By Honorary Reporter Helia Nikzaddinan From Iran

Photos = Sara Abdollahi, Parna Hosseini, Saed News, Netflix

The global Netflix smash series "Squid Game" has revived interest in traditional children's games in Korea. Such games tell a lot about the country's traditions, and the following are how such games in Iran and Korea are similar.

Ddakji
The first episode shows a mysterious man inviting the protagonist Seong Gi-hun at a subway platform to play the game ddakji (folded paper tiles). In this game, a player tries to flip the opponent's tile over.

Iran has a children's card game that was popular with the older generation. Each team has ten cards whose colors are kept secret from both the opposing team and other players on the same team. Afterwards, each player can throw a card, and this sequence continues until two cards with the same color hit each other. The player who hits the last card with the same color gets all the other cards and wins the round. The game ends after all the cards are claimed.

Though the rules are different, this game is similar to ddakji given the importance of colors, using one's power to hit cards and throwing them.

Marbles

Korean games of marbles as shown in "Squid Game" are highly similar to Iran's.

The girl contestants Sae-byeok and Ji-yeong play a game in which the winner is the one who throws a marble closest to the wall. Both Korea and Iran have played this version of the game. The variation Deok-su used is also popular in Iran, in which players try to throw marbles into a hole.

Tug of war
The tug-of-war episode is considered one of the series' most thrilling episodes. As seen in the episode, this game is not only about power but strategy, and this is evident in how the game is played in Iran.

In Korea and Iran, tug of war is a traditional game played at many festivals. Iran calls the game tanab keshi, which means "pulling the rope," and even has pro clubs organized to master this.

Ojingeo 
The series reaches its climax with the squid game itself, ojingeo. One of the two teams plays defense and the other offense on a specially marked playing field.

This game is unique to Korea, but Iran has something similar: ganie. Like in the Korean game, one team attacks and the other defends on a specially marked playing field, though the latter in Iran is a bit different. In ojingeo, the offense must hop on one foot, while in ganae, both sides must do so.

Both games have slight differences in gameplay but the objective is the same.

kalhong617@korea.kr 

*This article is written by a Korea.net Honorary Reporter. Our group of Honorary Reporters are from all around the world, and they share with Korea.net their love and passion for all things Korean.