Squid Game: The Experience
Ever wanted to test your survival skills without, you know, actually risking your life? Welcome to Squid Game: The Experience in NYC—aka adult night out meets competitive chaos. It’s like your favorite childhood games got a grown-up, slightly unhinged upgrade (red light, green light has never been this intense). Grab your crew, leave the kids and responsibilities behind, and prepare to dodge elimination in style. Spoiler: there will be laughter, mild betrayal, and probably some very dramatic slow-motion running. Game on.
So, here’s the truth: I’ve never watched Squid Game. Not a single episode. I know it involves a creepy doll, matching outfits, and people getting eliminated for playing childhood games—but beyond that? I’m clueless.
Still, when my kids AND one of my best friends (plus her kids) wanted to try Squid Game: The Experience in NYC, I said yes! Because what says "quality bonding time" like voluntarily entering a series of high-stakes challenges where your 10-year-old might outsmart you and your best friend might laugh as you're “eliminated”?
And let me tell you—it was wildly fun.
After receiving our cool wristbands that electronically track our movement, we started with Memory Tile. Let’s just say, watching us adults try to remember matching patterns under pressure was humbling at best. I didn’t get too far. Then came Battleship, where we teamed up and yelled strategies like we were in a Navy commercial. Our group got split up onto 2 separate teams, and unfortunately the other people on my team were not team players. The teacher in me came out and I started directing the others where to not place their hit since others on our ‘team’ had already chosen that spot. It didn’t matter. It all went on deaf ears (kinda like in my classroom sometimes, LoL). My team lost. Obviously.
Next we moved onto Marbles which turned us all into sneaky little strategists trying to “casually” win without looking like villains. I lost here too. The much awaited Red Light, Green Light was next, where staying still under the gaze of a robotic doll suddenly became the most intense moment of my parenting life. My bff’s daughter and I were the final two players standing. Neither of us made it to the end even though we both swore we didn’t move at all. Finally, we competed in Glass Bridge which was a hilarious chaos of guessing, screaming, and “sacrificing” each other for the good of the team (sorry, kids).
Even though I had no idea what was coming next—and still don’t fully understand the plot of the show—I had the time of my life. We laughed, we cheered, and we got way too competitive. I finished dead last, but in the final round, my bff’s daughter took the crown from the person with the most points. It was great. And we left with legendary family stories.
Moral of the story? You don’t need to know the show to survive Squid Game: The Experience. You just need sneakers, a sense of humor, and a willingness to be outwitted by your own kids.
Squid Game: The Experience is in NYC until September 1st, 2025, when the entire experience will be packed up and moved down to Dallas for their new massive Netflix experience. Tickets can get pricey, especially with the summer upon us. But I do highly recommend it. In fact, a group of adult friends and I plan to go this summer before it closes. We’d like to gather enough members to fully compete against each other as 2 full teams. I’ve also included the same post under Mamas Night Out.