“The Olympics are a representation of the past,” D’Souza said. “They’re rooted in ancient Greece, and they have this amateurish, natural ethos that is run by a bunch of European aristocrats. The Enhanced Games are very different. They’re run by capitalists, who believe in the future, believe in science and technology.”
Maybe you should watch it before saying I’m wrong. Yes, they don’t know during the first round that losing means death, but after that they vote to go home. After being confronted with the hopelessness of their lives they choose to come back and go on playing, knowing they’ll most likely die.
It’s an essential plot point, and really what defines the show.