how is the hunger games a dystopian novel?

The Hunger Games is actually considered young adult fiction. Still it is a page turner, I really liked it. The theme of excess and opulence enjoyed by a few at the expense of many is one that is used effectively. The world has been reduced to the status-quo of the rich living in a relative bubble and the poor toiling away with little to live on. The Capitol and its vapid population enjoy watching the games which are reminiscent of Roman gladiatorial type games of ancient Rome. It makes for some thought provoking ideas about our own world as well as quite entertaining fiction.