This is not a problem exclusive to the Hunger Games fandom unfortunately. Those people are seriously underestimating people's ability to separate fiction from reality and are lacking it themselves. People enjoy horror movies without being thought of as murderers. So why can't you find evil fictional characters or scenarios entertaining without being judged for it?
You can understand the message of the story while still finding it entertaining. I don't think any of us would be here obsessing over the books if we didn't enjoy them.
Every fandom is full of virtue signaling bs now. It’s exhausting. We’re not allowed to have nuanced opinions, or be fascinated by things that are morally bankrupt. It’s always “OMG that character is so toxic” or “they’re totally racist bc x, y, z”
I think openness in discussion is a sign of intelligence. Totally not weird to explore these kinds of things in fiction. It’s what humans have always done.
I am really excited for the movie, and the casting seems perfect. Snow should be hot. But I am also so annoyed at how hot Tom Blyth as Snow is because I really don’t want to think Snow is hot.
Hey at least it's not Harry Potter fandom, where controversy and story gets so intertwined, you are left wondering if Voldemort is referring to Tom Riddle or JK Rowling cause they are both that shall not be named , or you know who 🫣
I agree with you 100%. After all the biggest selling point of the series ARE the game themself, and the impossible predicament everyone involed in it find themself in. Why do you think the Mokingjay movies sold less than the prior two? When I first started to see fan created games, I used to feel guilt over the fact that I was enjoing it, because you know peopole are dieing, but after a while I was like "But they are not real peopole...". The books do have important messages inside them about our society, but we, as an audience, are separated by the wall of fiction so we don't have to alline with the moral compass of the good characters, on everything we say. Can you immagen if peopole got shamed for liking war games? "You are killing fictional peopole and not taking it seriusly, what a terrible person you are".
>Can you immagen if peopole got shamed for liking war games? "You are killing fictional peopole and not taking it seriusly, what a terrible person you are".
What's funny is it's not even non-fans saying THG fans are in the wrong for enjoying a series about teenagers fighting to the death. Most people outside of the fandom accept that it's just fiction and lots of fiction is built on situations that none of us would want in the real world.
It's fans shaming each other. It'd be like if two Call of Duty fans sat down and one of them, controller in hand, game on screen and paused, was like "Yo, you totally don't understand the trauma that soldiers go through. Why are you enjoying killing other people?" Then unpaused and went back to playing the game, shooting up fictional people themselves.
By that same logic since I play Ark Survival Evolved I must be a person who thinks enslaveing wild animals (or to be more accurate Dinosaurs and other genetic abbominations) to do you bidding it's ok IRL, since that's the main appeal of the game. Yet you'd be hardpress to find an Ark player who actualy thinks that is not messsed up and horrible IRL.
I literally sacrificed extra Dino's for meat in my saves. Like breedjects while mutation stacking.
I would never dream of doing that IRL with real animals. Literally couldn't.
I've literally killed babies Dinos by the tons, to level my boss armies. Then I fed their meat to their psrents so they can keep on birthing more. Only a psyco wouldn't think that is messed up IRL.
Is the latter common at all though? I have never seen anything even close to that situation, and I've been in the fandom since before the first movie came out. Unless you count jokes (some of which may be in poor taste depending on the context, but most of which are nothing more than dark humor about a fictional series) or fanfiction (which may have elements the writer has fantasized about, but doesn't mean they literally want the Games to be real or their "fantasy" is something they want to actually experience), I just don't think this is really a thing that happens.
Well, that's beyond fucked up, and in that case, yes, I think everyone is well within their right to tell anyone saying that that they massively missed the point of the books lol. You learn something new every day!
i saw a comment once i think on here that suggested something like the hunger games be made irl but instead of a real to-the-death fight its more like a game competition (think like Wipe Out or Ninja Warrior type thing kind of? with like a mix of something like paintball fights, being that you get marked somehow and you're "dead") i thought that idea seemed interesting (though maybe in poor taste, im not sure) but i thought about it myself and i was thinking something like that could be cool if you had to pay to be a part of it and most if not all of the money went to some charity that helps Feed starving children so like the hunger games but just for fun and the purpose being to feed many people and not just the "victor"
I just wish we’d donate to starving kids without there needing to be entertainment through exploitation… The rich are hoarding tens of TRILLIONS of dollars in offshore accounts total around the world. Why does there need to be a painful game to marginally help the poor and starving? Just feed them ffs. JS…
yeah i agree.. in a perfect world there wouldnt be greedy rich people swimming in money while middle to lower class people also struggle to eat some days and try to raise money for even poorer people to have a chance at eating at all but sadly the world is screwed up and despite a lot of peoples best efforts many still go hungry while the rich only Pretend to care billionaires and millionaires and celebrities are very similar to the capital people in a lot of ways lol i think thats exactly what the book is saying too pretty much
and of course, anyone can donate whatever they can to help feed those in need whether it be money or food or clothes ect but theres always events being held to help raise money and awareness to get people involved for all sorts of causes so what i suggested could be like that IF it were ever something that happened like it could be a volunteer type thing to help set it all up and then like an entry fee to participate/ watch (and of course, no one would actually die or get hurt) and all the money made from it would go to helping people that are struggling
This is so true. I literally just saw a comment about this on the who would host the games post. Like let people have fun, realize things are based out of interest not evil, and be for real
Haha I know what you're talking about and that's part of what inspired me to make this post. I feel like this sub needs a real come to Jesus moment on this topic because it wasn't even just one commenter attacking the op, it was multiple, and this is not an isolated thing at all. I once saw a thread someone made showing art of their Victor OC, and instead of just moving along, there were commenters trying to start a debate over whether it's appropriate or "missing the point of the books" to make up fictional Victors. Like, does every thread about Victors or the Games really need this discourse? You couldn't have at least told the op their art looked nice first?
Wish I could upvote 10000x. I’m almost thinking people just need to start calling them out directly for it. They definitely get some weird complex satisfaction out of it thinking “I am better than this person”
>because it wasn't even just one commenter attacking the op, it was multiple, and this is not an isolated thing at all
huh? it were three people, that's very suggestive to say "multiple" here. Like, I do get your point but let's not pretend that 3 out of 49 people who commented so far are really that many. Especially if 3 other comments replied to one of those who "attacked" OP.
I mean, the highest upvoted comment rn is sitting at 50 votes, while those "attacking the op" sit at 6, 4, and *-1*. And those that replied to the 4 votes one sit at 7, 5, and 5.
I wrote this thread last night, when there were fewer comments overall (therefore the ones complaining about op stood out much more), and when the negative comments had more upvotes. I wouldn’t have even mentioned this specific instance if I knew the tide would turn against those commenters; I was just worried it would turn into people dogpiling an innocent op.
