Na Young-seok’s ‘Earth Arcade 3’ Brings Laughs With Analog Games and Digital Detox Challenge

On the latest episode of tvN’s hit variety show ‘Earth Arcade 3’ (directed by Na Young-seok and Park Hyun-yong), the cast brought laughter with their chaotic energy, analog missions, and unexpected brilliance—despite undergoing a full-on digital detox.

In episode 3 aired on February 9, stars Lee Eun-ji, Mimi, Lee Young-ji, and Ahn Yu-jin ditched their phones and laptops to partake in quirky missions—from summoning a ‘God of Time’ to using hourglasses and even the pool’s water flow to guess the exact time.

The episode recorded impressive ratings, securing first place across all channels including terrestrial networks for its time slot. According to Nielsen Korea, the metropolitan area averaged 3.2% in household ratings, peaking at 4.2%. The key 2049 demographic saw ratings of 2.7% average in metro areas, reinforcing its immense draw among young audiences.

In one of the episode’s memorable segments, the contestants played a music quiz with delicious desserts on the line. Despite Mimi’s previous history of incorrect guesses, she stunned everyone by speedily recognizing 4Minute’s hit song ‘What’s Your Name?’—proving she’s a selective genius when it counts.

The girls then took on the new group game ‘Strawberry, Banana, Apple,’ and chaos ensued as they failed to follow rules on repeated commands, losing out to the sharp prank tactics of the production team.

Later, the cast faced a high-stakes digital detox mission: predict 8 AM without any digital devices. The top two closest guesses would reclaim their phones and laptops, while the bottom two would lose theirs even longer—one hour of penalty for each minute off the mark.

Mimi shocked everyone by guessing 7:43 AM through clever observation of the filming crew’s timing. Her quick thinking earned her the #1 spot alongside Ahn Yu-jin at #2, both regaining access to their phones. Meanwhile, Lee Eun-ji and Lee Young-ji faced extended detox time—38 and 70 hours respectively.

The bizarre yet delightful format, complete with shamanistic rituals, analog tricks, and unpredictable games like “What If,” continued to establish Earth Arcade 3 as tvN’s must-watch entertainment show this winter.

‘Earth Arcade 3’ airs every Friday at 8:40 PM KST on tvN.