Let Play a Game: Squid Game and The Last Player Standing
Lour Drick Valsote emerged as the last player standing in Farm Games’ intense Squid Games event, outlasting 111 other competitors through nine grueling challenges. From childhood-inspired games with high-stakes twists to moments of pressure, strategy, and split-second decision-making, Lour Drick navigated it all with focus and determination. Now, fresh off his victory, he shares what it was like to compete, adapt, and ultimately win the grand prize in one of the most memorable events of the year.
"I survived Stanford Farm Game's Squid Game. This past weekend, Stanford University recreated a real-life Squid Game. I signed up on a complete whim as a fun way to procrastinate on my many, many assignments. I had a big project due at midnight worth a massive chunk of my grade, but I figured l'd get eliminated early. Little did I know... Stanford's Squid Game attracted 200+ students to fight it out for a chance to win the grand prize of a MacBook and AirPods Max. But to be honest, I was really just there to have a good time. The games followed pretty closely to the TV show, for the most part:
In Red Light, Green Light, I realized just how hard it is to completely stop your momentum at an instant. People around me were dropping like flies as the soldiers eliminated them with gel blasters. In Dalgona, I was fortunate enough to get a heart as my shape. Definitely not as good as a circle or square, but it was certainly better than the tree the line next to me got. In Mingle, only like 3 people were eliminated. In Tug of War, the team I was up against definitely had us outclassed, but we outskilled them by taking off our shoes and socks to get better grip on the gym's hardwood floors. The following matches saw every team copy our strategy. Instead of marbles, we were tasked with pairing up with a person we trust and choosing our own game to play. We went with cup pong, which I have never done before. Somehow made it to the other side. In the six-legged race, my team had a nail biting finish where we just barely edged out the other team. The next game was speed solving a puzzle, something not featured in the original show.
However, I was super locked in and was able to solve it fast enough to move on to the final game. The final game had the other finalist and I chose which out of five identical briefcases contained the prizes, winner take all. My opponent had the chance to shuffle the briefcases behind my back. But when I turned around to choose a briefcase, I was able to read my opponent's soul and choose the correct briefcase. The eliminated players in the surrounding crowd erupted in cheers.
I had won."