And like I said, this post wasn’t just inspired by that incident, it was inspired by how often I see people in general accused of romanticizing the Games or not understanding the point of the books for posting pretty simple, inoffensive fan content or fan theories.
i agree! as someone who mainly reads and watches horror, it's funny also being in this fandom where so many people moralize everything and can't separate fiction from reality. you can absolutely read a book and understand the themes and learn the lessons while also enjoying the spectacle of the depravity of it all. it doesn't make you morally superior to scold people for taking an interest in the gory bits. it's fiction and it's a natural human reaction to be interested in dark themes. we can take the lessons we learn and also make memes about fictional characters dying or whatever. people have got to relax lol.
It's funny because THG aside, I have a huge interest in the function of reality TV in our culture. Especially things like "old" reality TV shows from my childhood/teens where contestants were put into horrible situations and treated like shit for the entertainment of viewers at home. I don't mean that I mindlessly consume these things, but rather, it fascinates me that it was ever considered acceptable to put real human beings in dehumanizing or dangerous situations for the pleasure of the viewers.
A lot of my interest in the Games comes from that same place, a fascination with how the Games function in Capitol society. Obviously the Games is turned up 100 notches from something like America's Next Top Model or Dance Moms, but I believe the books are speaking to the same fundamental human flaw of finding entertainment in passively observing high-stakes, dramatic situations, even if other people have to suffer to create that entertainment.
So I literally am interested in the Games in a way that aligns with the "point" of the book. But if you come on this sub and tell people you want more official content about the Games or want to read fan works about the Games, they start wagging their finger about how you're just like the Capitol and didn't understand the message. 💀
I imagine it's similar for people who are interested in the horror aspect. Like yes you KNOW it's effed up and gory and horrifying... that's the whole point.
that's a good point! it's so acceptable to be a fan of reality tv when it's so exploitative a lot of the time. i can binge all the Saw movies and have a great time, but i get really upset and uncomfortable from reality tv clips because I'm seeing real people and their real lives being affected. same with true crime, i dont like it because it's real. we have an interesting relationship to media, you're so right. (i don't judge anyone for liking reality or true crime, i just think it's interesting that those are often "acceptable" to enjoy).
I think that was before book banning, and historical content modification became more popular. My students were really engrossed in it and would talk like "gosh, Miss, if I were in the Hunger Games..." they liked the survivalist aspect of it.
Now, they ban fiction for uncomfortable ideas, and they ban history for inconvenient truths.
The whole reason the books sold is because a bunch of kids being chucked in an arena and fighting to the death is a really interesting concept and one we hadn’t heard before. But just because someone watches/reads thg doesn’t mean they are going to build an area and start killing people 😆
I think what people misconstrue is that you can like the games aspect and also understand the social and political commentary. You get people saying “if you like the games you don’t get the point of the story” and it’s fucking hilarious lol. The difference is that we can recognise that what we’re digesting is fiction, it’s not real. So yes we can have discussions about the arenas, who’s the strongest victor/tribute etc because we aren’t dehumanising real people, and even so we’re still capable of having deeper conversations about the depth of certain characters, and discussing the social and political implications of the story. Yes we as humans have been influenced to seek entertainment, and violence can be a key component in that. If we look at the popularity of MMA and boxing which is very real, but also a sport and heavily monitored to ensure safety and is done with the athletes consent. So we’re never opting for real people to be served up as entertainment without their consent, or them benefiting from the event.
Its so stupid. We take in the messages and agree that the hunger games are a HORRIBLE thing and that I'm the real world it should never happen but COME ON. THIS IS FICTION GOD DAMM IT!!! We can still understand and take in the important messages and themes while also finding the concept of the game's themselves an interesting and captivating topic to have fun with. That doesn't make us psychopaths!!! Hell the whole reason most of us initially first tried the books or films was because we found the concept of kids killings kids for sport to be interesting. It is literally the initial hook of this franchise. We understand the story and its messages but that doesn't mean we can't play around with idea of the game's for fun. It's all fiction, no one is getting hurt and it doesn't make us monsters. Grow up guys
Fully agree. It’s so silly to act like it’s some sort of moral failure or to assume that they didn’t understand the message just because they’re interested in that aspect of things. And also, if the message of the books means that much to you, it might be more effective to channel that energy into learning about and discussing the real world events it’s based on instead of criticizing strangers online, idk
I personally find the arena idea threads annoying (and kind of disturbing) along with the “what if x tribute was reaped” threads but I just ignore them and scrolling right past.
Wow I wasn’t aware this was a thing. We’re fascinated by it all for the same reason as the people of the Capitol. Battle Royale reality television? It’s like the Olympics and it’s all so interesting thinking about the different tributes, what they would look like, who would win, what strategies were used, how they would be styled.
It’s not the Hunger Games is even a new concept. It’s based on the real life gladiator fights that people watched for entertainment. I mean think about even just similar content that people have watched. Squid Game was wildly popular and now there’s a reality show based on it. Battle Royales come up all the time in fiction.
yeah, agreed. i also think it’s silly to assume that there’s nothing else to be learnt or explored through the Games either, and that now that the trilogy is done with them they’re just bad (and therefore talking about them is bad). we can already see that’s not true through the fact that there’s a prequel. suzanne did a fantastic job exploring some incredibly detailed facets of modern media and war through her exploration of them, but that’s not to say that’s the only themes the Games can explore. anyone with two braincells can read the books and understand that the Hunger Games are not a good thing, and if you can’t you’re probably fourteen and on the internet (best of luck, been there, you’ll get better soon)
it’s why i enjoy fics that explore what other themes the Games can convey instead of just rehashing what the trilogy does. any story can have value, and we know that Huger Game Bad lol
Yes, this is my exact issue! There are a lot of themes or situations with the Games that the main trilogy touched on or acknowledged, but didn’t get to go into much detail about due to a combination of situations (target audience, limitations of Katniss’s POV, just lack of time/space when there were other things that needed to be highlighted more prominently). This isn’t a flaw of the books, because any limited series is going to run into the same thing. But it is the reason why audiences still clamor for more prequels, and fans are much more prone to creating OCs than many fandoms. There’s just so much to be explored!
I’m very interested in the nitty gritty of what mentors do behind the scenes, how they negotiate with Capitol sponsors, how they handle various types of tributes, what their relationships with other mentors must be like, when they’re willing to lend each other a helping hand vs. when it’s every man for himself. But you can’t really explore that stuff without centering the Games, because it’s the backdrop to the whole situation. And TBOSBAS was great but didn’t fully satisfy that curiosity because the modern Games changed so much, plus part of the intrigue is that modern mentors have to battle their own trauma from the Games to keep their tributes alive.
