THE STORYTELLING POWER OF VIDEO GAMES: A NARRATIVE ANALYSIS
OF THE LAST OF US

By
Shane W.A. Hamar., B.A.
East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania

A Thesis Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of
the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts in Communication to the Office of Graduate
and Extended Studies of East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania

August 7, 2020

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ABSTRACT
A Thesis Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirement for the degree of Master of Arts in
Communication to the Office of Graduate and Extended Studies of East Stroudsburg University
of Pennsylvania

Student’s Name: Shane Hamar
Title: The Storytelling Power of Video Games: A Narrative Analysis of The Last of Us
Date of Graduation: August 7, 2020
Thesis Chair: Cem Zeytinoglu, Ph.D.
Thesis Member: Andrea McClanahan, Ph.D.
Thesis Member: Margaret Mullan, Ph.D.

Abstract

This thesis explores video game narration to advocate for the legitimacy of video game
narratives in an ever-expanding mediated world. The study utilized narrative criticism to break
down the narrative of the video game The Last of Us to understand why this specific game is
significant to the video game industry. The results of this study showed this video game
narrative to be strong based on the blending of reality and the game’s reality. This strength was
shown to affect the player greatly by allowing them to reflect their experiences to the
experiences from the game. Through this research, video game narratives were found to be
profoundly powerful in helping players to develop a deeper understanding of themselves. The
significance of this research stretches beyond the scope of video games and narrative
capabilities. This research is dedicated to advocating for those without a voice to be heard and
listened to.

TABLE OF CONTENTS
LIST OF FIGURES……………………………………………………………………………….v
CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION
The Potential of Video Games…………………………………………………………………….1
The Need for Change…………………………………………………………………...................2
The Role of Communication………………………………………………………………………4
An Industry In Need……………….…………………………………………………....................5
Why Video Games Deserve Study..................................................................................................6
The Last of Us…………………………….…………………………………………….................7
Naughty Dog………….………………………………………………………………………….10
Narration vs. Gameplay……………………………………………………………….................11
The Importance of Storytelling…………………………………………………………………..14
The Uniqueness of Video Game Narratives……………………………………………………..14
Video Game Production………………………………………………………………………….15
The Effects from The Last of Us…………………………………………………………………16
Narrative Analysis……………………………………………………………………………….17
Focal Areas………………………………………………………………………………………19
Looking Forward………………………………………………………………………………...21
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CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW
Introduction to Literature Review…………………………………………………......................22
Rhetoric of the Image…………………………………………………………………………….22
Video Games as Rhetorical Artifacts…………………………………………………………….24
Post-Apocalyptic Narratives……………………………………………………………………..29
Uses and Gratifications in Gaming………………………………………………........................31
The Socialization of Video Games………………………………………………………………33
Narrative Focused Literature………….………………………………………………................37
Summary……………………………………………………........................................................45
CHAPTER THREE: METHODOLOGY
The Relationship Between Communication and Narrative……………………………………...46
Defining Narrative Criticism…………………………………………………………………….48
Constructing the Analysis of The Last of Us…………………………………………………….49
Looking Forward…………………………………...…………....................................................52
CHAPTER FOUR: ANALYSIS
Introduction to Analysis………………………………………………….………………………53
Plot…………..…………………………………………………………………………………...53

