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

Abstract

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

Keep Fighting: Critical Dystopia in The Last of Us

“…The Diner Scene shows the most debased forms of humanity and can show how far we can go if we do not change our exploitative ways (Green, 2016). Further, the Giraffe and Car…”

“…As mentioned earlier, video games can be seen as text (Green, 2016). Based on this, I will be conducting a textual analysis of TLOU.…”

“…In my MRP, TLOU is considered an extended form of text (Green, 2016). In fact, TLOU is a hypertext due to its interactive capabilities (Cassidy, 2011).…”

Trauma, empathy and complicity in The Last of Us Part II: playing as enemy characters

“…As Amy Green (2015) observes, this choice of time jump and setting present to the player a landscape which is scarred and broken, but still recognizable. The scholar also comments that "main protagonist Joel exists in a post-apocalyptic world that is at once broken, close enough in time to yearn for the pre-infection idyll of life, and not yet certain in its ultimate reconstruction of human community" (GREEN, 2015, p. 4).…”

La crítica al presente desde el futuro en The Last of us

“…También The reconstruction of morality and the evolution of naturalism in The Last of Us. Games and Culture (Green, 2016) y su indagación de la reconstrucción de la moral del hombre en un desastre sin remedio. Get real: Narrative and gameplay in The Last of us.…”