Hunger Games Arenas (with notes on Force Fields): An introduction
Regulus Dingle C.O.P., P.H.G.A.D.C. (Chair), P.C.U.P.D., P.C.E.D.C., C.U. (P.E.), PhD(Eng), M.A. (CEng)
Preface
As the 50th anniversary of the Hunger Games approaches, the time seems propitious for a brief look at the arenas that house these remarkable events. An understandable curiosity surrounds the process of how these spaces come to be. The public exhibits an ongoing fascination particularly with force fields. This very brief introduction will hopefully answer some of the more commonly asked questions.
A Brief Background
When the Hunger Games were first introduced, they were an entertainment without precedent in modern times. One would have to return to the glory of ancient Rome to find games of similar intense excitement and suspense.
Initially, the Games were conceived as an emulation of those ancient Roman events and were held in a specially constructed arena based on Rome's Coliseum, augmented, of course, with modern audio and visual technologies and modern comforts.
It was the first chair of the Panem Hunger Games Arena Design Committee, Invegulus Martin, who conceived of larger, natural terrain arenas. It was he who lobbied to have the Games extend over a period of weeks, arguing that this would increase interest by building suspense and tension, and ultimately make the games more popular and profitable. He also saw the Games as an opportunity to show Panem's citizens the magnitude of their nation and the variety of environments contained therein. Time has proven him correct on all counts.
Several arenas followed that were located in entirely natural surroundings. However, delays were encountered simply in terms of delivering the Tributes to the arena and having the Games start in a timely fashion. With all the events and publicity leading up to the opening, and the intense excitement thus engendered, people were dissatisfied at having to wait for the actual start. It was also determined that post-Games tourism suffered, especially for family-oriented vacations, if travel costs were high and the destination uncomfortable and hostile.
To solve this problem, it was decided to locate the majority of arenas mid-continent and in the mid-latitudes. This marked the inception of the Hunger Games arenas we know to this day.
The summits which our engineering, design, and construction technologies have attained allow the reshaping of terrain into any configuration desired. Within the confines of a force field, any climate known to man can be induced, from frozen arctic tundra to steaming tropical rain-forest. Your dedicated team of Gamemakers has maximum control to keep the modern Games stimulating and lively.
Building an Arena
An arena is much more than the space seen during broadcasts of the Games. Means of inserting the tributes must be provided, as well as the necessary mechanisms for introducing special effects, from floods, to earthquakes, to the genetic marvels our gene-splicing experts are so adept at providing. Access is also necessary for the hovercraft that keeps tributes up to date on the status of their competitors, delivers gifts, and extracts the fallen.
In addition, each arena is constructed with a view to future use. Each is its own environmental park with full facilities for family-friendly vacations and fun.
The placement of an arena can be affected by the special effects anticipated. For instance: an arena that relied heavily on water hazards would be situated close to a lake or river sufficiently large to supply the volume of water required, or a mountainous terrain might most economically be achieved by placing the arena in a mountainous area (of which Panem has many).
Once a site has been finalized, it is fully mapped and surveyed and a lay-out is created using holographic simulations of all anticipated structures. The resultant models are quite beautiful. All original holographic representations are housed at the Hunger Games Museum in the Presidential Park of the Capitol. A full scale copy of each arena holograph can be seen in the lobby of that arena's resort/casino facility, and small scale renditions are available for purchase on site and at the museum.
First construction at the site is a hovercraft field, marshalling yards, and machine maintenance sheds. More often than not, the Games site can only be accessed by hovercraft, and all the construction equipment must be airlifted in. Some of the equipment necessary is extremely large and heavy. Such pieces are designed in a modular fashion, imported in sections and assembled on site.
Construction of the arena begins by defining the area of the force field enclosure. A perimeter is established around that area and a perimeter road is constructed to provide access for the construction equipment. The Cornucopia site is defined, and a basic layout for each of the surrounding tribute pads is surveyed.