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Hometown – Prologue…………………………………………………………………………...55
The Quarantine Zone…………………………………………………………………………….59
The Outskirts……………………………………………………………………………………..61
Bill’s Town………………………………………………………………………………………65
Pittsburgh………………………………………………………………………………………...65
The Suburbs……………………………………………………………………………………...68
Tommy’s Dam…………………………………………………………………………………...71
The University…………………………………………………………………………………...76
Lakeside Resort…………………………………………………………………………………..77
Bus Depot………………………………………………………………………………………...84
The Firefly Lab…………………………………………………………………………………..86
Jackson – Epilogue………………………………………………………………………………88
Left Behind……………………………………………………………………………………….91
Back in a Flash…………………………………………………………………………………...93
Mallrats…………………………………………………………………………………………..93
Fun and Games…………………………………………………………………………………..94
Escape from Liberty Gardens……………………………………………………………………96
Setting………………………………………..………………………………………..................99
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The Importance of the Seasons…………………………………………………………………..99
Specific Chapter Settings………………………………………………………………………101
The Old vs. the New…………………………………………………........................................104
Characters………………………………………….…………………………………………...105
Joel…………………………………………………………………….………………..............105
Ellie……………………………………………………………..................................................108
The Impact of Presence on the Player…………………………………………………………..111
Walter Fisher’s Theory of the Narrative Paradigm……………………………..........................112
The Objective of The Last of Us……………………………………….……………………….114
Summary………………………………………………………………………………………..116
CHAPTER FIVE: CONCLUSION
The Fight for Change…………………………………………………………………………...117
Potential Weaknesses…………………………………………………………………………...121
Future Research………………………………………………………………………………...122
The Last of Us Part Two……………………………………………………………..................124
Contribution and Significance………………………………………………………………….125
References………………………………………………………………………………………127

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LIST OF FIGURES
Figure
1. The official cover art for The Last of Us featuring the main characters, Joel, and
Ellie………………………………………………………………………………………10
2. Early artifact found in Bill’s Town chapter……………………………………………...13
3. Newspaper article depicting a new infection…………………………………………….56
4. Joel’s final moments with Sarah after she is shot by the officer………………………...58
5. Marlene confronting Joel and Tess about Robert’s whereabouts………………………..60
6. Joel “killing time” by going to sleep to wait for Tess……………………………………61
7. Ellie showing her bite mark to Tess and Joel……………………………………………62
8. The group is ambushed by a clicker……………………………………………………..63
9. Ellie after killing the hunter to save Joel………………………………………………...67
10. Ellie and Sam having fun eating blueberries…………………………………………….68
11. Sam’s scratch…………………………………………………………………………….69
12. An artifact from the sewers section of the Suburbs chapter……………………………..71
13. An old photo of Joel and Sarah after a soccer game…………………………………….72
14. Joel and Ellie’s conversation at the ranch house………………………………………...75
15. Ellie meets David and James…………………………………………………………….78
16. Ellie lying next to Joel after giving him a shot of penicillin…………………………….79
17. Joel interrogating one of David’s men…………………………………………………..80
18. Joel comforting Ellie after she killed David……………………………………………..82
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19. Joel and Ellie encountering a giraffe…………………………………………………….85
20. Joel telling Ellie “we don’t have to do this”……………………………………………..86
21. Joel arrives at the operating room………………………………………………………..87
22. Ellie turning away from Joel after he lies to her about the events at the lab…………….88
23. The final shot of the game as Ellie accepts Joel’s lie as the truth………………………..89
24. The poster released for Left Behind featuring Riley and Ellie…………………………...92
25. Riley convincing Ellie to sneak out with her…………………………………………….93
26. Riley tells Ellie she will be leaving Boston……………………………………………...95
27. Ellie and Riley’s kiss…………………………………………………………………….96
28. Ellie and Riley’s final conversation of Left Behind……………………………………...97
29. The military rounding people up to check for possible infections in Boston…………..102
30. Joel, Tess, and Ellie traveling through Boston after leaving the quarantine zone……...103
31. Joel and Henry in the suburban development featured in the Suburbs chapter………...104

