ImmerseLDN

It seems fairly apparent that a relatively large number of people have watched Netflix’s South Korean gameshow satire Squid Game and thought ‘I'd love to play that’. Presumably some of these people are simply of the belief that they would win while everyone else died. The majority, one would hope, take the view that it would be fun but you’d want to eliminate the ‘almost everyone dies’ aspect. Inevitably the second party is catered for better than the first – London has already had a VR Squid Game, and now here’s an official immersive experience.  Taking in five games in 60 minutes – so rather breezier than the show – Squid Game: The Experience will feature non-lethal recreations of iconic challenges from the show, including the glass bridge, marbles, and – of course – Red Light, Green Light (featuring that horrifying doll thing).  Hopefully it’ll all be a good laugh and the lack of actual danger won’t leave you feeling like you’re just playing some random children’s games. On that note, kids of all ages are welcome to participate, though depending on how good a parent you are they may be bewildered as to the exact context.

In what feels like the inevitable endgame for a certain species of immersive show, FAME*FACTORY is a one-hour, 11-scene show devised by Done + Dusted, the production team behind the Academy Awards, the Emmys and 2012 Olympic Games opening ceremony. It’s designed to replicate the expeirence of being a celebrity – private jets, press conferences – without actually increasing your wealth in any way. To be frank it sounds a bit like You Me Bum Bum Train but only the bits where you’re a famous person. Will it really replicate being a rich guy when the point is surely that it’s not press conferences that make you rich but rather being rich? Or is it all a massive recipe for imposter syndrome? We’ll soon find out!