Hi,

Welcome to the 32nd Edition of Think Visuals Newsletter!

I have curated the following for you:

1. Visual Summary of The Squid Games & how it mirrors our society

2. Visual Musing over the Character’s of Squid Games & how they are a reflection of us.

3. Book Recommendation - Games People Play by Eric Berne

Let’s Plunge!

Happy Visual Synthesis :)

Shilpa

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1. Visual Summary - The Squid Games

Just like half of the world, I happen to be an ardent #squidgame fan. I kept procrastinating from watching the series as I assumed it's beyond my appetite. But then I ended up giving it a watch. Little did I know that beneath all the brutality, this series is actually about #humanity #love #compassion and #kindness

While The Squid Game may be born out of South Korean society, the show reflects some universal truths. The entire set up is a microcosm of our reality. It reflects our society & social conditioning. There are profound lessons & reflections around the dynamics of #groupprocesswork #selfawareness #Leadership #teamwork #bias #shadows #inclusion #survivorship #conflict #valuesclash #identitycrisis #decisionmaking to name a few.

Sharing my #visualsummary on the crux of the show, all three seasons. I have tried my best to refrain from spoilers & largely focus on the overarching themes.

The entire show is structured so brilliantly, as a fictional microcosm & metaphor for the real world that we are all a part of. The players are a reflection of all of us running the rat race. The world is now ruled with Capitalism at a Systemic level, be it in the education system or financial markets, politically, globally, we are all just driven by relentless competition. We operate in binaries, of winning and losing the game. There is no scope for in-between shades of grey. We are either labelled as successful or unsuccessful, period. Across the world societies are divided, there is only hatred and increasing conflict based on ideologies, religion, gender etc. As much as we keep speaking inclusion, society screams of exclusion in many aspects even today.

Each game in this series is conceived so brilliantly that the players are forced to race, to compete with each other. There is an element of time & success or failure is determined within that time frame. There are various pressure situations created within each game, where the players can choose to give their best or give up. This is where the concept of what drives our choices is questioned at such a deep level in the show. Throughout the series, game after game, its all about making choices. Which is true to our daily lives. Day in and out, our lives revolve around the choices we make.

In the game, given the same context, we see that not all the players make the same choices. There is a larger reality for us to take away here, which is given that we all are running our respective races to be successful, can we make decisions conscientiously? Can we be more aware of what drives our choices? Can we respect the fact that we are racing along with fellow human beings and not horses. Another critical take away for me was Value clash. Like the games, in reality when our context changes, do our choices make us stay true to our values? What is the cost that we pay when we deviate from our core values?

Masks are an integral part of the series. The Front man, the guards are all masked literally. The players also are wearing masks initially by not projecting their true selves. I loved how this reflects the masked identities that most of us carry. Some reflections that stood out for me were - are we living our lives truthfully or are we also hiding behind masks. Why are we afraid, what are we hiding behind the masks we all wear knowingly or unknowingly?

And at the end of it all, what is the price that we pay for this race that we run? In the end is it the win that matters or is it our conscience? I love how the show questions us throughout on - While we run our race, can we still be humane and compassionate.

2. Visual Musing

Here is my visual which sums the core of few characters who truly stood out for me. Each character has a backstory, a moral compass which directs their choices and justifies their decisions. It was interesting to see how some of my judgements about few characters shifted once I understood their backstory. This again is reflective of how we just see people for what they are without making an attempt to understand what made them to be what they are today. Everyone has a story to tell. Some brilliantly chiseled characters with well established character arcs.

In case you are yet to watch the series on Netflix, I would strongly urge you to. Its very pertinent and powerful if you understand the deeper meaning behind the narrative. In case you have watched the series, would love to hear who was your favorite character & why?

#squidgames #squidgameseason1 #squidgameseason2 #squidgameseason3 #squidgamenetflix #netflix

3. Book recommendation

Because the entire edition is about Games, I thought I will recommend this brilliant book Games people play by Eric Berne Will you believe if I say that this book was released forty years ago, yet it holds every bit true even today in our social interactions? Simply put, the book talks about how as humans, we all constantly play games. We think we’re relating to other people–but actually we’re all playing games. There are some technical psychology terms like TA - Transactional Analysis, but its simplified with examples in the book. Berne calls our interactions with fellow humans as transactions. Our behaviors can be viewed as games where the main goal is to receive recognition from the rest of the players & we are driven by strokes - appreciation or acknowledgement. We are made aware of these interactions so that we can be more informed. In the books he talks about various social games people play, how we play them and why.

When I was watching The Squid Games, I kept coming back and connecting the dots to TA explained in this book. I could clearly see how these interactions were taking shape & how like us, the players keep shifting between the parent, the adult & the child state. Do grab the book for a better understanding of the Games we all play and why.

I’d just like to conclude saying that our lives are filled with games & we exist within a construct of winning the games. Given that, it's important that we stay conscious to how we play the game.

That’s all in this edition! Drop your comments on what resonated with you.

See you with the next curation :)