How Do Hunger Games and Literary Magazines Relate?

As we see in the differences between comments on Ted talks and YouTube videos, how websites are set up, including how they portray their content and how well they show their purpose, influences how people participate on that site. 

One way to look at this interaction between form and participation is to use the arena in the Hunger Games as an analogy. Because of how the hunger games are set up, Katniss doesn't trust Peeta. The premise of the arena—what the gamemakers and the Capitol arranged and set up as the rules and the purpose behind the arena is that the contestants must all kill each other. That is how the game works.

Katniss enters the games knowing the form: you play a part, and the more successful you are at doing that, the more likely you are to receive help and survive the games. Entering the arena, she knows (from watching previous hunger games) that the arena provides some kinds of sustenance, which she will have to find, and that she must play for the unseen audience in order to receive gifts that she needs to survive (cream to heal her intense burns, food that Peeta can eat). Her knowledge of the arena (and on  a larger scale, the games) informs how she acts—she kisses Peeta because she knows the Capitol audience will react favorably.

The frame of the arena also influences how Katniss and Peeta interact. Knowing that in the context of the games only one contestant can ultimately survive, Katniss is wary of Peeta and his acts of friendship. Knowing that most people put on a persona during the interviews to survive, Katniss distrusts Peeta’s declaration of love for her. Knowing that the star-crossed lovers angle was what prompted the gamemakers to change the rule so two tributes could win, Katniss admires Peeta’s ability to act like he’s in love with her. It doesn’t seem likely to her that his declarations of love are real, even though in other contexts she would at least have to confront that possibility.

Ok, now for the connection to literary magazines. Let’s say, for instance, that the intent of the vast majority of online literary magazines is the same as that of printed literary magazines—to provide good content and polish it and give it to the grateful consumer, who reads and enjoys quietly. The purpose of the magazine is to provide literature to be read and enjoyed—in silence. The form of those magazines reflects that, with PDF (static) displays of the works, limited commenting abilities, and scheduled issues that are “published” (sent to the Internet) in chunks. The form fits the purpose—people can read the material made available online, perhaps congratulate the author on a piece well written, and then move on.  

But what if the intent of the website was to provide literature as a center of something to talk about? What if the purpose was to provide the starting place for a great discussion that continues, where even the author can participate? That would be a different model for a literary magazine, different gamemakers.

How would we frame the organization (game)—and in a smaller way, the website (arena)—in such a way that will encourage the kind of participation we want?

We could ask for the author to also send in a video of them explaining their work, or we could randomly pair pieces (including any art or other media we get as submissions) and ask how they relate to one another. That would be more stimulating than just having a piece to respond to or talk about. Participants could request certain pairings, so they could feel that they’re part of the game-making.

Another idea for form is to request that readers write something in response to one of the higher works, and then post that on the site as well. Then the pieces will be interacting, modeling how we want people to interact on the site.

The Capitol created the paradigm of the game arena by forcing all people of Panem to watch the hunger games every year. What cues could we give to people who visit the site so they know what’s going on and how they need to act and interact with other participants? (I hope we wouldn’t have to inform them that the purpose of the forum isn’t to harm other participants...)