Squid, also known as ''ojingŏ'' ( ko, 오징어), is a

children's game This is a list of games that used to be played by children, some of which are still being played today. Traditional children's games do not include commercial products such as board games but do include games which require props such as hopscotch ...

played in

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...

. The game is named as such because the shape of the playing field drawn on the ground resembles that of a

squid True squid are molluscs with an elongated soft body, large eyes, eight arms, and two tentacles in the superorder Decapodiformes, though many other molluscs within the broader Neocoleoidea are also called squid despite not strictly fitting t ...

. There are regional variations of the name such as "squid ''gaisan''" (with ''gaisan'' thought to be a variation of the Japanese word ''kaisen'' , "to start a war"), or "squid ''takkari''". It is a multiplayer game, and the game is divided into two teams, offensive and defensive. There are two main purposes, either for the attackers to achieve the purpose of the attack, or for the teams to annihilate each other.

Gameplay

There are multiple versions of the rules for different areas and groups. Regional names differ.

General rule elements

The home bases for each of the teams are called "houses" ( ko, 집, chip). The top circle is the house for the offensive team, the bottom rectangle is the house for the defensive team, and the middle triangle is the neutral ground between them. The objective for the offensive team is to leave their house and move ''outside'' the figure around to the bottom of the defensive house (shown "open" on the diagram above), then pass through the figure back into the offensive house. Attacking players are required to move only by hopping on one foot until they "promote" by either reaching area 2 having passed through area 3; or by hopping over the thin part of the figure between the two areas marked 4. Once promoted, they may use both feet. The defensive team tries to eliminate the members of the offensive team by pushing them across a line of the figure they are not permitted to cross. Typically this means pushing players who have entered the figure out, or pushing players attempting to hop over the figure at 4 into the triangle. Defensive team members who leave the figure are also eliminated, so it is possible for the attackers to win by pushing all defenders out of the figure.

Regional variations

Because of the fact the game is informally played among children, there are no official rules, and their common features are mainly attested through multiple people who played it as children. However, a few examples of regional variations in rules are listed.

Regional names

In some parts of Busan Geoje and other regions in southern Kyungsang province, the game is called "ojingeo dalguji".

Jongno Jongno or Jong-ro ( ko, 종로), literally meaning "Bell Street", is a trunk road and one of the oldest major east–west thoroughfares in Seoul, South Korea. Jongno connects Gwanghwamun Plaza to Dongdaemun. The area surrounding Jongno is a p ...

region called the game "ojingeo po", Songpa district used the title "ojingeo isang", Daegu Gyeonggi province and southern Seoul used the name "ojingeo gaisan".

Regional rules

=Squid ttaeng (Busan)

= Squid ttaeng ( ''ojingeo ttaeng'') is a regional variation of the squid game that is popular in

Busan Busan (), officially known as is South Korea's most populous city after Seoul, with a population of over 3.4 million inhabitants. Formerly romanized as Pusan, it is the economic, cultural and educational center of southeastern South Korea, w ...

. The game usually involves ten or more participants. The origin of the game is assumed to be influenced by both the large presence of squid in the waters around Gadeokdo island and by the popularity of

as a snack among local children. The game starts by dividing two teams, with at least ten people per team. A squid with a pentagon-shaped body and a round tail is drawn. The team that wins a game of

rock paper scissors Rock paper scissors (also known by other orderings of the three items, with "rock" sometimes being called "stone," or as Rochambeau, roshambo, or ro-sham-bo) is a hand game originating in China, usually played between two people, in which each p ...

becomes the defensive team and the team that loses becomes the offensive team. If the offensive team reaches the house of the defensive team and shouts ''Ttaeng!'' (땡, the "ding" noise of a

bell A bell is a directly struck idiophone percussion instrument. Most bells have the shape of a hollow cup that when struck vibrates in a single strong strike tone, with its sides forming an efficient resonator. The strike may be made by an inter ...

), the game is won by the offensive team and the two teams change sides.

=Squid unification game

= Squid unification game ( ''ojingeotongilnoli'') is a regional variation of the squid game that is based in

Haenam Haenam (''Haenam-gun'') is a county in South Jeolla Province, South Korea. The capital of Haenam-gun is Haenam-eup (Haenam town). The economy of the county is based mainly on agriculture, with rice and radish being the two most common crops. Hist ...

. The game is said to have originated from the

Three Kingdoms period of Korea Samhan or the Three Kingdoms of Korea () refers to the three kingdoms of Goguryeo (고구려, 高句麗), Baekje (백제, 百濟), and Silla (신라, 新羅). Goguryeo was later known as Goryeo (고려, 高麗), from which the modern name ''Kor ...

when the three kingdoms were fighting for land. In this version, the area which the offensive team has to reach while passing the defensive team is called the "unification area".

=Ojingeo dalguji

= For this variation, the person who is promoted is called ''cheolin'' (철 , "iron man"). The game starts when the offensive team yells the word ''ojingeo!'' (오징어, "Squid!") and the defensive team replies with the word ''dalguji!'' (달구지, "cart").

In popular culture

The 2021

Netflix Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a fil ...

streaming television Streaming television is the digital distribution of television content, such as TV shows, as streaming media delivered over the Internet. Streaming television stands in contrast to dedicated terrestrial television delivered by over-the-air aer ...

series ''

Squid Game ''Squid Game'' () is a South Korean survival drama television series created by Hwang Dong-hyuk for Netflix. Its cast includes Lee Jung-jae, Park Hae-soo, Wi Ha-joon, HoYeon Jung, O Yeong-su, Heo Sung-tae, Anupam Tripathi, and Kim Joo-ryou ...

'' is

eponym An eponym is a person, a place, or a thing after whom or which someone or something is, or is believed to be, named. The adjectives which are derived from the word eponym include ''eponymous'' and ''eponymic''. Usage of the word The term ''epon ...

ously named after the squid game, a deadly version of which is played during the series. For the Netflix version, the term for the promoted person was " Inspector Royal" (암행어사 ''amhaengŏsa'').

References

{{Outdoor games South Korean games Children's games