8 Biggest Controversies In The Last Of Us
The series is defined by controversial decisions, and we talk about how they affect games.
In the world of The Last of Us, choices are as dangerous as a Clicker’s bite, and moral problems are as hard to spot as a sneaky Infected. There’s no doubt that the story and characters will have kept you interested, but it’s the challenging choices that will really stay with you.
From brutal violence to heartbreaking sacrifices, complicated ideas to different types of relationships, let’s dive into the debate and look at the effects of these choices and the discussions they spark. In The Last of Us, you’ll go on a trip through a moral wilderness.
Exploration Of Themes Related To Revenge And Brutality
The Last of Us does a great job of showing how harsh a world after the end of the world can be while also exploring themes of payback. The games don’t shy away from showing the harsh facts of this hopeless place by showing gory violence and heartbreaking losses. This violence is shown without flinching, which adds to the game’s realism and puts players in a harsh world.
In this harsh world, payback is a common theme that drives characters to get their own back. But The Last of Us series does a good job of questioning the morals of revenge and showing how bad it is. Revenge ends up being a double-edged sword that consumes the characters and leads to terrible things.
Joel’s Decision To Save Ellie
In The Last of Us, Joel’s choice to save Ellie instead of letting her be killed for a possible vaccine is one of the most debated. This key moment not only makes you question your morals, but it also starts heated discussions among fans. Was Joel right to put Ellie’s life ahead of what was best for everyone else?
Some people say he was selfish and didn’t think things through, while others understand his fatherly instinct and the emotional bond he made with Ellie. Any way you look at it, this choice sets the stage for the series’ many difficult moral choices.
The Use Of Realistic, Emotionally Charged Scenes Involving Child Characters
From The Last of Us‘s heartbreaking opening scene, where we see Sarah die, to Ellie’s emotional journey, the games use realistic, emotionally charged scenes with kid characters to make you feel strong emotions.
In these times, the themes of loss, being strong, and the terrible effects of trauma on young lives are explored. By putting you in the shoes of these characters’ weak points of view, the games make you feel empathy and a greater emotional investment in the story, which makes the experience all the more moving.
Exploration Of Mental Illness, Trauma, And PTSD
The Last of Us goes deeper than simple survival horror and explores the mental effects of life in a world after the end of the world. Characters like Ellie and Joel struggle with mental illness, stress, and PTSD. This shows how important it is to take care of your mental health when you’re going through hard times.
By using these themes, the games give the characters more depth and show what’s going on in their minds. The subtle look at mental health gives the story more depth and makes you think about how their actions affect you emotionally.
The fact that these are awkward or controversial topics in the game industry shows how important it is to talk more openly about mental health. Games can talk about and bring attention to these important problems.
Inclusion Of Explicit LGBTQ+ Relationships
The Last of Us has been praised for showing openly gay and lesbian relationships, like the one between Ellie and Dina in The Last of Us Part 2. Even though these themes are important, the game industry tends to avoid or be uncomfortable with them. By showing LGBTQ+ characters and their relationships with the same depth and care as their heterosexual peers, the games help to show a wider range of people.
The fact that people have different sexual orientations shows how diverse the real world is and makes it easier to connect with them. This makes Happy Wheels community more open and accepting. This is another example of how these topics are only thought controversial because people in the gaming world are still not used to talking about hard things.
Moral Ambiguity Surrounding Characters’ Actions
The Last of Us is a series that lives on moral ambiguity, making it hard to tell what is right and what is wrong. Characters often have to make hard decisions, and what they do can be seen in more than one way.
This makes the story more interesting and makes players think about their own morals and decisions. By showing characters who aren’t perfect and asking questions about why they do what they do, the games offer a thought-provoking look at the human condition and the unpredictable nature of morals in a world that’s about to fall apart.
The Use Of Animal Violence
The violence against animals in The Last of Us games is done on purpose to make the story more immersive and show how hard life is in a post-apocalyptic world. The games show how harsh life can be in a society that is fighting to stay alive by giving players situations where they have to kill animals to stay alive or as part of the game’s rules.
It shows how important it is to stay alive and how far people will go to do so in a world without society. This violence against animals adds to the general feeling of desperation, making you feel like you’re in the harsh world and showing how hard it is for the characters to stay alive.
Joel’s Death
As a main figure who people liked and cared about, Joel’s sudden and violent death in The Last of Us Part 2 was shocking. The effect was huge, and it made fans argue about the story’s direction and how well-known characters were treated.
Some people liked the decision because it was brave and had a big effect on the story. They said it made the post-apocalyptic world more real and unpredictable. Others, on the other hand, felt cheated and angry when they lost a character they had grown attached to. This led to heated debates about the right way to tell a story and what players should expect.
You can’t deny, though, that the choice went against the usual rules of storytelling and made for a truly immersive and emotionally powerful experience.
