Why Squid Game Breaks A Netflix Rule

Why Squid Game Breaks A Netflix Rule

Squid Game might be one of Netflix’s most unexpectedly successful series, but it still broke one of the streaming platform’s unwritten rules.

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Why Squid Game Breaks A Netflix Rule

Netflix’s Squid Game defied expectations to become one of the most popular shows of recent years, but it also broke one of the streaming platform’s rules. Squid Game tells the story of a group of South Korean people from a variety of backgrounds who attempt to erase their debts by engaging in a deadly competition, each hoping to win 45.6 billion Korean won. The premise, a conspiracy that exploits South Korea’s class disparity by having debtors engage in lethal versions of popular childhood games, is one that quickly captured the imagination of a global audience.

It’s not just Squid Game’s popularity that makes it stand out for Netflix, though. The streaming platform’s viewing statics dictate that in order for a person’s viewing experience to count as an official view, they must watch for at least two minutes. This suggests that Netflix intends for the first two minutes of any film or show to be the most important part of the viewing experience, grabbing the audience or showcasing the general tone of the content. Squid Game’s success has been huge for Netflix, but its opening scene actually breaks this rule.

Squid Game opens with a lengthy explanation of the titular Korean children’s game, showing a black and white scene of children playing as the rules of the game are narrated for the audience. It’s a scene that is significantly slower and less exciting than the actual content of the show, putting it directly at odds with Netflix’s two-minute viewing stipulation, which suggests that the opening scene should be indicative of the show or film that follows, or at least exciting enough to almost immediately hook audiences and entice them to watch more through that first impression. Squid Game actually has a pretty good reason for breaking this rule, though.

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Squid Game’s premise and general themes are rooted in South Korean culture. This is such an integral part of the show and its story, with much of Squid Game inspired by creator Hwang Dong-hyuk’s own life, that certain aspects of the show might seem confusing to viewers in other countries or those less informed on Korean culture. The opening scene depicting the titular children’s game offers a detailed explanation for the game itself, but it also prepares viewers for a distinctly Korean story.

The opening scene’s detailed explanation of a game that will likely be unfamiliar to a considerable part of the show’s audience was necessary not just to explain the game itself but also to foreshadow the events that follow. Framing the narrative by starting it all with an explanation of the children’s game establishes the tone and also prepares its viewers for its central premise of adults engaging in childhood games with life or death stakes. Of course, this premise has drawn comparisons to films such as The Hunger Games, but the opening scene establishes the show’s themes of class imbalance and the different ways in which people deal with adversity, indicating what it is that makes Squid Game so different.

Squid Game’s rule-breaking opening scene, while slower in pace and less exciting in tone than the rest of the show, is vital in establishing the central premise and offering much-needed context for those unfamiliar with certain key aspects of the story and of the show’s name. Its first two minutes might not be its best, but breaking Netflix’s rule didn’t stop Squid Game from becoming one of its most successful shows, showing that every rule can be broken when it’s better for a story.

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Link Source : https://screenrant.com/squid-game-two-minute-viewing-rule-netflix-breaks-introduction/

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