Veronica Mascorro worked at the Torch in 2020 as a social media manager.
Children’s games with high stakes but a big reward at the end, that’s the name of the game for Squid Games.
Squid Games is a South Korean Netflix original show in which players play games they grew up with such as red light, green light, tug of war, and marbles. The winners of each game proceed to the next round, in hopes of winning the cash prize. The losers are eliminated and killed on spot.
This show became the inspiration for FSU’s Sigma Lambda Gamma sorority and the Asian Student Organization RSO to host their first collaborated event. A real-life squid games for students to play, with no threat of death.
Senior Veronica Mascaro, who is a part of both organizations, is the curator of the event. She had an ‘Oh my god’ moment when thinking of how cool this event would be if it were to happen in real life.
“I started designing a whole flyer and everything,” Mascaro said. “Then I was just like it would be even better if I could bring in the ASO. It would be an awesome opportunity for us to all collaborate with each other.”
Mascaro got in contact with ASO President Nicole Ly. The RSO aims to provide a safe space for Asian students on campus and people who appreciate the culture and traditions of Asian countries while furthering others’ education.
When Ly was approached on the idea of hosting a real-life squid game, because she was excited as this event would focus on the social aspect of Asian culture and help bring light onto the group and what they represent.
“When Veronica started bringing up squid games I was like oh my gosh, are we going to do an event?” Ly said. “When she reached out, with this structured event plan in mind and all the resources already made, I was like of course let’s do this! I feel like, with the event, it’s a really great way to come together and have fun, and there is a cash prize at the end, so stay tuned!”
The ASO is starting out brand new this year and its’ members are very new to planning such big events, according to Ly, but believes the squid games will be a great way to engage students.
During the planning stages of the event, and beginning promotions, Mascaro received an email from the CLACS office asking if the event was going to need a safety waiver. She said they had Googled the games, not originally knowing what it was, and decided it would be best to double-check if it would be safe before they approved the event.
The real-life squid games will be safe, Mascaro said there would be no dangers and no risk of death. According to Mascaro, the games are the perfect event to put on as a fun way for students to earn some money in a creative way, as the Netflix show is growing in popularity.
“All the games are mainly based on luck,” Mascaro said. “Everybody’s gonna have the chance to potentially win the grand prize.”
At the moment the grand prize is $50, but it could increase with the number of players. Each person is required to give $5 in order to play, essentially their ‘debt’, referencing the show. The more players in the games, the higher the cash prize.
None of the games that students will be playing at the event have been released yet, in order to keep the secrecy and hype of the event. Similarly to how the show worked and how the games were conducted. Secrecy, large cash prize, and not knowing what was coming next. Students can rest assured that one thing they can expect is fair and safe games to play.
The squid game will take place Nov. 27 at 7:30 p.m. in the Interdisciplinary Resource Center. Any and all students are welcome to check out this mysterious event.