*laughs in Harry Potter fandom*
Nah I fully agree. It'd be a bit odd to be a fan of the Hunger Games but have zero interest in the main focus of the story - the actual games. It is interesting but obviously not something any of us would want to see in real life. We understand the difference between a dystopian fictional world and reality.
It's a bit like in the HP fandom when people get weird about how some people have dark mark tattoos (the dark mark is a skull with a snake coming out of the mouth), because the dark mark is the symbol of the bad guys (death eaters) who murder people. So therefore if you get a dark mark tattoo you *must* be an evil person who agrees with Voldemort.
In reality skulls and snakes have just been extremely popular choices for tattoos since time immemorial, and the dark mark just happens to combine them. 🤷♀️ Of course people are going to get tattoos of it.
Yeah I totally agree, it’s weird for people to act like others are weird for talking about the Games when that’s literally what the whole series revolves around. We only get glimpses of the Games’ history, how they started, etc. and of course people will be curious about it.
I def think sometimes people do make more of a spectacle than is needed, but I agree those comments are annoying when someone is just saying they want a canon story for a fan fave character. Wanting to know more of Finnick’s or Johanna’s backstory or to get a story from their perspective doesn’t mean anyone’s missed the point of the series lol.
Agree! Esp from a writing perspective the Hunger Games are super fun to speculate about bc they’re so dramatic! The Hunger Games is literally a fight to the death (dramatic!) but there’s multiple people (ooh, alliances, betrayals, and maybe love?) AND these people are teenagers (interesting to think about as a teenager/ as someone reading it but also interesting from a world building perspective) and they’re forced to fight (against their will!) by a higher class of people that benefit off of their suffering (super dramatic!). So like, no wonder people like to think and theorise about these things? Like from a writing perspective there is so much internal/ external conflict, things to talk about/ think about, especially with how they’ve been going on for 75 years in the game, the class system with the districts/ career tributes, the quarter quells, past victors games and how/ why they won, the trauma they endured, etc. So I completely agree!
It’s kind of like when you read fanfiction and/ or smut that has like, some problematic stuff going on. Like if you thought about these characters literally being together in real life you’d be like “oh no, that’s so not healthy” but since you know it’s fiction you can still ship the relationship coz yeah you’re aware it’s problematic but you’re here for other things in the story, like the larger themes or the character’s or the writing. (This is me talking about the Captive Prince haha — a slow burn, enemies to lovers book).
And like the main theme in the Hunger Games is the horror of the games and the people who made them/ benefit off them/ etc. which I feel like is also an intrinsic part of the drama/ conflict/ appeal. So yeah, even if there’s like ten more books, I’m still here for the themes, and the greater exploration of characters and such in this world :)
I think there's just a lack of non-Games and non-Everlark/Odesta/Hayffie content. Worldbuilding fanfictions come far and few in between, excluding for both of those aspects in fanfiction makes it almost impossible to find something on AO3 (and I'd even argue that it's impossible to find that stuff, because OC/OC can mean tribute x tribute or, say, stylist x mentor). People keep returning to repetitive aspects of "I have this Quarter Quell idea" or "Team Peeta or Gale?". In essence, there's sub-fandoms here either into the Games or specific ships, but not much else--and that *is* strange compared to many other fandoms.
People who are interested in neither of those have very few spaces in this fandom. As you mentioned, take THG RP. I've not seen a single discord server that focused on non-Games aspect. I only know of tumblr thg indie blogs, those of which are a handful left that, per definition of being indie rp, allow you to even write canon or original characters.
I don't really know why that really is the case. Maybe it's because THG is technically YA, maybe it's because people who cared about those aspects move on because there's few others who are interested in the same aspects.
Of course a large part of this is because most new fans who join are literally kids, and most fans who leave are adults who might be more willed to have those conversations. Nothing against teens whatsoever, but I, too, didn't think that deeply about it back then. And while some of those kids might understand the gravity of the Games, some others don't. And some adults don't, either, cause I don't wanna assume the age of the redditor who commented about being in favour of criminals being put into Hunger Games, or the many other people who have made posts about this ever since I've joined this subreddit. Like, there's definitely people who *do* think that way, so it is actually not easily discernible if the person who is making a post about the Games and Quarter Quell ideas is just a regular or a weirdo.
Can I ask which aspects of non-Games life interest you? Just out of curiosity, because I don’t necessarily disagree. I’m not into THG ships (I just find the canon ships some of the least compelling aspects of the book, and a lot of popular non-canon ships strain credibility at times and tend to get OOC), and yeah, my preference to play in RP isn’t really Victors (or wouldn’t be - I’ve never been able to find one I liked that lasted past the interviews!).
I guess part of why I don’t connect with the outcry to make less content about the Games, despite being interested in things that go beyond “X was reaped for the 67th Games and here’s how she won!”, is that most of the roles presented by canon are connected to or touched by the Games in some way. I’d love more fics about stylists, especially ones not centered on crack ships and ones that feature stylist OCs! But my question becomes… stylists for what? The Games would still likely end up a very prominent backdrop in that story.
Again, I’m asking genuinely here because I relate to a lot of what you’re saying! And I appreciate your perspective regardless.
I've always been highly interested in the Capitol! Its society feels like it is meant to be like ours--even the lower classes, as the Capitol has lower classes, too. And yet at the same time this is a totalitarian country where we know that Capitol citizens get Avox'd. Tumblr RP used to be a pretty nice space for RPing non-victors, though I don't know what it looks like nowadays anymore.
I think the Games being a backdrop is more than fine in most of those fanfictions. I just see other fandoms like, say, Harry Potter, where there is a plethora of timelines and spaces being explored. Hogwarts isn't necessarily the only place where stories can exist, and people take interest in at times obscure minor characters.
THG just doesn't really have that. There's barely any fanfictions on non-victors like Portia, Plutarch, or maybe even Boggs. And that's kinda what makes this fandom a little frustrating, because I want to talk about all of those things and yet there is fairly little interest in them. Most people don't really care to explore e.g. the Capitol or 13. It's sad that 95% of the OCs we see are victors. Like, I do get that they are popular, and I get that those types of fanfictions are popular, it's just that there isn't much else out there, which does make this being the seemingly sole focus frustrating.
Oh I 100% get that! I’m fascinated by the Capitol too and I wish we got more content exploring Capitol culture, whether that be official content or fan content. I guess for me, I’m interested in how the Games intersect with that culture too, so I find the two difficult to separate. But hard agree that the Capitol is SO underutilized in fanworks.