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CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION
The Potential for Video Games
Media have an empowering effect on people and video games are no exception. People
are inspired by what they see and experience. However, many parents think their children play
too many video games or do not quite understand the appeal of video games. They do not see
video games being comparable to other media. In hindsight, video games are nothing like any
other form of media. The truth of the matter is anything is possible in a video game. All the
coding and programming involved in the development of a video game can bring any narrative
or super powered ability to life. The wildest imaginations from developers can be crafted and
brought to life. The potential of video games is immeasurable. Due to this, they can have positive
effects on society.
Currently, in the year 2020, there are many systemic issues being brought to light
amongst a global pandemic. Our society is being split into groups who support opposing sides of
various issues such as police brutality and racism. Protests and arguments are being made to
enforce basic human rights for people of all races, genders, sexual orientations, nationalities, etc.
Based on these issues, there is a clear need for positive change in America. Some people choose
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to tackle these issues with violence, but this will only bring about more violence from the other
side. Can there be a compromise when it comes to basic human rights? How can someone deem
another person to be inferior to them? These are questions being asked in 2020. The real question
to be asked is what can be used to help people to understand different points of view? My answer
to this is media.
The news stations people choose to watch can shape their views. The television shows
and films people choose to watch can impact an audience in varying ways. The music people
listen to can be focused on specific issues and helping people to shape their own stance on those
issues. Video games are no different than any other media channel in any of these regards. If
video games can be understood outside of the stigmatized context many people hold them in,
then true changes can become possible through a new media channel. The social issues facing
America can become better understood and people can start to come together once again. There
was a time in human history when people worked together just to survive and did not have to
worry about greater societal problems. Where did humanity go wrong?
The Need for Change
Humanity has come far in the hundreds of thousands of years we have lived on this planet.
We transcended nature and made our own civilizations and destroyed what once was our ancestral
home for the sake of “progression”. Progress has been the staple theme throughout our human
history. We progressed to the point that our species now lives on most of the world’s land. We
“conquered” land and created countries for the sake of further progression. Wars have been fought
for countries to “progress”. Naturally, these have helped the victorious countries to progress, while
the countries who lost end up regressing. We are the smartest beings on this planet, yet we turn a
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blind eye to most of the other people in this world. Why is that? What about other people makes
us so oblivious to them? Is it because of individualism? Nationalism? Fear? How did we progress
together as fellow people and suddenly turn our backs on each other? This must be progression at
work again.
Life is all about progress as well. We mature and develop and become adults like any other
animal. Our biological life purpose is to reproduce (as is the basic purpose of any life form). Just
like any other life form not every newborn is able to survive to reach adulthood. Terrible events
such as natural disasters, accidents, and disease are all responsible for ceasing someone’s
progression. No one lives life without facing terrible circumstances or struggles at some point.
Death is inevitable and is what all our progress will lead to in the end. If progress is our natural
trait, then why do we insist on not allowing others to progress?
As people, we all want to move on from bad times. We do not want to face them, but it is
inevitable to be faced with circumstances outside of our control. Sometimes our actions are the
cause of suffering for another person and we regret our actions. Apologies are sometimes all we
can do to make up for those moments. We want to know what we did once can be forgiven and we
are told this from early childhood. We make the world out to be so nice when we explain it to our
children because we do not want to scare them. We want them to know they will continue to
progress every day. Progression is natural for us after all. Let us face reality though. There are
things people will not let you live down especially with the prominence of social media in the
present day. Not everyone will be faced with problems like this, but life is not fair to everyone.
Nowadays things can always be saved, and nothing is untraceable anymore. Sometimes we will
be pushed down for traits or circumstances completely out of our control. Sex, gender, ethnicity,
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sexual orientation, religious background, and any trait you were born with/into will always be
judged by people. This includes every decision you make in your life. No matter how hard we try
to redeem ourselves, labels will always follow us followed by hatred, persecution, discrimination,
and any other form of mistreatment. The way the world is right now, it does not allow true progress
to be made. However, progression is not impossible under these circumstances because there are
true stories of people overcoming the odds. Keep in mind, they are one person among another soon
to be eight billion people in the world. They were just the lucky ones. Most people do not get the
opportunity to escape from their past whether it be a result of their family history, ethnicity,
religion, gender, etc. We all are individuals trying to make lives for ourselves and instead of
holding each other up, we beat each other down to get ahead. This societal context is not a healthy
place for people to progress because if anything, it causes many people to stop and move
backwards. The walls and hurdles limiting people from progressing must be stopped. The countless
old arguments and hatred bred through fear and ignorance need to be eradicated. Enough is enough.
Progress should only be made in one positive direction and it is time to enact progressive change.
A significant way this world or society can change is through communication and thorough
deliberation.
The Role of Communication
Communication is central to progression because how do we progress without
communicating? When civilizations arose due to our use of agriculture, we needed to communicate
with each other to survive, just like other animals. Our form of communication is often seen as
being more advanced and multifaceted than other animals. However, we do not necessarily know
if this is true or not. This might just be the result of humanity’s superiority complex. Just because
4

