20 Behind-The-Scenes Facts From The Hunger Games

It is certainly no secret that the Hunger Games is a grisly concept. It signifies the epitome of a dystopia — the pinnacle of all that could be wrong with the world.

So it may not come as a surprise to learn that Suzanne Collins — the book’s author — came up with the series’ premise after watching footage of war.

The award-winning novelist revealed that while scouring TV channels for something to watch, she kept coming across footage of the Iraq War, as well as a multitude of late night reality shows. She stated that the two “fused together in a very unsettling way”. Thus came about the Hunger Games’ inception.

Considering Collins’ father fought in the Vietnam War, and brought his children up to be very conscious of war and its surrounding issues, it is clear to see the components in Collins’ life that helped bring the series into existence. The books are incredibly poignant, and now we can understand why.