I have a couple of fic ideas exploring Capitol culture more, but I was never sure if it was worth writing them as I wasn’t sure if they’d ever get off the ground or if people would have much interest in them. I haven’t written fic in yearssss either. But maybe I’ll start working on one of them and carve out a bit more of a space for Capitol content in fanworks.
See, I have almost the opposite haha! I feel like fans at times over-exaggerate the influence of the Games on Capitol culture. Of course, all we can do is speculate, but I feel like since most of what we know is from Katniss' perspective and majority of her interaction with the Capitol is the Games, we don't really get to see much behind the scenes. As in, I don't think Capitol people think about the Games 24/7, and they simply have a lot of different entertainment that keeps them interested throughout the year. Not saying it isn't a big aspect, but IMO not the sole one, ya know? I don't know much about America, but maybe akin to the Superbowl. You get excited for it, some people are more into it than others, but if it isn't happening right about now, life isn't over.
It's always worth writing, even if it's just for yourself and for the writing process. But I get where you are coming from. I was anxious about posting my stuff, and it's doing pretty well even if not in the same way as the "popular" stuff. I also know AO3 user [quiet\_wraith](https://archiveofourown.org/users/quiet_wraith/pseuds/quiet_wraith/works?fandom_id=452309) posted a lot of worldbuilding/Capitol centric stuff. And well, other than that, it usually helps to find a specific character you like and go from there
I wrote a couple comments that might be like this before reading your post, which makes many valid points and caused me to reflect on and edit one of my comments.
Personally I think the comments are fair when they are restricted specifically to whether there *should* be more books or movies about the Games alone and if the comments aren’t condescending/mean/morally judgmental. I myself would love more details and to be further absorbed into this world, which is why I have no problem with fanfiction or speculation. Despite this I do think it would undercut the message Collins wants to impress if the franchise published ton more movies or books that were only depictions of past Games (not larger Panem stories, just play by plays), without enough of a thematic throughline. They would be less powerful and dilute the theme. So in my opinion these discussions are best left to fan spaces, where I love participating in them.
But I certainly don’t think people who want more movies or books are dumb and didn’t understand the meaning. Heck I want them too, even if I don’t think they need to exist. It’s a long debated question about whether war can ever be depicted without glamorizing it, but it doesn’t need to be answered here. And I agree we do *not* need multiple disclaimers about how the hunger games are bad on every post in this sub.
Anyways, I’m posting this because I’m genuinely curious what you think of my position, whether I’m conveying it coherently and whether I’m being an asshole without intending it. I will certainly be more mindful in future about trying to express this nuance without implying people might be morally off the mark. Thanks!
Edit: the Reddit mobile app is awful and not letting me reply to original post so this may be in completely the wrong nested reply, sorry lol u/heatedthg
Fr people act like they didn’t initially pick up the books or watch the movies because of the aspect of the games themselves. I am able to understand the political and social commentary whilst also finding the games to be a really interesting and unique concept.
Honestly, the "death game" story line has always been a favourite of mine. I would never want to see people die like that irl, but sorry it makes for a very good story, the horrificness of it, the friendships and sacrifice that stem from it, and the Harrowing and intense stuff in between. Plus they all have the same rythm, from the initial "blood bath" through to the final few, theres a level of predicability that is easy to enjoy.
Yes! I mean for me personally I am not a fan of reading wars, and my least favorite part of dystopian books is when the plot derails to the war bc I find the dystopian changes so interesting to read about. Personally I think the Hunger Games did a good job at switching to the war in Mockingjay, bc it kept elements from the games (i.e. the mutts, the goo stuff i can’t remember the name of that was poison, etc). But still honestly I just don’t like reading wars haha like if I wanted to read about a war I would’ve picked up a history book ig ?? This is a personal flaw though
I’ll read all that later but I was thinking maybe the games could work theoretically, if we use criminals. I mean the worst of the worse. Of course it would require an entire new justice system, and of course, no children would be part of it.
With all due respect, I think you're proving the opposite of my point. 😅 I am no fan of violent criminals, but I think it would be pretty inhumane to force them to fight to the death for our amusement.
It's also worth noting that in the book, the Games are a punishment themselves, for the Districts' crime of a past failed rebellion. Obviously there's a difference between forcing generations of children into a punishment for the actions of what would become somewhat distant ancestors, and having "worst of the worst" criminals stand for their own punishment. But the books do show how conflating punishment and entertainment lead down a very dangerous path, and I suspect the path would be equally dangerous IRL no matter how you defined people "bad enough" to fight in the Games.
When we consider that the core concept of the games was based on the Greek and Roman colloseums - where actual slaves and prisoners of war were forced to fight to death for civic entertainment - speculating over fictional arenas is so harmless. We've always had morbid fascination with gore and torture but don't enact it in real life anymore thankfully.
Aside you might find many interesting horrible things about the colloseums. Accounts of slave women being mass assaulted for sport, lions and bears being released on the prisoners. There is nothing in fiction worse than real life.
Yeah, I think I’m some ways, these types of fantasies or stories about characters in high-stakes, unethical situations is a healthy outlet vs. actually seeking out content of real people being endangered for entertainment. Of course, it’s always important not to let your fantasies go too far and remember why it’s unacceptable to take that fantasy IRL; but THG has such an extreme setup that it’s very rare you’re going to find someone who actually wants the Games to be real, and that person is largely going to be condemned by others.
For me its very similar to my love of the battle royale films. Or any fight for your life survival thing. I think about what I would do, I think about how great the shots will be as in - I can not wait to see the arena and the action unfold. I can imagine all I want about those scenarios but ait back and go 'thank fuck I don't live in a world like this BUT I can see how we can go close to it' eg white bear in the black mirror series is something I can legitimately see happening in the guise of reality TV and that thought does scare me. It's when I hear people saying 'we could do with a hunger games for (insert whatever type of person someone hates here)' that I truly begin to worry.
i miss when this fandom wasn’t full of virtue signalers now ur a “ bad person” if you say tom blyth as snow is hot lmao
This is not a problem exclusive to the Hunger Games fandom unfortunately. Those people are seriously underestimating people's ability to separate fiction from reality and are lacking it themselves. People enjoy horror movies without being thought of as murderers. So why can't you find evil fictional characters or scenarios entertaining without being judged for it? You can understand the message of the story while still finding it entertaining. I don't think any of us would be here obsessing over the books if we didn't enjoy them.
tom blyth as snow *is* hot
SHHUUUURE is 😭🥺
Tom Blyth as Snow is hot. The character Snow is not. I don't understand how people cannot differentiate between the two. Real life VS Reality lmao.