other animals have not created complex civilizations does not mean their communication patterns
or abilities are inferior to our own. Communication is still playing a vital role in survival between
people and animals alike. Humans communicate in many ways such as writing, talking, body
language, as well as through our own inventions. Progression and communication go hand in hand.
When a company is planning to progress and launch a new product or service, how do they let the
public know? They communicate through the media available to them using advertisements. We
post daily on social media sites to show how we are progressing in our lives. Sometimes we reflect
on past experiences or history to show how far we have progressed whether individually or as a
country etc. Communication is also key to advocacy efforts to progress a certain agenda or idea
throughout society. Change is another key trait of humanity and communication is what allows
change to begin. Society’s view of video games needs to be changed which will be the focus of
this thesis.
An Industry in Need
Communication is involved with everything we do as human beings. Due to this,
communication scholars probe every form of media content extensively. Video games have been
progressing but, from society’s view, they have not progressed much at all. Why are video games
not looked at as a legitimate communicative media channel especially considering the scope of
the industry? The video game industry is the most profitable and popular entertainment industry
(D'Argenio). Video games have often been focused on in the psychology field due to the stigma
of video games impacting mental health. However, video games are believed to have so much
more to offer especially from a communication perspective. Not all video games are about
shooting and killing enemies. Many modern games have a story mode or some sort of narrative
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to be played through. Creative directors and entire teams are involved in the development of
video games, which has helped this industry to grow and prosper. The industry has progressed
greatly, but there have been steps taken backwards recently. In October of 2019, The Writer’s
Guild of America (WGA) announced they would be removing Videogame Writing as a category
for their annual awards until more associated writers and games are covered by the Guild.
Specifically, they mention they want a “critical mass” of WGA games (Allen). Not only is this a
slap to the face of countless artists and video game writers, but also to a booming industry which
is revolutionizing its own medium.
Why Video Games Deserve Study
To showcase why video games are deserving of study, a section of Ian Bogost’s article
titled The Rhetoric of Video Games will be discussed. In his article, Bogost writes about the
reasons why video games are not necessarily taken seriously by people. The main reason he
points this out is because they are “games” and are considered an “unproductive expenditure of
time” and childish (Bogost, p. 120). Play is a term associated with children and Bogost believes
video games need to be extended out from this mindset and to utilize a different definition. He
specifically quotes a more abstract definition from Katie Salen and Eric Zimmerman: “play is the
free space of movement within a more rigid structure” (Bogost, p. 120). Within this context, play
can be associated with any form of social or material practice or in other words “possibility
space” (Bogost, p. 120). “The possibility space of play includes all of the gestures made possible
by a set of rules” (Bogost, p. 120). Bogost goes on to talk about how the possibility space in
video games refer to the way we interact with the game and play the game. “The rules do not
merely create the experience of play – they also construct the meaning of the game” (Bogost, p.
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121). This means everything the video game involves whether they are the rules/mechanics, or
the overall experiences of the game all add to the significance of the game (Bogost, p. 121).
“Video games represent processes in the material world –
war, urban planning, sports, and so forth – and create new possibility
spaces for exploring those topics. That representation is composed
of the rules themselves. We encounter the meaning of games by
exploring their possibility spaces. And we explore their possibility
spaces through play” (Bogost, p. 121).
The stigma of video games needs to be broken. New definitions and views for how video
games are perceived need to be embraced. The video game industry has some of the most unique
and artistic creations in the world. Every piece of art has the potential to move people or to
inspire action or change in a person. There is one game that has revolutionized the art of
storytelling in the video game industry. The Last of Us is a piece of art that has been able to
change and shape people’s views.
The Last of Us
The Last of Us takes place in a post-apocalyptic United States which has become this way
due to an outbreak of the cordyceps fungus. It spreads across the country and eventually the world
(Naughty Dog 2014). Roughly 60% of the world’s population is believed to be dead and/or infected
with the cordyceps (Naughty Dog 2014). The fungus takes over the host’s brain and makes people
become zombie-like with the fungus sprouting out of their bodies (Baggs). This is all based on an

