33 Keys to Understanding the Korean Wave, Hallyu #11 Homo Ludens Koreans 

'Squid Game' and 'The Kingdom of Games'   

*Note to Readers

The columns published in the Zoom section of NYCultureBeat contain selected excerpts—typically the opening paragraphs—from each chapter of the book 33 Keys to Understanding the Korean Wave: Beyond BTS, Parasite, and Squid Game (2025). These previews are meant to introduce the book’s themes and tone.

The complete book—featuring 33 updated chapters and new cultural insights—is available in both paperback and hardcover editions:

Paperback: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0F7HYLVCL

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© Sukie Park. All rights reserved. These excerpts are for preview purposes only and may not be reproduced in full or redistributed.

Posters for the Netflix global hit drama series “Squid Game”

Long before Netflix's Squid Game made waves globally, Korea had already established itself as a leader in the online gaming industry. American curator and ethnographer Stewart Culin (1858-1929) recognized Korea's prominence in games and play early on. In his 1895 book "Korean Games: With Comparisons to Chinese and Japanese Games," Culin asserted that "Yut is the prototype of many games in the world" and provided detailed descriptions of 95 Korean games.

In his influential book "Homo Ludens (1938)," Dutch cultural historian Johan Huizinga (1872-1945) argued that games are fundamental to the development of human culture. This perspective helps explain why the Korean people, with their long history of rich entertainment culture, have achieved remarkable success not only in the Korean gaming industry but also in the broader cultural wave, encompassing K-pop, K-dramas, and K-movies.