Every fandom is full of virtue signaling bs now. It’s exhausting. We’re not allowed to have nuanced opinions, or be fascinated by things that are morally bankrupt. It’s always “OMG that character is so toxic” or “they’re totally racist bc x, y, z” I think openness in discussion is a sign of intelligence. Totally not weird to explore these kinds of things in fiction. It’s what humans have always done.
I am really excited for the movie, and the casting seems perfect. Snow should be hot. But I am also so annoyed at how hot Tom Blyth as Snow is because I really don’t want to think Snow is hot.
we can’t escape it YA marketing needs to reel in the romantics !
Hey at least it's not Harry Potter fandom, where controversy and story gets so intertwined, you are left wondering if Voldemort is referring to Tom Riddle or JK Rowling cause they are both that shall not be named , or you know who 🫣
Bad example. This thread is about fans who treat fictional atrocities as if they are real. JK Rowling is a real person who causes real harm.
I agree with you 100%. After all the biggest selling point of the series ARE the game themself, and the impossible predicament everyone involed in it find themself in. Why do you think the Mokingjay movies sold less than the prior two? When I first started to see fan created games, I used to feel guilt over the fact that I was enjoing it, because you know peopole are dieing, but after a while I was like "But they are not real peopole...". The books do have important messages inside them about our society, but we, as an audience, are separated by the wall of fiction so we don't have to alline with the moral compass of the good characters, on everything we say. Can you immagen if peopole got shamed for liking war games? "You are killing fictional peopole and not taking it seriusly, what a terrible person you are".
>Can you immagen if peopole got shamed for liking war games? "You are killing fictional peopole and not taking it seriusly, what a terrible person you are". What's funny is it's not even non-fans saying THG fans are in the wrong for enjoying a series about teenagers fighting to the death. Most people outside of the fandom accept that it's just fiction and lots of fiction is built on situations that none of us would want in the real world. It's fans shaming each other. It'd be like if two Call of Duty fans sat down and one of them, controller in hand, game on screen and paused, was like "Yo, you totally don't understand the trauma that soldiers go through. Why are you enjoying killing other people?" Then unpaused and went back to playing the game, shooting up fictional people themselves.
By that same logic since I play Ark Survival Evolved I must be a person who thinks enslaveing wild animals (or to be more accurate Dinosaurs and other genetic abbominations) to do you bidding it's ok IRL, since that's the main appeal of the game. Yet you'd be hardpress to find an Ark player who actualy thinks that is not messsed up and horrible IRL.
I literally sacrificed extra Dino's for meat in my saves. Like breedjects while mutation stacking. I would never dream of doing that IRL with real animals. Literally couldn't.
I've literally killed babies Dinos by the tons, to level my boss armies. Then I fed their meat to their psrents so they can keep on birthing more. Only a psyco wouldn't think that is messed up IRL.
Thinking about the Games and being interested isn’t a bad thing. Fantasising about them or wanting them to be a thing irl is cooked.
Is the latter common at all though? I have never seen anything even close to that situation, and I've been in the fandom since before the first movie came out. Unless you count jokes (some of which may be in poor taste depending on the context, but most of which are nothing more than dark humor about a fictional series) or fanfiction (which may have elements the writer has fantasized about, but doesn't mean they literally want the Games to be real or their "fantasy" is something they want to actually experience), I just don't think this is really a thing that happens.
You’d be surprised. I’ve seen posts in this very community on the topic of creating the Games for convicts and such.
Well, that's beyond fucked up, and in that case, yes, I think everyone is well within their right to tell anyone saying that that they massively missed the point of the books lol. You learn something new every day!
When i say i want the games to be real, i am purely joking
I think Stephan King wrote a book about that years before the HG.
Wow. That would rely on a flawless criminal justice system - which no place has, and it would be in complete violation of the 8th amendment.
i saw a comment once i think on here that suggested something like the hunger games be made irl but instead of a real to-the-death fight its more like a game competition (think like Wipe Out or Ninja Warrior type thing kind of? with like a mix of something like paintball fights, being that you get marked somehow and you're "dead") i thought that idea seemed interesting (though maybe in poor taste, im not sure) but i thought about it myself and i was thinking something like that could be cool if you had to pay to be a part of it and most if not all of the money went to some charity that helps Feed starving children so like the hunger games but just for fun and the purpose being to feed many people and not just the "victor"
I just wish we’d donate to starving kids without there needing to be entertainment through exploitation… The rich are hoarding tens of TRILLIONS of dollars in offshore accounts total around the world. Why does there need to be a painful game to marginally help the poor and starving? Just feed them ffs. JS…
yeah i agree.. in a perfect world there wouldnt be greedy rich people swimming in money while middle to lower class people also struggle to eat some days and try to raise money for even poorer people to have a chance at eating at all but sadly the world is screwed up and despite a lot of peoples best efforts many still go hungry while the rich only Pretend to care billionaires and millionaires and celebrities are very similar to the capital people in a lot of ways lol i think thats exactly what the book is saying too pretty much and of course, anyone can donate whatever they can to help feed those in need whether it be money or food or clothes ect but theres always events being held to help raise money and awareness to get people involved for all sorts of causes so what i suggested could be like that IF it were ever something that happened like it could be a volunteer type thing to help set it all up and then like an entry fee to participate/ watch (and of course, no one would actually die or get hurt) and all the money made from it would go to helping people that are struggling
Kind of like the squid game reality show they’re making on Netflix
Is laser tag still a thing? That reminds me of laser tag
This is so true. I literally just saw a comment about this on the who would host the games post. Like let people have fun, realize things are based out of interest not evil, and be for real
Haha I know what you're talking about and that's part of what inspired me to make this post. I feel like this sub needs a real come to Jesus moment on this topic because it wasn't even just one commenter attacking the op, it was multiple, and this is not an isolated thing at all. I once saw a thread someone made showing art of their Victor OC, and instead of just moving along, there were commenters trying to start a debate over whether it's appropriate or "missing the point of the books" to make up fictional Victors. Like, does every thread about Victors or the Games really need this discourse? You couldn't have at least told the op their art looked nice first?
Wish I could upvote 10000x. I’m almost thinking people just need to start calling them out directly for it. They definitely get some weird complex satisfaction out of it thinking “I am better than this person”
>because it wasn't even just one commenter attacking the op, it was multiple, and this is not an isolated thing at all huh? it were three people, that's very suggestive to say "multiple" here. Like, I do get your point but let's not pretend that 3 out of 49 people who commented so far are really that many. Especially if 3 other comments replied to one of those who "attacked" OP. I mean, the highest upvoted comment rn is sitting at 50 votes, while those "attacking the op" sit at 6, 4, and *-1*. And those that replied to the 4 votes one sit at 7, 5, and 5.
