Squid Game: What Would An English Remake Look Like?

The titular Squid Game was apparently most popular in Korea in the seventies and eighties, involving two teams navigating a squid-shaped court playing against each other in offensive and defensive positions.

It's the game we first see kids playing at the start of the show, and on the surface appears to be a silly, fairly easy playground romp, but obviously it ends up taking on a killer twist.

There are plenty of well-loved games in the UK that could be likened to it, with most kids knowing well the fun that can be had playing games like It, Stuck In The Mud and so forth, involving running from one place to another and evading the catchers.

One that appeals most directly to Squid Game's team style, however, is British Bulldog. Players are chosen as either bulldogs or runners, the bulldogs' mission is to catch as many runners as they can, at which point they also become bulldogs.

Teams start on opposing ends of a court, and when the start is announced, the runners rush forward, trying to reach the bulldogs' end of the court without being caught by one. In a Squid Game context, this could either be played in rounds where unsuccessful bulldogs and unsuccessful runners are disqualified until a threshold is met, or alternatively could see all players pitted against bulldog guards.

It's an incredibly simple game with few rules, but the panic of the rush toward safety could make for some thrilling telly.