Fans want to cancel MrBeast over Squid Game tournament video
Fans were excited when YouTuber Jimmy “MrBeast” Donaldson first shared his idea to recreate all of the games in Netflix’s Squid Game in real life. But some in the streaming community is now attempting to cancel MrBeast for appearing to misunderstand the point behind the popular series.
MrBeast excitedly shared behind-the-scenes photos of himself and his crew building Squid Game set pieces. At the time, fans learned that the YouTuber was planning to have 456 contestants take part in his IRL version of the violent battle royale show. While his version of the show would have no deaths, fans soon became skeptical of MrBeast’s idea altogether.
MrBeast faces backlash after creating Squid Game IRL
Squid Game may have been entertaining due to the nonstop action and drama throughout the short series. But one of the series’ important messages was the greed of capitalism and the cycle that many poor people can’t escape in the current system, and many people felt that MrBeast missed this important point.
According to MrBeast, it cost over $2 million to build the Squid Game sets. The amount of money put into the creation of his Squid Game video already rubbed many people the wrong way, with some questioning why he would spend so much on something so unimportant instead of just giving the money to charity.
Others noted that MrBeast was “using poor people as entertainment” by making random fans fight for the $1.5 million prize. The underlying plot in Squid Game was rich people tricking financially desperate people into participating in the dangerous games and then betting on the outcome of each competition. It made some people uncomfortable that MrBeast, himself a millionaire, was going to have regular people compete for money for the entertainment of others.
These critics pointed out that MrBeast should have just stuck to having his friends participate instead of bringing random people into the mix.
MrBeast known for philanthrophy and charity efforts
While some have found MrBeast’s Squid Game concept to be distasteful, others pointed out that MrBeast is already well known for his philanthropy, which makes this latest criticism seem a bit harsh.
Some suggested that MrBeast should have donated the $2 million to charity instead of using it to build the Squid Game set. But MrBeast’s community pointed out that the YouTuber has donated over 550 million pounds of food to struggling communities, has donated to natural disaster survivors, and has given $300,000 to students through Beast Philanthropy.
MrBeast has also helped the environment through causes such as Team Trees and Team Seas. According to MrBeast, Team Trees planted 20 million trees and now Team Seas is working to remove 30 million pounds of trash from the oceans. Both charities combined have raised almost $50 million towards these goals.
Since MrBeast has spent so much time helping others, his fans are confused why some want the YouTuber canceled for one potentially silly video idea. Not everything MrBeast does has to be serious or charitable, fans pointed out.
MrBeast himself has yet to speak out against the criticism. For now, he still plans to keep putting together the Squid Game video, which should be dropping in the near future.
Olivia has worked in media ever since graduating from college, with her coverage ranging from traditional newspaper reporting to digital coverage of all things gaming, online betting, and nerd culture. She has traveled around the world pursuing that coverage, from the far coasts of the United States to the busy downtown core of Tokyo, Japan. Olivia’s favorite games include Overwatch and Super Smash Smash Bros, and she has been published at Esports Illustrated, Inven Global, EsportsInsider, Upcomer, and elsewhere.
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