Round 6: 5 financial lessons from the new Netflix series

Netflix needs no introduction, right? The company, which has become a major powerhouse and opened the door to the wave of streaming services, is a machine for launching hits. Have you watched Round 6 yet?

Original series such as Stranger Things, Dark, Money Heist (La Casa de Papel), The Crown, Bridgerton, and The Queen's Gambit are just a few examples of content that, in addition to winning awards, have also won millions of fans around the world.

First, what is Round 6?

If you're someone who frequents social media – whether it's Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook – you've probably come across the commotion caused by the release of Round 6.

The series, a South Korean production, was released on the 17th and has been a hot topic on social media ever since.

With 9 episodes of about 1 hour each, the plot is as follows: heavily indebted and desperate for money, 456 people receive a mysterious invitation to participate in a competition where the prize is 45.6 billion won – something around R$ 208 million.

What they don't know is that whoever loses the game also doesn't leave the competition alive. This means that, in addition to fighting for the money, the participants also have to fight to survive this contest and reach the end.

After its release, the series quickly entered the list of popular content on Netflix, even surpassing Sex Education, a British series that is one of the platform's flagship shows and whose 3rd season was also released on September 17th.

This only helped solidify the newly launched series as a true meteoric success.

Is anything acceptable in the name of money?

How far would you go for money?

This is perhaps one of the main questions that the series raises.

Money, which is the main motivation for all the characters in the plot, puts everyone in a position of questioning moral issues as the story unfolds, and makes us think about that old question: Do you control the money, or does the money control you?

The importance of focusing on objectives.

As if the fear of not surviving the competition wasn't enough, the prize money is the tool used to motivate competitors to give their best.

Ultimately, each participant has their own goals. This illustrates the importance of motivation. And it turns out that money is also the main motivator in our society.

It might seem a bit silly to compare the two situations, but in financial life, by setting a well-structured goal/objective, you are helping yourself stay focused on achieving what you so desire.

For example: I want to save a certain amount of money (X) to put a down payment on an apartment or to achieve any other kind of dream. To reach this goal, I will need focus to stay motivated.

Furthermore, I might need to give up some things and make some adjustments to my routine so that I can save up that amount even faster.

Of course, the motivation presented for them in the series is quite different, but I think you get the idea, right?

The influence – and the danger – of overconsumption in our society.

Basically, the series shows how greed and desperation can lead human beings to do unimaginable things.

Another theme highlighted as we learn more about the characters throughout the plot is the social inequality that exists within society.

Ultimately, all the participants are there in pursuit of the cash prize that will change their lives forever, while there are investors behind the scenes, driving this entire structure.

Beware of uncontrolled debt.

As mentioned at the beginning of the text, the participants in Round 6 are people in debt who are desperately seeking money to solve their financial problems.

The protagonist is Seong Gi-Hun, played by actor Lee Jung-jae, a divorced man living on the outskirts of Seoul who, being a gambler, is indebted to banks – and loan sharks – and needs an immediate solution to resolve his daughter's custody issues and help his mother get surgery.

Although it is fiction and does not reflect reality, debt – especially from loans and other lines of credit – is a constant presence in the lives of a large part of the Brazilian population, and if the right approach is not taken to control it, it can become a real snowball effect.

Even though things never reach the point that the participants in the series face, excessive debt can also cause a series of conflicts and headaches in anyone's life.

Netflix's investment outside the US.

While this may not necessarily be a lesson, it's an interesting point to note. It's very significant to see a South Korean series achieve such success on a global content platform.

This just shows the quality that exists in productions that aren't produced by Americans.

And Netflix is already aware of the importance of this cultural diversity when producing its content.

So much so that, nowadays, the number of productions originating from countries other than the United States is only growing – and the trend is to continue growing even more!

So, what did you think of the comparison we made? Are you interested in watching Round 6?

Did you enjoy the content?

Take the opportunity to read as well. Mental health: what is the concept?

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Nathalia Silva

Journalist, writer, and lover of words.

September 30, 2021

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