‘Money Game’ for Whom Is It for?

Managing Editor Ahn So-hyun

sohyun_ovo@naver.com

‘Money game’ is a survival content on YouTube in which online streamers spend prize money (480 million won) in enclosed rooms and share the remaining money after two weeks. Participants in this game may not have any belongings of their own. Only one piece of cloth is provided and the rest must be bought. They can order what they need through the telephone using the prize money, but the price is 100 times higher than the actual price. They can buy water, blankets, rice, and other items they need to survive. Only the last two remaining players can share the remaining prize money.

There is criticism that the ‘Money game is a failed project.’ First of all, ‘desperation for money’ has become a problem. The production team of the money game defined the criteria for recruiting participants as ‘online streamers who need money urgently’. The production team wanted to bring out human nature in the competition for prize money. However, contrary to the production team’s intentions, the desperation for money has gradually faded. The most representative examples are the increase in the consumption of goods such as alcohol and cigarettes for socializing. Do people who are desperate for money enjoy optional entertainment such as alcohol and cigarettes? Actually, more than half of the participants are people who make a lot of money from Internet broadcasting. People guess that they are just participating in this money game for fun and popularity.

The second problem is the discomfort of the ‘reality’ that is depicted. This content shows the participants’ actions realistically without any exaggeration. Therefore, the hidden nature of human beings is revealed in the face of enclosed space, and about 500 million won. Along with abusive language, participants also blame each other. In money games, there is no protection for participants. The participants suffer from intense slander whenever the video is released. Imagine that the participants in the money game are ordinary people, not celebrities. What is the difference between ordinary people and them? When humans are driven into extreme situations, they will blame and attack each other. Maybe it is a money game that shows our society hurting each other in endless competition. This game causes pain for the participants and discomfort for the viewers. If so, who was this money game for?