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actual fungi group called cordyceps which is made up of roughly 400 species. In the wild, these
parasitic fungi mainly attack ants and other insects (Hill).
In the game, people who have been infected are referred to as “infected”. Once a person is
infected with the cordyceps fungus, there is nothing they can do. There is no vaccine or cure.
Within a day or two, they will have lost their humanity to the cordyceps. The only thing they can
do to stop from turning is to commit suicide and die before the fungus can take over. There are
two primary ways people become infected with the cordyceps. Most often it is from being bitten
or scratched by an infected person which transmits the fungus into their body. They can also
breathe in fungal spores from mounds of the cordyceps that can be growing in dark and dreary
places such as subway tunnels and other areas devoid of sunlight. In the game, there are four
distinct stages to the cordyceps infection in people.
Runners are newly infected people because the fungus has only recently taken over their
bodies. Stage two infections are referred to as stalkers because they are found in dark places and
will ambush players who enter their territory. Stage three infections are referred to as clickers
because of their lack of eyesight due to the fungus growing over their eyes. To see, they use
echolocation like bats and will make distinct clicking noises. Stage four infections are referred to
as bloaters and a person must have been infected for a long time to become one. Their bodies are
fully taken over by the cordyceps fungus and they become large and grotesque as a result. Infected
only react to non-infected people, so they do not respond to each other. If they see a surviving
person, they will attack them with no hesitation.
Due to this setup, the game has a horror aspect to it, and therefore, is focused on survival.
However, not all the enemies in the game are infected people. Many surviving people are living
8

across the country, and as the main characters encounter them, they are hunted by them to gather
more resources for themselves to survive (Naughty Dog 2014). Due to this, there are multiple
perspectives for the player to see. They are playing as specific characters, and this creates the want
for the player to keep them alive. However, to survive the player must kill the other survivors
because they have no other choice besides being killed themselves. It is one thing to kill the
infected because they are no longer people. The fungus killed the person who once resided over
the body, but killing other survivors is harder to do. People are less predictable than infected. The
game depicts survival and the post-apocalyptic world itself as being black and white. Even in the
real-world, survival does not allow negotiation. To survive, people will resort to whatever is
necessary.
The Last of Us is one of the greatest games to come out of the last decade and many argue
it to be one of the best video games ever made. It is considered one of the best games of the past
generation of video games and many people consider the game to be the “game of the decade”
(Campbell). The game came out in June 2013 on the PlayStation 3 console and was rereleased on
the PlayStation 4 console in July 2014. It is described as a third-person action-adventure survival
horror game. The game has the player control Joel, a smuggler who is tasked with escorting a
teenage girl Ellie, across a post-apocalyptic United States (Naughty Dog 2014). The Last of Us has
been highly and critically acclaimed by a numerous amount of game critics, magazines, award
ceremonies, fans, and fellow game developers alike. The game has won multiple game of the year
awards and a sequel launched on June 19, 2020. There is even a comic set in the world of The Last
of Us. On February 14, 2014 new downloadable content (DLC) including a new story driven
single-player campaign was released which focuses on a prequel of Ellie before the events of the
9

main game (Naughty Dog 2014). In addition to all of these accolades, on March 5, 2020 it was
announced HBO will be making a television show based on The Last of Us with the head director
of the game, Neil Druckmann, being one of the lead writers and executive producers of the show
(Baggs). All this recognition and praise must speak to the legitimacy and relevance of video game
narratives. The Last of Us is a stark contrast to its game developer’s previous works.

