The most dangerous game influenced The Long Walk

The connection is mainly in the “human beings become prey in a controlled hunt” concept.

• Predator → prey: In The Most Dangerous Game, Zaroff hunts humans for sport. In The Long Walk, the walkers are effectively the prey of the regime: they are placed in a lethal competition where survival itself becomes the spectacle.
• Game with lethal rules: Both stories turn killing/survival into a structured game governed by rules rather than ordinary violence.
• Entertainment/sport: Zaroff treats the hunt as recreation. The Long Walk transforms that idea into a national spectacle, with spectators following the contestants.
• Psychological survival: Both ask what happens to ordinary people when survival becomes the central objective and other humans become obstacles or threats.