The American Background

Budd, Louis J.

doi:10.1017/ccol0521433002.002

Cited by 8 publications

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“…The shadow Darwin casts over both naturalism and the narrative themes of the game requires examination. Darwin’s theories “implied consequences so wrenching that individual acceptance varied dizzyingly” (Budd, 1995, p. 29) at the time he first published his observations. Specifically concerning different characters and factions presented in the game, some fight, even against 20 years of evidence to the contrary, to “defeat” the Cordyceps fungus and reestablish human control over nature.…”

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confidence: 99%

“…As such, the mechanisms for survival manifest through restructuring morality and controlling resources. As Louis Budd (1995) posits, “Life is a chancy process rather than a path toward redemption” (p. 29). The closest the game comes toward showing the possibility of a successful survivor community lies with Joel’s brother Tommy and his group’s community in Jackson County, Wyoming.…”

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confidence: 99%

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The Reconstruction of Morality and the Evolution of Naturalism in The Last of Us

Green

2016

Games and Culture

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The Last of Us plunges gamers into a decimated world, one in which the majority of the human population has succumbed to the Cordyceps fungal infection. Against the crumbling monoliths of human culture, social constructions of morality and culture are explored through the game's protagonist Joel and the various survivors he encounters. As the narrative unfolds, it asks compelling questions about the nature of morality, the antagonism between the human and natural worlds, and whether or not humanity is worth saving. To this end, the narrative utilizes elements of naturalism and its more modern form, environmental fiction. Naughty Dog's 2013 Playstation 3 title The Last of Us provides a clear and compelling case that video games can stand as powerful, thematically rich, and complicated narratives expressing the turmoil and fragility of human culture in the same way as their literary and film counterparts do. The game's story line and script were written

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confidence: 99%

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confidence: 99%