Figure 1. The official cover art for The Last of Us featuring the main characters, Joel, and Ellie
Naughty Dog
Naughty Dog is the game studio who created The Last of Us as well as many other
successful and popular video game franchises. They are a first-party video game developer based
in Santa Monica, California which has a history of creating incredibly successful game franchises.
Up until the release of The Last of Us they had a production history of creating one specific game
franchise per video game console generation (Webster). Their first successful game series was
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Crash Bandicoot on the original PlayStation console. They followed up with the Jak and Daxter
game franchise on the PlayStation 2 console. For the PlayStation 3 console, they created the
Uncharted series which was hugely successful and ground-breaking. Towards the end of this
console generation is when the studio released The Last of Us. This was their first game which
focused heavily on the narrative as opposed to gameplay (Webster). On the PlayStation 4 console,
they created two new games for the Uncharted series and recently released the sequel of The Last
of Us in June 2020.
Narration vs. Gameplay
The gameplay of The Last of Us is different than most of Naughty Dog’s other games.
Their previous successful game series Uncharted was focused as a shooter game, meaning the
story and gameplay were not necessarily focused on each other (Naughty Dog 2007). Many people
compare The Last of Us with the Uncharted franchise because of how similar they are. This is a
valid comparison because during the development of The Last of Us, the Naughty Dog studio split
in two teams to create the next Uncharted game and The Last of Us. In the Uncharted series, there
are cinematic story moments which transition to gameplay which is how The Last of Us works as
well (Naughty Dog 2007). However, the belief for this thesis is the gameplay and cinematic
moments coincide better in The Last of Us.
In The Last of Us, the gameplay all connects to the story being focused on survival. You
as the player have the choice throughout most of the game to play how you want (Naughty Dog
2014). Due to all the various infected and survivors you come across during the journey, you must
constantly adapt and play the game accordingly. You can stealthily kill enemies through utilizing
the environment and the resources available to you, or you can use your guns and other weapons
11

to kill enemies to advance further in the game. There is a layer of realism to the gameplay as well.
If you choose to use guns, then infected and regular survivors will hear the noise and look for you.
When you are injured, you do not regain health automatically which is how the health system
works in the Uncharted games (Naughty Dog 2007). The only way to heal your health is to
find/create medical kits and use them. There are also limited resources available to you. Depending
on the difficulty the player is playing on, the amount of resources that can be found are scarcer the
higher the difficulty is set at. You can only carry so many materials/crafting resources, gun ammo,
and health kits. These various elements all add to the focus on realistic survival. You can also find
gear parts during the journey across the US which can be used to upgrade the weapons you acquire,
as well as to create other weapons such as Molotov cocktails and smoke bombs. There are also
supplements that can be used to upgrade different abilities such as the maximum health of the
character (Naughty Dog 2014).
There are also collectibles to find in the game which all tell stories of their own. There
are four types of collectibles in The Last of Us. They are artifacts, comic books, firefly pendants,
and training manuals. Artifacts are notes, journals, photographs, and other objects from the early
days of the outbreak. The comic books are an entire series titled Endure and Survive which Ellie
reads. Firefly pendants are like dog tags in the military where every Firefly has their own
pendent with their name. Training manuals are used to either upgrade existing weapons or to
craft new weapons (Naughty Dog 2014). Many artifacts depict early stages of the fungal
outbreak before the country completely fell apart where people were writing in journals and
leaving notes for their loved ones to find (Naughty Dog 2014).

12

Figure 2. Early artifact found in Bill’s Town chapter
These collectibles add to the narrative because they showcase the missing time from the
beginning of the apocalypse. Many times, when you pick up the artifacts and examine them, it will
trigger conversations for Joel and Ellie to engage in. Many of these conversations are focused on
Ellie asking about how the world used to be because all she knows is the post-apocalyptic world
(Naughty Dog 2014). Another important element of the gameplay is the game is showcased in a
third-person perspective which adds to the uniqueness of the video game media channel. A thirdperson perspective allows the player to see the character they are playing as a legitimate separate
character rather than themself. Games that focus on a first-person perspective make the player out
to be the main character, which also adds an extra layer to the storytelling of video games.