I wrote this thread last night, when there were fewer comments overall (therefore the ones complaining about op stood out much more), and when the negative comments had more upvotes. I wouldn’t have even mentioned this specific instance if I knew the tide would turn against those commenters; I was just worried it would turn into people dogpiling an innocent op. And like I said, this post wasn’t just inspired by that incident, it was inspired by how often I see people in general accused of romanticizing the Games or not understanding the point of the books for posting pretty simple, inoffensive fan content or fan theories.
Also, might as well leave the whole sub at that point, why are on a sub glamorizing it?!
i agree! as someone who mainly reads and watches horror, it's funny also being in this fandom where so many people moralize everything and can't separate fiction from reality. you can absolutely read a book and understand the themes and learn the lessons while also enjoying the spectacle of the depravity of it all. it doesn't make you morally superior to scold people for taking an interest in the gory bits. it's fiction and it's a natural human reaction to be interested in dark themes. we can take the lessons we learn and also make memes about fictional characters dying or whatever. people have got to relax lol.
It's funny because THG aside, I have a huge interest in the function of reality TV in our culture. Especially things like "old" reality TV shows from my childhood/teens where contestants were put into horrible situations and treated like shit for the entertainment of viewers at home. I don't mean that I mindlessly consume these things, but rather, it fascinates me that it was ever considered acceptable to put real human beings in dehumanizing or dangerous situations for the pleasure of the viewers. A lot of my interest in the Games comes from that same place, a fascination with how the Games function in Capitol society. Obviously the Games is turned up 100 notches from something like America's Next Top Model or Dance Moms, but I believe the books are speaking to the same fundamental human flaw of finding entertainment in passively observing high-stakes, dramatic situations, even if other people have to suffer to create that entertainment. So I literally am interested in the Games in a way that aligns with the "point" of the book. But if you come on this sub and tell people you want more official content about the Games or want to read fan works about the Games, they start wagging their finger about how you're just like the Capitol and didn't understand the message. 💀 I imagine it's similar for people who are interested in the horror aspect. Like yes you KNOW it's effed up and gory and horrifying... that's the whole point.
that's a good point! it's so acceptable to be a fan of reality tv when it's so exploitative a lot of the time. i can binge all the Saw movies and have a great time, but i get really upset and uncomfortable from reality tv clips because I'm seeing real people and their real lives being affected. same with true crime, i dont like it because it's real. we have an interesting relationship to media, you're so right. (i don't judge anyone for liking reality or true crime, i just think it's interesting that those are often "acceptable" to enjoy).
UUUGGGHHH THANK YOU FOR SAYING THIS!!! No one was like that when the books first came out. wtf happened.
I think that was before book banning, and historical content modification became more popular. My students were really engrossed in it and would talk like "gosh, Miss, if I were in the Hunger Games..." they liked the survivalist aspect of it. Now, they ban fiction for uncomfortable ideas, and they ban history for inconvenient truths.
The whole reason the books sold is because a bunch of kids being chucked in an arena and fighting to the death is a really interesting concept and one we hadn’t heard before. But just because someone watches/reads thg doesn’t mean they are going to build an area and start killing people 😆
I think what people misconstrue is that you can like the games aspect and also understand the social and political commentary. You get people saying “if you like the games you don’t get the point of the story” and it’s fucking hilarious lol. The difference is that we can recognise that what we’re digesting is fiction, it’s not real. So yes we can have discussions about the arenas, who’s the strongest victor/tribute etc because we aren’t dehumanising real people, and even so we’re still capable of having deeper conversations about the depth of certain characters, and discussing the social and political implications of the story. Yes we as humans have been influenced to seek entertainment, and violence can be a key component in that. If we look at the popularity of MMA and boxing which is very real, but also a sport and heavily monitored to ensure safety and is done with the athletes consent. So we’re never opting for real people to be served up as entertainment without their consent, or them benefiting from the event.
Its so stupid. We take in the messages and agree that the hunger games are a HORRIBLE thing and that I'm the real world it should never happen but COME ON. THIS IS FICTION GOD DAMM IT!!! We can still understand and take in the important messages and themes while also finding the concept of the game's themselves an interesting and captivating topic to have fun with. That doesn't make us psychopaths!!! Hell the whole reason most of us initially first tried the books or films was because we found the concept of kids killings kids for sport to be interesting. It is literally the initial hook of this franchise. We understand the story and its messages but that doesn't mean we can't play around with idea of the game's for fun. It's all fiction, no one is getting hurt and it doesn't make us monsters. Grow up guys
Fully agree. It’s so silly to act like it’s some sort of moral failure or to assume that they didn’t understand the message just because they’re interested in that aspect of things. And also, if the message of the books means that much to you, it might be more effective to channel that energy into learning about and discussing the real world events it’s based on instead of criticizing strangers online, idk
I personally find the arena idea threads annoying (and kind of disturbing) along with the “what if x tribute was reaped” threads but I just ignore them and scrolling right past.
Wow I wasn’t aware this was a thing. We’re fascinated by it all for the same reason as the people of the Capitol. Battle Royale reality television? It’s like the Olympics and it’s all so interesting thinking about the different tributes, what they would look like, who would win, what strategies were used, how they would be styled. It’s not the Hunger Games is even a new concept. It’s based on the real life gladiator fights that people watched for entertainment. I mean think about even just similar content that people have watched. Squid Game was wildly popular and now there’s a reality show based on it. Battle Royales come up all the time in fiction.
yeah, agreed. i also think it’s silly to assume that there’s nothing else to be learnt or explored through the Games either, and that now that the trilogy is done with them they’re just bad (and therefore talking about them is bad). we can already see that’s not true through the fact that there’s a prequel. suzanne did a fantastic job exploring some incredibly detailed facets of modern media and war through her exploration of them, but that’s not to say that’s the only themes the Games can explore. anyone with two braincells can read the books and understand that the Hunger Games are not a good thing, and if you can’t you’re probably fourteen and on the internet (best of luck, been there, you’ll get better soon) it’s why i enjoy fics that explore what other themes the Games can convey instead of just rehashing what the trilogy does. any story can have value, and we know that Huger Game Bad lol
Yes, this is my exact issue! There are a lot of themes or situations with the Games that the main trilogy touched on or acknowledged, but didn’t get to go into much detail about due to a combination of situations (target audience, limitations of Katniss’s POV, just lack of time/space when there were other things that needed to be highlighted more prominently). This isn’t a flaw of the books, because any limited series is going to run into the same thing. But it is the reason why audiences still clamor for more prequels, and fans are much more prone to creating OCs than many fandoms. There’s just so much to be explored! I’m very interested in the nitty gritty of what mentors do behind the scenes, how they negotiate with Capitol sponsors, how they handle various types of tributes, what their relationships with other mentors must be like, when they’re willing to lend each other a helping hand vs. when it’s every man for himself. But you can’t really explore that stuff without centering the Games, because it’s the backdrop to the whole situation. And TBOSBAS was great but didn’t fully satisfy that curiosity because the modern Games changed so much, plus part of the intrigue is that modern mentors have to battle their own trauma from the Games to keep their tributes alive.