The Cornucopia design has not been changed in decades. It has become such an iconic image that there is a movement afoot to declare it the official emblem of the Games. Underneath the cornucopia is a different story. This is the beating heart of the arena. There is always a major facility below ground at the Cornucopia site, and this is accessed from outside the force field by tunnel. On its most prosaic level, the space is used to stage feasts, to stable beasts, and sometimes contains machinery that can reorient the Cornucopia itself or influence the surrounding terrain or climate. The roof of the room accommodates a sliding apparatus that allows ingress to the arena itself. This apparatus works in conjunction with floor embedded pneumatic lifts to provide a near seamless introduction of items to the arena. If an injection of animals has been planned, ramps may be incorporated into the design. These, however, are the least important of the facility's functions.
The force field is impervious not only to material objects, but also to transmissions of any sort. Consequently, all the audio visual signals from inside the arena, all the Gamemakers' remote control of mechanically induced hazards, must be routed to bypass the force field. The facility under the Cornucopia, and its connecting tunnel, comprise the main relay junction for communication with the outside world. All signals from within the arena are shunted through this facility to a broadcast center beyond the field, and all Gamemakers' communications arrive at that broadcast center to be shunted into the facility.
Construction of the arena begins at the Cornucopia site. From it spreads a veritable spider's web of cables connected to below ground substations situated throughout the arena. Installing the communications network and being certain that it is 100% functional is job one. Concomitant with this is the installation of all audio visual surveillance stations, holographic projectors, and any mechanical apparatus necessary to enable Gamemaker operated hazards.
(It is a happy circumstance that force fields furnish almost ideal surfaces on which to broadcast holographic imagery. Inside the arena, holographic projectors are located close to the force field to broadcast a constant stream of images. These images, along with the use of sub- and ultra-sonic signals, ensure that tributes will turn away from the field without ever being aware that they had approached the edge of the arena.)
By comparison to the communications facility, construction of the tribute launch areas is a simple matter. Preferably, but not as a fixed rule, each tribute launch pad sits on a semi-circular arc about 100 yards from the center of the Cornucopia's mouth. It is preferable to use a semi-circular arc rather than a full circle because, even though the straight line distance is the same, having launch pads behind the Cornucopia is seen as creating a disadvantage for some tributes. The semi-circular arc also simplifies construction as a single deep trench can be dug and launch rooms constructed below ground level as a continuous poured concrete structure with heavy, equidistant walls for room dividers. Each launch room is provided with a central, pneumatic launch pad running off the same pumps and reservoirs as those under the Cornucopia. In the launch rooms, pneumatically operated security cylinders, operating on switches activated simultaneously with the launch pads, are deployed to encase the pad once a tribute is in place to enter the arena. Each room is also furnished with a chemical toilet and a self contained shower unit, and is sparsely furnished with a simple table and some wall benches.
As with the communications center, the launch rooms are accessed by tunnels that pass under the force field. Outside the arena, these tunnels terminate in hovercraft landing pads specially designed to accommodate a single craft in such a way that the tributes can be lowered to the tunnel level by immobilizer ladders without catching a telltale glimpse of the surrounding terrain.
Once these various tunnels, rooms, and associated adjuncts are in place, the landscapers are let loose to cover all traces of construction and to bring the arena to its final appearance.
Even as this construction is ongoing, other facilities are being built beyond the force field perimeter. In terms of the Games, principal among these are the force field generating stations, the tower field scaffolds, and the broadcast center.
Every arena is equipped with multiple force field generators, regularly spaced along the perimeter. Any one of these is sufficient to encompass the entire arena in a field, but the redundancy is considered important both in terms of security and to ensure an even and dense containment field. The generators are powered by nuclear cells that require the construction of shielded bunkers.
Tower field scaffolds are also placed at regular intervals along the perimeter. These scaffolds are constructed in pairs and are essential to providing hovercraft access in and out of the arena. They are also invaluable in terms of Gamemaker induced climate variations (the facilities for which must also be constructed as necessary). Tower fields are discussed below in the Notes on Force Fields section.