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The Importance of Storytelling
Video games are an entertainment medium and because of this, they are devoted to
entertaining the player. Storytelling is one of the oldest forms of entertainment. In fact, storytelling
is one of the foundations of what makes us human beings. We are so easily captivated and
mesmerized when we listen to stories told to us from other people. Storytelling has evolved over
the thousands of years mankind has existed on the planet. What started out as cave paintings on
walls, have become stories shown on giant screens. I do not think there is a single better storytelling
medium than video games. How can you beat a story where you yourself play as the main
character/s and experience the story along with them? When you watch a film or television show,
you are passively watching and absorbing what is happening on the screen. You yourself have no
control over what happens in the story. The same might be true of video games, but many games
allow the player to have complete control over what happens in the narrative.
The Uniqueness of Video Game Narratives
TellTale Games was a game studio who focused on making video game narratives that had
key points in the story where the player had to choose what the main character would do. These
decisions by the player would affect the game narrative moving forward (Webster). This type of
storytelling represents reality because everyone at some point in their lives regrets decisions they
have made. They wonder what would have happened if they chose something else. These video
game narratives make the player want to play the game again to see how the events differ based
on the different decisions available to them. Quantic Dream is another studio devoted to this more
realistic form of storytelling in video games. In their latest game Detroit: Become Human, there

14

are over a hundred different ways the story can end based on the player’s choices (Quantic Dream
2018).
Game studios like these two, who took unique approaches to storytelling, have helped
revolutionize the entire video game industry. Most video games contain a story that cannot be
changed or manipulated by the player which is true of most media narratives. However, Quantic
Dream and TellTale Games were both focused on having the narrative of their respective games
unfold based on the player’s actions. These are revolutionary methods of storytelling, which will
only become more prominent as we move towards the future with the development of virtual
reality. With virtual reality, entire stories can be experienced by the player themselves. The
technology is still relatively new, and many games are not capable of telling long stories through
virtual reality yet, but eventually the technology will be there for them to do so. Some people
believe video game characters do not accurately represent real people, but real people are used to
design and create the characters they play as. Not only that, but voice actors give a voice to those
characters as well. Nothing about these “virtual” characters is inhuman.
Video Game Production
Many video game production teams have used real people to base their characters from
(Ochami). Death Stranding, Until Dawn, God of War, and The Last of Us are all examples of
games that used real people to model the characters from. This is done using motion capture
technology. For The Last of Us, Troy Baker and Ashley Johnson, voiced their respective
characters, Joel and Ellie, and were used as bases of the character designs through motion capture
technology (Naughty Dog 2014). Voice acting is incredibly important not just for video games but
any animated form of media to give more life to the characters. Motion capture technology is
15

interesting as a production technique because of how it works. Instead of the animators creating
entire character models and animating all their movements, the actors are used to help with the
animation process. They are hooked up with numerous motion sensing cameras that record their
movements. Then, the animators can use this data to animate the characters instead (“The Rise
of…”). Not only does this make the job on the animators easier, but it also makes the characters
more realistic because actual people are the bases of the characters. The progress the video game
industry has made is substantial and with realistic characters comes more narrative driven games.
The Effects from The Last of Us
Since the release of The Last of Us, many game studios have begun to focus on story driven
games. Specifically, the game studios that are a part of Sony have been creating similarly strong
narratives. The PlayStation console is one of Sony’s biggest and most profitable products. Sony,
Microsoft, and Nintendo are the major companies involved in the video game console market
(Gilbert). PC gaming is also widespread and popular. Recently Google has created their own
gaming console platform called Stadia as well (Gilbert). Considering the competition all these
companies are in, it is no surprise they each need to separate their consoles from the other consoles
on the market. Sony’s main advertising campaigns since the debut of the PlayStation 4 have been
focused on their exclusive titles, as opposed to the core features of the console or anything else
(Gilbert). This is believed to be because of the extreme popularity and success of The Last of Us.
The exclusive games should be the sole focus of the advertising for a video game console.
The PlayStation and Xbox consoles have consistently competed over being the superior console.
Based on their functions and designs, they have been built relatively similar and play games at the
same graphical capabilities as well as other similar features (Gilbert). Because of this, Sony has
16

