Children’s Games Featured in the Hit Netflix Show, Squid Game: Guseulchigi (Marble Game)

    If you’ve watched Squid Game, I’m sure you’ll remember the game from one of the most emotional episodes. Guseulchigi (구슬치기), or the Korean marble game, has deep roots in Korean childhood. Played with simple marbles, the game encourages precision, focus, and clever trickery. While there are many ways to play Guseulchigi, the basic idea is to win marbles from your opponent using skill and sometimes a bit of luck.

There are several versions of Guseulchigi, but here are the two most common ways played:

Hand Guessing Game:

• Each player begins with the same number of marbles (usually ten).
• Players decide who goes first with a coin toss or rock-paper-scissors.
• The attacker guesses how many marbles their opponent is secretly holding in one hand.
• If the guess is correct, the attacker wins those marbles. If wrong, they give the same number to their opponent.
• The game continues until one player has all the marbles. 

Triangle Ring Game:

• Draw a triangle (usually equilateral, with each side about one to two feet long) on the ground.
• Place 6-10 marbles inside the triangle—each player contributes the same number.
• Players take turns flicking a shooter marble (held between thumb and middle finger) from outside the triangle, trying to knock other marbles out of the triangle.
• Any marble knocked out of the triangle is kept by the player.
• The player whose shooter marble stays inside the triangle after flicking loses their turn.
• The game ends when all marbles have been knocked out—whoever has the most marbles wins!

Guseulchigi in Korean culture:

    Guseulchigi has been a staple of Korean childhoods for generations. In the past, marbles were precious, and kids guarded their collections carefully. Winning a game meant gaining pride and a bigger marble stash, while losing could be heartbreaking.

    The game was traditionally played during school recess, holidays, or neighborhood gatherings. Children often treasured their favorite marbles, choosing the brightest or most unique ones as lucky charms.

    Thanks to Squid Game, Guseulchigi and other Korean traditional games have seen a global resurgence. Their appearances on screen have sparked curiosity about Korea’s rich cultural past and inspired many to rediscover the simple joy of childhood play. 

    As this series comes to a close, I hope these stories have offered more than just rules and instructions. I hope they’ve sparked curiosity about the joy, culture, and creativity behind Korea’s traditional games. From Ddakji to marbles and beyond, these simple games have connected generations across cultures and will continue to leave their mark.