The broadcast center is that all important link to the outside world that allows the Capitol to bring the Games, in all their glory, to the people of Panem. The connections between the broadcast center and the communications center beneath the Cornucopia are constructed with numerous duplications cross-overs to insure that there can be no interruption of service. They are tested and retested. During the Games, a full compliment of maintenance technicians is on hand at all times, and monitoring is constant. These personnel form the pool from which future Gamemakers rise.
The Hunger Games arenas remain in place long after the tributes are gone. As previously mentioned, they are maintained as environmental parks for the enjoyment of vacationing citizens. The parks may be enjoyed as historical sites, or simply as beautiful spaces. All locations where tributes fell are fully memorialized, and visitors are invited to participate in regularly staged reenactments. The arenas are the only Capitol lands on which duelling is permitted, but only if licensed and conducted within the parameters of the original Games. It is a condition of the licensing that any duels be announced in advance, and spectator galleries provided.
For the enjoyment of visitors, all arenas have resort casino hotels equipped to the latest standards of luxury and with all expected amenities. The facilities are designed by Panem's cutting-edge architects, and competition is fierce to win these coveted commissions. Construction of the winning design occurs in concert with the construction of the arena proper. There is usually an initial spike in interest at the conclusion of each Games and all sites are prepared to welcome guests immediately. It is also advantageous to have these facilities functioning during the Games themself. The most common gifts to tributes are food and survival gear. These gifts are easily provided from the resort kitchens and retail outlets.
Surveilling the Tributes
People frequently comment on how complete the coverage is of each tribute in the arena. Some of these spaces are vast yet, regardless of where a tribute may be, the Gamemakers are able to provide full audio and visual tracking, even close-ups! The explanation is simple. While every arena is set with hundreds of fixed cameras, the primary coverage of tributes is carried on by dedicated, sight shielded drones. These small marvels of modern technology are fueled by minute nuclear cells that provide sufficient power to keep each drone fully functional for months. Each is its own communications platform, fully equipped with cameras of varying focal capacities, and both directional and non-directional microphones. They can follow the action day or night and their cameras can penetrate smoke and fog. They are even capable of launching tiny bugs – self-propelled camera/mike combinations, no bigger than a beetle (and designed to look like one), that can wriggle into the tightest spaces to cover even the best hidden tribute. The drones broadcast wireless to the communications grid, remain absolutely functional and invisible in all climate conditions, and generate no noise across a very wide spectrum.
It is wonders that such as these, constantly under development by the Capitol's dedicated researchers, fully supported, funded and encouraged by your Panem Government, indeed through the graciousness of President Snow himself, that constantly improve and exalt the lives of all our citizens. Long live Panem! Long live President Snow!
Notes on Force Fields
It is difficult to describe to a lay person how force fields function. All analogies prove inadequate after only brief inspection.
Force fields are emanations produced by specifically designed generators. In some aspects they resemble magnetic fields, in others they do not. The original force field was created as the result of a scientific accident. The inventor, Blasius Laclerc, was conducting experiments on nuclear fueled power generation. He had constructed a new type of generator, incorporating nuclear elements, that was meant to demonstrate certain of his controversial theories. When he switched the generator on, the resultant force smashed him so violently into a wall that he would have been killed instantly, had he not already died merely through coming into contact with the field. What was left was his generator encased in a silvery sphere, half rising from the center of the generator's commutator, the other half descending through the ceiling of the room below. An assistant died when he tried to touch the sphere and, after that, it was left to the theorists to discover what had happened. Fortunately, Laclerc left copious notes.
From that unexpected beginning, we have developed the force fields that we know today.
Over time, an understanding of force field dynamics has evolved that allows for construction of generators specific to various tasks, and means have been developed to manipulate what starts as a generator-centric force field bubble. Through use of a superconductor track laid along a predetermined perimeter, the bubble can be re-directed and stretched to follow any configuration. The superconductor also acts as a barrier preventing the force field from completing its natural, globular shape. When the field encounters the superconductor, it bounces back in a fashion engineers refer to as "echo". This has the desirable effect of increasing the field strength at ground level, where a strong field is most needed. For the Hunger Games, the barrier effect of the superconductor enables tunneling under the field.