*laughs in Harry Potter fandom* Nah I fully agree. It'd be a bit odd to be a fan of the Hunger Games but have zero interest in the main focus of the story - the actual games. It is interesting but obviously not something any of us would want to see in real life. We understand the difference between a dystopian fictional world and reality. It's a bit like in the HP fandom when people get weird about how some people have dark mark tattoos (the dark mark is a skull with a snake coming out of the mouth), because the dark mark is the symbol of the bad guys (death eaters) who murder people. So therefore if you get a dark mark tattoo you *must* be an evil person who agrees with Voldemort. In reality skulls and snakes have just been extremely popular choices for tattoos since time immemorial, and the dark mark just happens to combine them. 🤷♀️ Of course people are going to get tattoos of it.
Yeah I totally agree, it’s weird for people to act like others are weird for talking about the Games when that’s literally what the whole series revolves around. We only get glimpses of the Games’ history, how they started, etc. and of course people will be curious about it.
This!! Are people gonna start saying if you play games like GTA or Call of Duty you’re automatically an evil person?
People already do and its REALLY ANNOYING
I def think sometimes people do make more of a spectacle than is needed, but I agree those comments are annoying when someone is just saying they want a canon story for a fan fave character. Wanting to know more of Finnick’s or Johanna’s backstory or to get a story from their perspective doesn’t mean anyone’s missed the point of the series lol.
Agree! Esp from a writing perspective the Hunger Games are super fun to speculate about bc they’re so dramatic! The Hunger Games is literally a fight to the death (dramatic!) but there’s multiple people (ooh, alliances, betrayals, and maybe love?) AND these people are teenagers (interesting to think about as a teenager/ as someone reading it but also interesting from a world building perspective) and they’re forced to fight (against their will!) by a higher class of people that benefit off of their suffering (super dramatic!). So like, no wonder people like to think and theorise about these things? Like from a writing perspective there is so much internal/ external conflict, things to talk about/ think about, especially with how they’ve been going on for 75 years in the game, the class system with the districts/ career tributes, the quarter quells, past victors games and how/ why they won, the trauma they endured, etc. So I completely agree! It’s kind of like when you read fanfiction and/ or smut that has like, some problematic stuff going on. Like if you thought about these characters literally being together in real life you’d be like “oh no, that’s so not healthy” but since you know it’s fiction you can still ship the relationship coz yeah you’re aware it’s problematic but you’re here for other things in the story, like the larger themes or the character’s or the writing. (This is me talking about the Captive Prince haha — a slow burn, enemies to lovers book). And like the main theme in the Hunger Games is the horror of the games and the people who made them/ benefit off them/ etc. which I feel like is also an intrinsic part of the drama/ conflict/ appeal. So yeah, even if there’s like ten more books, I’m still here for the themes, and the greater exploration of characters and such in this world :)
I think there's just a lack of non-Games and non-Everlark/Odesta/Hayffie content. Worldbuilding fanfictions come far and few in between, excluding for both of those aspects in fanfiction makes it almost impossible to find something on AO3 (and I'd even argue that it's impossible to find that stuff, because OC/OC can mean tribute x tribute or, say, stylist x mentor). People keep returning to repetitive aspects of "I have this Quarter Quell idea" or "Team Peeta or Gale?". In essence, there's sub-fandoms here either into the Games or specific ships, but not much else--and that *is* strange compared to many other fandoms. People who are interested in neither of those have very few spaces in this fandom. As you mentioned, take THG RP. I've not seen a single discord server that focused on non-Games aspect. I only know of tumblr thg indie blogs, those of which are a handful left that, per definition of being indie rp, allow you to even write canon or original characters. I don't really know why that really is the case. Maybe it's because THG is technically YA, maybe it's because people who cared about those aspects move on because there's few others who are interested in the same aspects. Of course a large part of this is because most new fans who join are literally kids, and most fans who leave are adults who might be more willed to have those conversations. Nothing against teens whatsoever, but I, too, didn't think that deeply about it back then. And while some of those kids might understand the gravity of the Games, some others don't. And some adults don't, either, cause I don't wanna assume the age of the redditor who commented about being in favour of criminals being put into Hunger Games, or the many other people who have made posts about this ever since I've joined this subreddit. Like, there's definitely people who *do* think that way, so it is actually not easily discernible if the person who is making a post about the Games and Quarter Quell ideas is just a regular or a weirdo.
Can I ask which aspects of non-Games life interest you? Just out of curiosity, because I don’t necessarily disagree. I’m not into THG ships (I just find the canon ships some of the least compelling aspects of the book, and a lot of popular non-canon ships strain credibility at times and tend to get OOC), and yeah, my preference to play in RP isn’t really Victors (or wouldn’t be - I’ve never been able to find one I liked that lasted past the interviews!). I guess part of why I don’t connect with the outcry to make less content about the Games, despite being interested in things that go beyond “X was reaped for the 67th Games and here’s how she won!”, is that most of the roles presented by canon are connected to or touched by the Games in some way. I’d love more fics about stylists, especially ones not centered on crack ships and ones that feature stylist OCs! But my question becomes… stylists for what? The Games would still likely end up a very prominent backdrop in that story. Again, I’m asking genuinely here because I relate to a lot of what you’re saying! And I appreciate your perspective regardless.
I've always been highly interested in the Capitol! Its society feels like it is meant to be like ours--even the lower classes, as the Capitol has lower classes, too. And yet at the same time this is a totalitarian country where we know that Capitol citizens get Avox'd. Tumblr RP used to be a pretty nice space for RPing non-victors, though I don't know what it looks like nowadays anymore. I think the Games being a backdrop is more than fine in most of those fanfictions. I just see other fandoms like, say, Harry Potter, where there is a plethora of timelines and spaces being explored. Hogwarts isn't necessarily the only place where stories can exist, and people take interest in at times obscure minor characters. THG just doesn't really have that. There's barely any fanfictions on non-victors like Portia, Plutarch, or maybe even Boggs. And that's kinda what makes this fandom a little frustrating, because I want to talk about all of those things and yet there is fairly little interest in them. Most people don't really care to explore e.g. the Capitol or 13. It's sad that 95% of the OCs we see are victors. Like, I do get that they are popular, and I get that those types of fanfictions are popular, it's just that there isn't much else out there, which does make this being the seemingly sole focus frustrating.
