The Last of Us – Or The First Of A New Generation Of Games? Or the First of a New Generation?

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I chose this article as the subject matter appeals to my interests and after reading through it, I thought it was suitable to use.

The article is written by Darren Meitiner-Harvey and first appeared in MediaMagazine 52, April 2015.

The article talks about marketing of the game as well as how it challenged representations, the power of the character Ellie and how the character Joel gives a different look at Masculinity.

The main points of the article: - including some quotations

The article, in its introduction, tells the reader about how The Last Of Us first became known as an IP.
“Back in 2011, gamers were treated to a teaser trailer for a video game, developed by Naughty Dog and published by Sony Entertainment that would change the gaming landscape forever. The teaser aired before the Spike Video Game Awards”

The article goes on to talk about the beginning appeals of the text from when it was first seen in the public eye, the things it presented were eye catching.
“It depicted a world in the aftermath of a cataclysmic event, and followed the story of two characters; a middle-aged man and a teenage girl. The cinematic feel, the rich 3D environment, and the characters wowed viewers, and immediately set the Internet alight with rumours and trailer reviews.”

Article says the most interesting aspect of the reveal was “the focus on narrative, character, and the tease of the haunting soundtrack, produced by Gustavo Santaolalla.”
--I agree with this quotation as most games around this time are usually quite focused on their aesthetic and gameplay elements over narrative, its an interesting and fresh focus.

The article then goes on to say that the iconography “conjured up images from 28 Days Later, I am Legend, The Road and War of the Worlds.” It then goes on the say that Naughty Dog took a “Hollywood genre that was becoming tired, and created something original – a cross-platform hybridisation.”
-I completely agree with this point, the zombie genre is very overplayed and their new spin on the genre, as they focus more on narrative than the gore, was quite interesting.

MARKETING

The article goes on about the after math of the initial teaser trailer, “Naughty Dog launched The Last of Us website, created social media pages, and released screenshots that gave gamers an insight into some of the characters and their environments, and teased with enigmas that hinted at the possible narrative.” --Through their marketing they gave updates to fans of the new IP, as if to remind people it exists unlike other games where updates are hardly given. This allows for the text creators to keep in touch with their audience and sustain their interest.

The article then mentions the Electronic Entertainment Expo in Los Angeles, E3, where a game-play demo was released to the public. It goes on the say that “Gamers got to see one of the lead characters, Joel, working his way through part of a dilapidated city accompanied by Ellie, a very strong and spunky young female. The focus on both characters and their personalities highlighted that this game’s target market was both male and female gamers.”

--The focus on narrative allowed for a mixed gender audience as well as the contrast of characters (personality, appearance, etc.), makes the games target less of a specific gender like this.

The article then goes on to talk about the first TV spots that were released in 2013 which was “shown immediately before AMC’s The Walking Dead, a show that had massively influenced the game’s creators”

One of the TV spots in mentioned is a “live action trailer with a voiceover from Ellie, featuring a man gradually changing into Joel, whilst Ellie asked direct questions, such as ‘Could you do the right thing?’. Involving the audience in this way helps to build a rapport with the characters before play begins. Gamers are asked questions that test their morals and imply that there will be an element of choice in the game; Joel will be the gamer’s avatar in this simulation.”

The recent addition to The Last of Us is mentioned, the Left Behind DLC which released February 2014. The article then gives a brief overview of the DLC: “The extra content developed Ellie’s back story, and shed light on her friendship with Riley. Much like the feature game, the DLC was critically acclaimed for its substance and focus on a very human story of companionship and love.”

CHALLENGING REPRESENTATIONS

When going into this area, the article describes the gaming landscape of today as “a highly-gendered minefield of gratuitous female objectification and unrelenting male-centricity.” The article then goes to talk about the representation of men as in they say the “majority of games to date pride themselves on heroically depicting the events surrounding their fearless and fun male protagonist(s)“ while “a female’s principal role in these games is to act as the prize, to move the plot forward, and/or to offer gamers some form of visual gratification.” It also gives us an example in modern day games with the game series, Grand Theft Auto: “We need look no further than the Grand Theft Auto games for examples of scantily-clad females who are portrayed as materialist, stupid, and in some cases, sex workers.”

The article then goes on to talk about the character and their world by saying that “The Last of Us has taken complex characters grounded in reality and crafted a world around them. Each character has strengths and weaknesses, and each character makes choices that they believe to be for the best. There is a strong emphasis on survival and looking after ‘your own’.” The article then tells the reader “One of the strongest representations is that of women.”

The article then talks about the first thing the player will experience within The Last of Us as “The gamer’s first experience within the game is to wake as a teenage tomboy, in a bedroom adorned with football trophies and science paraphernalia. For the first 10 minutes, gamers play as Sarah, Joel’s daughter, the shorthaired girl with the rock band T-shirt.” The article then continues as it explains that “Her fear becomes the gamer’s fear as they scramble through the opening sequence, until to the gamer’s complete horror Sarah is shot dead in cold blood by the very soldiers who should be protecting citizens.” It goes on the explain the cynical representation of society the game has when facing a catastrophe. “In this opening scene alone, gamers have probably spent more time as a female character than they have throughout their whole gaming life.”
--The period of time spent with the character of Sarah in the chaotic opening sequence allows the player to bond with her, so when she is killed in cold blood it hits the player hard. Many articles over the internet describe the moment as heart-breaking and emotional for them, despite the sort amount of time spent with the character.

The article then goes to the next scene of the game where you play as Joel, a few years after his daughter death, and we are introduced to the character of Tess. The article states “Tess defies game lore by appearing, make-up-less, in clothes that are practical and not bursting at the cleavage. Straightaway, she is established as the alpha character by commanding Joel and taking control of the situation – Joel respectfully answers ‘yes mam’.” Tess’s introduction and dominance…

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I think the article is interesting and well informed. It takes a great in-depth look at the many themes within the game and thoroughly explains them in detail, it shows passion for the subject and makes the article very useful for research.