It is possible to penetrate a force field. Fields can be stretched to any size, and the more they are stretched, the weaker they become. A man can simply walk through a field that is sufficiently weak. This, of course, is not common practice. For most practical applications, other techniques for penetrating a field have been developed.
Force fields are generated through energy oscillations of wave-like appearance It is difficult to describe the rapidity of these oscillations. Simply stated: one billionth of a second is too long a period. The result is that a force field bears some resemblance to cloth constructed of superfine threads. A force field will interweave with itself creating a pattern of extra strong and extra weak points. The weaknesses are referred to as "interference vortices" (an inexact term). If multiple force fields are created and directed along a common superconductor path, which is the common practice, they will interweave with each other. A strange effect of this interweaving (and one as yet not fully understood) is that confluences of interference vortices will occur taking on the appearance of shimmering squares hanging in space. These are referred to as "interference windows". Interference windows do not usually occur at lower levels of the field as they are obviated by the echo effect.
Just as a hole can be created in a piece of cloth by pushing and prodding apart a localized series of threads, so holes can be created in force fields by localized pushing and prodding at the manifest face of the field. The logical point to do this is at an interference window. The means of doing it involves devices called "tower fields".
Tower fields are miniature, non-directed force fields. The generators are designed with very short half lifes and are housed in special, non-conductive cages that can be positioned to control the placement of the fields. They are usually placed on pole tops or scaffolding, which is how they got their name. When a tower field generator is activated, it is immediately encased within a force field sphere. The tolerances for building these objects require extreme precision as uniformity of size and strength is necessary to maximize their effect. The fields generated last for approximately one hour and, once the field has collapsed, the generator can be re-charged.
An anchored tower field activated in close proximity to a force field causes a distortion within both, as there is an attraction very much like that between magnets. If distributed correctly about an interference window, the result is very effectively a hole in the force field. The size of the hole is dependent on the number and placement of tower fields. The hole is an aperture that can be opened or closed at will, simply by skillful movement of the tower field devices. This is a very useful adaptation of force field properties.
Conclusion
A great deal of technology (and expense) goes into the creation of each Hunger Games arena. The best design minds available in Panem work tirelessly to insure that each arena will be memorable. The arenas and the Games have justly become a magnificent statement of, and monument to, the Panem virtues of industry, courage, strength, and honor.
About the Author
Regulus Dingle has been associated with the Panem Hunger Games Arena Design Committee since its inception, and is current chair of the committee. He is a Commander of the Order of Panem, Professor Emeritus (Electrical Engineering) Capitol University, past chair of the Panem Civil Engineering Design Council, member of the President's Council on Urban Planning and Design, and member and past president of the Panem Society of Professional Engineers. He is also a founding member of the Friends of the Hunger Games.
Now retired from academic life, he lives quietly in the Capitol with his wife, Buffy, and their cats, Puddles, Boo-Boo, and Sam.
Recommended Reading
Guiding Principals of the Panem State - President Coriolanus Snow, Panem Bureau of Printing
The Hunger Games: An Annotated and Illustrated History - Milo Smith, Panem Bureau of Printing
Architecture in a Golden Age: Building the Panem Dream - Magia Escadero, Capitol University Press
The 9th Hunger Games: Report, Conclusions, and Recommendations of the Investigating Committee - Timeaus Loo (chair) et. al., Panem Bureau of Printing
The Genius of Panem: Marvels of a Technological Age - Rollo Jackson, Capitol University Press
Stator and Commutator Design in Force Field Generators - Theophilus Weintraub, Capitol University Press
Spectral Analysis of Frequency Variations in Force Field Generation and its Application to the Manipulation those Fields - Regulus Dingle, Capitol University Press