Squid Game: Player 065 addresses “sh*tty” marbles backlash

Daisy Phillipson
Squid Game: The Challenge Player 065

Viewers have accused Squid Game: The Challenge Player 065 (Dylan) of acting “sh*tty” in the Marbles game, leading to him being branded a “villain” – and now he’s spoken out to address the situation. 

Although Squid Game: The Challenge is a game show, aspects of the Netflix series have played out like its fictional counterpart, with some players branded heroes and others as villains. 

Player 432 emerged as one of the earliest antagonists due to his plotting and bravado, while the Glass Bridge saw a new villain emerge and be labeled a “coward” by viewers

But with each game, perceptions shift, with Player 065 receiving criticism for his actions in the Marbles round. Warning: Spoilers ahead!

Squid Game: Player 065 addresses “sh*tty” marbles backlash

Dylan, aka Player 065, came under fire for his actions in Episode 6. To refresh your memory, for this game, pairs of players had 20 minutes to devise and play a game of marbles. The loser was eliminated – but also, any pairs that failed to pick a winner by the end of the time limit were also eliminated. 

This is what happened to Player 065 and his partner 399 (Aurora). Dylan was criticized for refusing to compromise with Aurora, who wanted to play any game that didn’t involve throwing. While discussing what to do, he told her she was “raising her voice” despite the fact she wasn’t.

Eventually, she gave in and allowed them to play a game of throwing. When the time was up, they had to decide the winner. Even though she was the first one to get a marble in the pot, he refused to let her have the win and they were both eliminated. 

One viewer described Dylan as “the real villain” of Squid Game: The Challenge. Another said: “I didn’t like the comment he made about her raising her voice when she seemed to be speaking in a level, normal tone. It felt like a micro aggression,” to which a third replied: “Oh yeah. I did see that. That came across as sh*tty.”

A fourth chimed in: “Personally player 065 DESERVED to go home. He was literally trying to mind f*ck 399. And once my girl gave in he STILL proceeded to act like a sore loser. When she’s the one who got the first shot in. He’s just mad cause he’s a man, and didn’t wanna lose to a girl.”

Amid floods of angry comments on his Instagram page, Player 065 has since responded to the backlash, sharing a clip of the interaction while writing: “It’s important to note, what you see is only the edited version of what really happened. 

“Per productions request every marbles game had to have the rules and how to win established BEFORE playing the game, nothing could be changed once the game had started.

“You couldn’t determine the winner at the end of match because that breaks the agreed upon rules stated earlier, which is what we see at the end of the game. Me following instructions, isn’t a judgment of my character or who I am as a person. 

Instagram post from Squid Game: The Challenge Player 065

“Linking the confessionals directly after the game from both player 399 & myself (065) in my bio. More to come but I’m not a manipulator & I’m not a bully – I won’t be made out to be that way, I was just adhering to the rules of the game.”

But viewers still don’t agree with his response, with one writing: “I was shook from the textbook example of gaslighting displayed before us, the ending was just the icing on the cake.” Another said: “Agreed with you at first until you had a tantrum at the end for losing.”

Squid Game: The Challenge Episodes 1-9 are available to stream on Netflix now, with the finale dropping next week. You can check out our other coverage below:

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