Highlights
- The Hunger Games franchise takes place in a post-apocalyptic world ruled by a dictatorial Capitol, where they run the Hunger Games to prevent uprisings.
- The Dark Days were a period of war and rebellion against the Capitol, leading to the institution of the Hunger Games as a means of control.
- The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes prequel novel/film explores the 10th edition of the Hunger Games and the rise of Coriolanus Snow, who shaped the games and became President of Panem.
The Hunger Games franchise is a fascinating one built in a post-apocalyptic world where society has collapsed into a strictly controlled, dictatorial regime. The Capitol rules over the various districts and, in an attempt to keep them from attempting to rise up against the Capitol, runs the Hunger Games every year.
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With such a richly-built world filled with other potential stories, one of which is set to be told in The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes prequel movie, it is no surprise that a lot of important events occurred in and around The Hunger Games before the events of the books which take place around and after the 74th and 75th editions of the games, as the franchise gains popularity again online.
7 The Dark Days
The events that led to the first Hunger Games, the Capitol took control of Panem (the remains of North America) following some sort of nuclear apocalyptic event in the past. Sometime after this, District 13 led a rebellion against the Capitol, and this period of time is known among the districts as the Dark Days, a period that could be interesting for a Hunger Games AAA game.
During this time of war, which lasted approximately three years, the Capitol eventually resorted to the utter destruction, or so they believed, of District 13. After this, the insurrection ended, and the Capitol instituted the Hunger Games so that the districts would never dare think of rising up against them again.
6 The First Hunger Games
One of the major events in the history of the games remains largely undocumented. In spite of the Hunger Games becoming a massively viewed and documented phenomenon, the original edition of the games post-war was not such a spectacle, none of the games really were until Coriolanus Snow came along.
Instead, the first Hunger Games involved starving tributes, half-dead by the time the games began, very poor commercial coverage, and nothing that humanized the tributes at all to the viewing audience, making for a pathetic competition and vile sacrificing of children, ripe for a prequel game for the franchise.
5 The Ballad Of Songbirds And Snakes
The prequel novel shortly to be released as a film, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes is set in and around the events of the 10th edition of the Hunger Games. This was the first time that the Capitol decided to turn the games into more of a spectacle, adding mentors like Coriolanus Snow and interviews, so citizens got to know the competitors.
During this time, Coriolanus learned much about how to rise to power, and it was his leadership from implementing the betting and sponsorship systems in the games, to his work as a game maker and finally, his rule as President of Panem, that defined the Hunger Games.
4 Mags Wins
The 11th Hunger Games, just the year after The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, introduced even more changes in the games. While the first ten entries of the games were held in the Capitol Arena, the 11th was the first to take place elsewhere. Additionally, this was the edition of the games won by Mags, the old lady from District 4 who would later be re-entered with Katniss and other former winners in the 75th games.
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Mags Flanagan was the first victor to ever embark on a victory tour of the districts following her success in the games, the first step towards the Capitol making real celebrities out of the winners as they continued to raise the profile of the Hunger Games across the districts and within the Capitol itself.
3 The First Quarter-Quell
The Capitol loved making extra painful punishments to continually remind the districts that “they brought this upon themselves” with their rebellion. The worst of these extra punishments come in the form of the Quarter Quells, every 25th anniversary of the first games. On the 25th edition of the games, the Capitol had a particularly diabolical punishment in mind.
These games were even viler because instead of having the tributes randomly chosen from among the populace, the Capitol forced each district to vote for which children they wanted to send into the games. This horrific way to decide caused even greater pain to each individual member of the populace. Of course, the best entry of the Hunger Games franchise is also a Quarter-Quell.
2 Haymitch Wins
Haymitch Abernathy is an important character in the Hunger Games books, where he becomes the mentor to Katniss and Peeta during their foray into the games. His own victory in the Hunger Games came during the 50th games, another Quarter Quell, where double the number of tributes were brought into the games.
This made the field huge, 18 tributes died immediately around the Cornucopia at the beginning of the games. While Haymitch teamed with another District 12 tribute to survive against the Careers, they eventually went their separate ways and Haymitch used the force field at the edge of the arena to kill his final opponent. This final stunt resulted in the Capitol punishing him by killing his family.
1 Finnick Odair’s Victory
The 65th Hunger Games was the one that led to Finnick Odair’s status as a victor. At only 14 years old, Finnick was the youngest tribute ever to emerge victorious in the games. Between his good looks and fighting skills, Finnick was said to have many sponsors in his games, while others struggled to get any attention at all.
This didn’t conclude with his victory, Finnick was made into a sex symbol within the Capitol after winning the games, and this continued until he was chosen again for the 75th edition of the games. While Finnick came off as a playboy, he had actually been forced into sex trafficking work by President Snow, making his life miserable as the President had secretly done for many other victors over the years, giving him one of the more heartbreaking backstories in the franchise, similar to the pains many video game characters have gone through.