Hunger Games as Cyberpunk?

The past developments in technology lead to different ideas about technology in the future. Cyberpunk as ‘science fiction dealing with future urban societies dominated by computer technology’ (Cyberpunk, Merriam-Webster dictionary 2013) tries to show a dystopian future. During our discussion about this topic the question arose if the novel ‘The Hunger Games’ by Suzanne Collins fits into the genre of Cyberpunk. As I just finished reading this trilogy a few month ago I tried to consider which aspects fit into these genre. The story is ‘written in the voice of 16-year-old Katniss Everdeen, who lives in the post-apocalyptic nation of Panem in North America. The Capitol, a highly advanced metropolis, exercises political control over the rest of the nation. The Hunger Games are an annual event in which one boy and one girl aged 12–18 from each of the twelve districts surrounding the Capitol are selected by lottery to compete in a televised battle to the death.’(The Hunger Games, Wikipedia 2013). This battle takes place in an arena, where everything, for example the landscape and the weather, is controlled by the technology of the Capitol. Regarding to my first impression ‘The Hunger Games’ totally fits into the genre of Cyberpunk as a dystopian future of the United States where the powerful government can control everything with their technology. At second glance I could also understand why it is not fitting in at all. The main focus of the story is how the rebellion tries to fight against the capitol, including topics like friendship, love and death. In the end the leader of the Capitol is defeated and the so called good characters win the war. Thus, not everything is about a dystopian future which is unavoidable. The happy end emphasize that ‘The Hunger Games’ are more science fiction than Cyberpunk in it’s originally form.

Sources:

The Hunger Games, Wikipedia, viewed 20/08/2013, <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Hunger_Games>

Cyberpunk, Merriam-Webster dictionary, viewed 20/08/2013, < http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cyberpunk>