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Rituals and Counter-Rituals: The Role of Ritual in Gamifying War and Undermining Oppression in the Hunger Games Trilogy

Wramsby, Emma Lane LU (2025) LIVR07 20241
Master's Programme: Literature - Culture - Media
Abstract
This thesis examines how rituals gamify war in the Hunger Games trilogy. Using a formalist lens, I argue that ritual is a rhythmic, repetitive, and looped form found in both media and real-world conflicts. By comparing the forms within the novel to those in video games and war, I explore the ethical dangers of associating war with game, while also revealing the subversive potential of ritual. The Capitol and District Thirteen use rituals in the Hunger Games and Block simulations to instill automatic responses, impose values, and consolidate power, resulting in the unethical treatment of combatants and noncombatants. In contrast, Katniss employs rituals to challenge oppressive structures, foster empathy, and redistribute political power.... (More)
This thesis examines how rituals gamify war in the Hunger Games trilogy. Using a formalist lens, I argue that ritual is a rhythmic, repetitive, and looped form found in both media and real-world conflicts. By comparing the forms within the novel to those in video games and war, I explore the ethical dangers of associating war with game, while also revealing the subversive potential of ritual. The Capitol and District Thirteen use rituals in the Hunger Games and Block simulations to instill automatic responses, impose values, and consolidate power, resulting in the unethical treatment of combatants and noncombatants. In contrast, Katniss employs rituals to challenge oppressive structures, foster empathy, and redistribute political power. Comparing dictatorial leadership to video game programmers reveals Katniss’s dual roles as a passive player character and a proactive player. As a player character, Katniss experiences violence and is incited to it by familiar patterns, but as a player, Katniss uses her experiences to change the game. While rituals can perpetuate cycles, they can also break them, presenting progressive possibilities in the series as well as a new lens through which to view video games and war. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
Wramsby, Emma Lane LU
supervisor
organization
course
LIVR07 20241
year
type
H2 - Master's Degree (Two Years)
subject
keywords
Hunger Games, ritual, rhythm, repetition, loop, gamification, video games, war, ethics, formalism, oppression, rebellion, revolution, agency
language
English
id
9187716
date added to LUP
2025-07-03 11:36:43
date last changed
2025-07-03 11:36:43
@misc{9187716,
  abstract     = {{This thesis examines how rituals gamify war in the Hunger Games trilogy. Using a formalist lens, I argue that ritual is a rhythmic, repetitive, and looped form found in both media and real-world conflicts. By comparing the forms within the novel to those in video games and war, I explore the ethical dangers of associating war with game, while also revealing the subversive potential of ritual. The Capitol and District Thirteen use rituals in the Hunger Games and Block simulations to instill automatic responses, impose values, and consolidate power, resulting in the unethical treatment of combatants and noncombatants. In contrast, Katniss employs rituals to challenge oppressive structures, foster empathy, and redistribute political power. Comparing dictatorial leadership to video game programmers reveals Katniss’s dual roles as a passive player character and a proactive player. As a player character, Katniss experiences violence and is incited to it by familiar patterns, but as a player, Katniss uses her experiences to change the game. While rituals can perpetuate cycles, they can also break them, presenting progressive possibilities in the series as well as a new lens through which to view video games and war.}},
  author       = {{Wramsby, Emma Lane}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  title        = {{Rituals and Counter-Rituals: The Role of Ritual in Gamifying War and Undermining Oppression in the Hunger Games Trilogy}},
  year         = {{2025}},
}