast Games
Fast forward to Beast Games, a ten-episode Amazon-backed series with a staggering $5 million grand prize. From the outset, its tone diverged sharply. The first episode, “1,000 People Fight for $5,000,000,” opens with Donaldson standing atop a pyramid of cash. Contestants, faced with immediate bribes to quit, exude palpable unease. Within minutes, the cheerful atmosphere of the original video is replaced by high-stakes manipulation.
Contestants are offered $1 million if one person quits or $20,000 each if 50 agree to leave. Ultimately, 52 people take the deal. The remaining players soon face a cruel dilemma: one teammate from each group of 80 must self-sacrifice, or the entire team is eliminated. Tears flow, cameras zoom in on anguished faces, and the production revels in the contestants’ torment.
This grim spectacle mirrors Squid Game’s themes of exploitation, making Beast Games disturbingly true to the original’s critique. Yet, it reduces complex commentary on class struggles to mere voyeurism.
Suffering as Entertainment
The stark difference between Beast Games and its predecessor lies in intent. Squid Game explores the lengths to which marginalized individuals must go to survive, condemning the societal systems that perpetuate such despair. Beast Games, however, seems to revel in suffering, trading empathy for entertainment.
IGN’s scathing review of Beast Games highlights its dystopian tone, calling it “a woefully overstretched re-creation of his YouTube videos” with “witty” commentary from Donaldson that falls flat. Donaldson defended his project on social media, dismissing critiques as unrepresentative of the effort involved. Yet, the heart of the issue isn’t the production quality but the ethical implications of turning desperation into a gameshow gimmick.
The Misstep in Media Literacy
Why recreate Squid Game at all? The Netflix series isn’t a celebration of competition but a critique of late-stage capitalism’s dehumanizing effects. Characters like Kang Sae-byeok, a North Korean defector, elicit sympathy, while figures like the sadistic VIPs draw ire. Yet, by transforming the narrative into a spectacle, recreators like Mr. Beast and Amazon inadvertently side with the villains.
The existence of Beast Games—and the class-action lawsuits alleging mistreatment during production—reflects a broader decline in media literacy. The original show’s warning about exploitation has been co-opted into a template for profit-driven entertainment.
TL;DR — Missing the Point
Beast Games doesn’t just miss the point of Squid Game; it embodies everything the Netflix series condemns. The suffering of its contestants, while not fatal, is presented as a spectacle for viewers’ enjoyment. Mr. Beast’s detachment from the psychological and physical toll on participants underscores the ethical failings of this endeavor.
At its core, Beast Games is a cautionary tale about what happens when media’s critical messages are lost in translation. It challenges us to ask: are we entertained, or are we complicit?
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