In the Hunger Games, I take it that if you where rich, you where the spectator, and the poor was game?

Well, I haven't read the book, and I understand what you feel about the movie. I also think it looks smaller, like it's just the North American continent divided into 12 districts, so I'm not so sure about it.

Regarding the other question, yes, I think that those who won the war live in the Capitol (District 1, if I'm not mistaken) and they are all rich because they live out of what the rest of the districts produce.

So anyone who lives in some of the other districts would be poor and would have to participate,whether they like it or not, of the game. If they win, they will never be starve again (just the winner's family).

That's all I know about it. Sorry!

Hope it helps! ;)

The movie/books take place in the US in the near future, after a failed rebellion or civil war.

The US is now split into districts with all the rich and the rulers living in The Capital. The rest of the people are in the various districts, and are intentionally kept poor and uneducated. This way they're easier to control and are little more than slaves for the capital.

The Capital also uses the Hunger Games to pit the districts against one another, so they don't figure out that if they were to band together, they could easily topple the ruling class.

This is why Katt's action, of befriending and defending that girl from another district, will have far reaching repercussions. Her actions have rekindled the feelings of rebellion that the capital has worked hard to repress.

First off, Panem stretches across almost all of the United States part of North America. The citizens basically revolted against the government, and the government won. The government wanted to insure that the rebellion, or Dark Days never happened again, so they divided the country into 13 Districts, and the Capitol. Each District has a certain good they produce (12 is in the Appalachin region, so they produced coal... ect.) Panem was not world wide. The Capitol wanted to show the citizens that they are at the mercy of the Capitol by taking their children, making them fight to the death, and act like it is a big celebration. In the books, it seemed like the rich people (in the Capitol) treated the Hunger Games as if it were the Olympics, like it wasn't children killing each other. If you have any other questions, feel free to shoot me an email :)

The story takes place in the U.S. only, after what you could describe as the Civil War II. There is the capitol (filled with rich people) and 12 districts (we don't have states any more). Some districts are rich, but most are poor. The Games are a way for the capitol to show the districts who is boss (because the Capitol side won the war).