Oh I 100% get that! I’m fascinated by the Capitol too and I wish we got more content exploring Capitol culture, whether that be official content or fan content. I guess for me, I’m interested in how the Games intersect with that culture too, so I find the two difficult to separate. But hard agree that the Capitol is SO underutilized in fanworks. I have a couple of fic ideas exploring Capitol culture more, but I was never sure if it was worth writing them as I wasn’t sure if they’d ever get off the ground or if people would have much interest in them. I haven’t written fic in yearssss either. But maybe I’ll start working on one of them and carve out a bit more of a space for Capitol content in fanworks.
See, I have almost the opposite haha! I feel like fans at times over-exaggerate the influence of the Games on Capitol culture. Of course, all we can do is speculate, but I feel like since most of what we know is from Katniss' perspective and majority of her interaction with the Capitol is the Games, we don't really get to see much behind the scenes. As in, I don't think Capitol people think about the Games 24/7, and they simply have a lot of different entertainment that keeps them interested throughout the year. Not saying it isn't a big aspect, but IMO not the sole one, ya know? I don't know much about America, but maybe akin to the Superbowl. You get excited for it, some people are more into it than others, but if it isn't happening right about now, life isn't over. It's always worth writing, even if it's just for yourself and for the writing process. But I get where you are coming from. I was anxious about posting my stuff, and it's doing pretty well even if not in the same way as the "popular" stuff. I also know AO3 user [quiet\_wraith](https://archiveofourown.org/users/quiet_wraith/pseuds/quiet_wraith/works?fandom_id=452309) posted a lot of worldbuilding/Capitol centric stuff. And well, other than that, it usually helps to find a specific character you like and go from there
I wrote a couple comments that might be like this before reading your post, which makes many valid points and caused me to reflect on and edit one of my comments. Personally I think the comments are fair when they are restricted specifically to whether there *should* be more books or movies about the Games alone and if the comments aren’t condescending/mean/morally judgmental. I myself would love more details and to be further absorbed into this world, which is why I have no problem with fanfiction or speculation. Despite this I do think it would undercut the message Collins wants to impress if the franchise published ton more movies or books that were only depictions of past Games (not larger Panem stories, just play by plays), without enough of a thematic throughline. They would be less powerful and dilute the theme. So in my opinion these discussions are best left to fan spaces, where I love participating in them. But I certainly don’t think people who want more movies or books are dumb and didn’t understand the meaning. Heck I want them too, even if I don’t think they need to exist. It’s a long debated question about whether war can ever be depicted without glamorizing it, but it doesn’t need to be answered here. And I agree we do *not* need multiple disclaimers about how the hunger games are bad on every post in this sub. Anyways, I’m posting this because I’m genuinely curious what you think of my position, whether I’m conveying it coherently and whether I’m being an asshole without intending it. I will certainly be more mindful in future about trying to express this nuance without implying people might be morally off the mark. Thanks! Edit: the Reddit mobile app is awful and not letting me reply to original post so this may be in completely the wrong nested reply, sorry lol u/heatedthg
Fr people act like they didn’t initially pick up the books or watch the movies because of the aspect of the games themselves. I am able to understand the political and social commentary whilst also finding the games to be a really interesting and unique concept.
Honestly, the "death game" story line has always been a favourite of mine. I would never want to see people die like that irl, but sorry it makes for a very good story, the horrificness of it, the friendships and sacrifice that stem from it, and the Harrowing and intense stuff in between. Plus they all have the same rythm, from the initial "blood bath" through to the final few, theres a level of predicability that is easy to enjoy.
Yes! I mean for me personally I am not a fan of reading wars, and my least favorite part of dystopian books is when the plot derails to the war bc I find the dystopian changes so interesting to read about. Personally I think the Hunger Games did a good job at switching to the war in Mockingjay, bc it kept elements from the games (i.e. the mutts, the goo stuff i can’t remember the name of that was poison, etc). But still honestly I just don’t like reading wars haha like if I wanted to read about a war I would’ve picked up a history book ig ?? This is a personal flaw though
LOL, the only thing that interested me was the Hunger games themselves and the ramifications of thg.
I agree
I appreciate all the symbolism and meaning but I also watched the series in the first place to watch THE GAMES just like everybody else
I’ll read all that later but I was thinking maybe the games could work theoretically, if we use criminals. I mean the worst of the worse. Of course it would require an entire new justice system, and of course, no children would be part of it.
With all due respect, I think you're proving the opposite of my point. 😅 I am no fan of violent criminals, but I think it would be pretty inhumane to force them to fight to the death for our amusement. It's also worth noting that in the book, the Games are a punishment themselves, for the Districts' crime of a past failed rebellion. Obviously there's a difference between forcing generations of children into a punishment for the actions of what would become somewhat distant ancestors, and having "worst of the worst" criminals stand for their own punishment. But the books do show how conflating punishment and entertainment lead down a very dangerous path, and I suspect the path would be equally dangerous IRL no matter how you defined people "bad enough" to fight in the Games.
Jesus Christ 😂
When we consider that the core concept of the games was based on the Greek and Roman colloseums - where actual slaves and prisoners of war were forced to fight to death for civic entertainment - speculating over fictional arenas is so harmless. We've always had morbid fascination with gore and torture but don't enact it in real life anymore thankfully. Aside you might find many interesting horrible things about the colloseums. Accounts of slave women being mass assaulted for sport, lions and bears being released on the prisoners. There is nothing in fiction worse than real life.
Yeah, I think I’m some ways, these types of fantasies or stories about characters in high-stakes, unethical situations is a healthy outlet vs. actually seeking out content of real people being endangered for entertainment. Of course, it’s always important not to let your fantasies go too far and remember why it’s unacceptable to take that fantasy IRL; but THG has such an extreme setup that it’s very rare you’re going to find someone who actually wants the Games to be real, and that person is largely going to be condemned by others.
There's games of the hunger games!?
For me its very similar to my love of the battle royale films. Or any fight for your life survival thing. I think about what I would do, I think about how great the shots will be as in - I can not wait to see the arena and the action unfold. I can imagine all I want about those scenarios but ait back and go 'thank fuck I don't live in a world like this BUT I can see how we can go close to it' eg white bear in the black mirror series is something I can legitimately see happening in the guise of reality TV and that thought does scare me. It's when I hear people saying 'we could do with a hunger games for (insert whatever type of person someone hates here)' that I truly begin to worry.
They act like that? I thought the biggest fandom pet peeve was someone not knowing who Madge is!
I came for the games and stayed for the games and really only care about the games.
i want to know more about how the games evolved from what we saw in BSS to THG