Saudi Arabia hosts real-life 'Squid Game Experience' for tourists

 In Riyadh, the capital city of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, people can now participate in the Squid Game Experience.

The Squid Game Experience is an immersive in person simulation of the popular Netflix series of the same name. The Saudi General Authority for Entertainment (GEA) organized this event so that attendees may experience six different games inspired by the series.

“Squid Game” is a Netflix original series set in the criminal underworld of South Korea. Men and women who are down on their luck agree to participate in a series of increasingly elaborate children’s games where if they lose the game they also lose their lives.

Beating out pandemic era favorites like “Tiger King” and “Bridgerton,” “Squid Game” is currently the most watched show in Netflix’s history with more than 100 million subscriber households watching the series in its first month, according to Forbes.

The experience is roughly identical to the events of the show with participants meeting enforcers clad in masks and red jumpsuits, participating in childhood games that test their skill and agility, and ends with the announcement of a winner.

The GEA provided a special location with an area of 9,582 square meters in Riyadh for the event to be housed. In just over a month, this space was filled with different zones for each one of the games available for the public to participate in.

That said, individuals participating in the Squid Game Experience need not worry about losing their lives should they misstep or lose a game.

There are no automated guns slaughtering people who lose at Red Light Green Light and if a team loses at Tug-of-War its members won’t plummet to their deaths.

Organizers of the Squid Game Experience were sure to prioritize the safety of each participant.

Most of the time, the event is sold out as it frequently attracts hundreds of Saudi residents and tourists each day.

“Squid Game” is extremely popular in Saudi Arabia. Restaurants in the capital city of Riyadh have even incorporated the show into the dining experience as family’s bring their children to revel in the novelty of being shot with a toy gun over dessert.

The Squid Game Experience runs until the end of March 2022 and participants must be at least 18-years-old.

Saudi Arabia has experienced immense growth in tourism in recent years. In 2021 there was $19.85 billion spent by tourists in Saudi Arabia. This is more than double the $9.32 billion spent in 2011. The capital city of Riyadh is now a hub for the international entertainment and food industries as more and more people seek luxury in Saudi Arabia.