Would You Survive the Squid Game: AU Edition?
By Shea Neary
On September 17th, 2021, Netflix’s newest original series, Squid Game, premiered worldwide. This Korean thriller has become an international sensation within only a few weeks of its release, quickly becoming the number one series on the platform with Netflix’s co-CEO, Ted Sarandos, even predicting it will become their most-watched program ever.
The show has different games that the players compete in, and the challenges are all very difficult, but not impossible—the idea that one can actually win a challenge keeps players competitive. After finishing the show, I began to wonder what some of the games would look like on AU’s campus. See how many challenges of Squid Game: AU Edition you could complete without being eliminated!
Walk through campus without seeing one Tinder match.
This challenge is simple: walk from Katzen to the quad, then to the health center without seeing a Tinder match. This first task is meant to eliminate about half of the players, and so it might be harder than you think.
Choose a piece of chicken from TDR that is fully cooked
TDR is every Wonk’s rite of passage, so with this challenge, you’re given three pieces of chicken. If you’re successfully able to identify which piece is cooked all the way through, you can proceed to the next challenge
Race the Wonk Bus to Tenley
This challenge of athleticism is a toss-up; will the Wonk bus be late? Will it be ten minutes early? The fun of this challenge is not knowing.
You have to explain what Kogod kids study
Kogod students love to talk about themselves, but how much do you listen? In this challenge, you’re given five minutes to explain what it is exactly that business majors study.
Go to Decades (or interact with a freshman) without contracting COVID
It’s exciting to be back on campus, or for half of AU students to be on campus for the first time, which means that some clubs have already become hotspots for certain illnesses. The fun of this challenge is that even if you pass, you might contract something else.
Laugh at an AU Barstool tweet
This last challenge might be the hardest of them all—only one may prevail and win it all.
Congratulations! If you’ve made it this far, you’ve survived all of Squid Game: AU Edition. If you didn't, no worries as these challenges are all very difficult. Better luck next time!