established and acquired specific first-party studios across the world to produce games specifically
for the PlayStation console. This was done to further the differences between the PlayStation and
other gaming consoles and services. Many PlayStation exclusive games that have been released
since The Last of Us have received similar critical acclaim based on the characters and narratives
being portrayed (Hood et. al). God of War, Horizon: Zero Dawn, Marvel’s Spiderman, and Death
Stranding are a couple of examples that have become staple series for the PlayStation 4 console
(Hood et. al). Since The Last of Us has had such a great impact on the PlayStation brand, the main
focus of this analysis will be on the strength of the narrative of The Last of Us. This analysis will
focus on the main themes of the story and various other elements which will be discussed later.
Due to this focus, there is a specific research question this thesis will be focused on:
RQ: How is the survival focused narrative of The Last of Us capable of impacting a player and
brand so much?
The narrative of The Last of Us will be broken down using narrative criticism which will
be discussed further in the next section.
Narrative Analysis
Naturally, a definition of a narrative is an important place to start to explain narrative
criticism.
“A narrative text is one that brings a world to the mind
(setting) and populates it with intelligent agents (characters). These
agents participate in actions and happenings (events, plot), which
cause global changes in the narrative world. Narrative is thus a
17

mental representation of causally connected states and events that
captures a segment in the history of a world and of its members”
(Foss 320).
This definition lays out four key parts of a narrative: at least two events, an organized order
in which the events take place, there must be a causal relationship among the events in the story,
and a narrative must be focused on a specific unified subject (Foss 320). Narrative criticism focuses
on analyzing the narrative of an object to find its overall objective and to discover any hidden
meanings throughout the narrative (Foss 326). The use and study of narratives dates to Ancient
Greece and Rome with classic philosophers Aristotle and Quintilian writing about narration (Foss
321). However, narratives were not focused as a subject of study until the 20th century where many
scholars across a multitude of disciplines began to utilize and focus on narratives as a valid source
of study. Some of these scholars are Vladimir Propp, Roland Barthes, Gerard Genette, and Wayne
C. Booth (Foss 321-322). These 20th century scholars realized the impact and importance of
narratives to people and their studies helped the knowledge and study of narratives to grow. The
discovery of the impact of narratives to human beings helped shape advocacy efforts for a wide
array of subjects as well as helping to shape company and brand narratives as well. Narratives are
a great tool to be used to spread certain messages or beliefs to a wide audience. By doing so, it
makes it easier for people to conceptualize and think about them, rather than if they were present
in their everyday lives (Foss 322).
Narrative criticism has been heavily influenced by Walter Fisher’s theory of the narrative
paradigm. This theory was influential for developing and understanding the study of narratives in
the communication discipline (Foss 322). The theory is based on the belief that all meaningful
18

communication is done utilizing storytelling and narration (“The Narrative Paradigm”). Since our
current selves are products of our past experiences, Fisher believed that our past experiences
always play a factor in how we communicate and in our decision-making. Fisher’s theory of the
narrative paradigm focuses on the believability of a narrative on an audience based on two
principles. These are coherence and fidelity. Coherence is the degree of sense making of a narrative
(“The Narrative Paradigm”). This is influenced primarily by three factors: the structure of a
narrative, the resemblance between stories, and the credibility of the characters. Fidelity is defined
as the credibility or reliability of the narrative in question (“The Narrative Paradigm”). Fidelity
needs to answer certain questions for the audience. Are the events described really factual? Have
the facts been distorted while narrating? How does the argument in the story effect the decision
making of the listener? (“The Narrative Paradigm”). This theory is like the basic model of
communication. This model has a sender and receiver, and storytelling works the same way. The
only difference is it adds extra elements to the messages being sent and how they are interpreted
by the receiver. Walter Fisher’s theory of the narrative paradigm and narrative criticism will be
the two forms of analysis for the narrative analysis of The Last of Us.
Focal Areas
There are many areas this analysis of The Last of Us will focus on. The specific focal point
of this analysis will be looking at the narrative specifically being shown through a video game.
Walter Fisher’s theory will be crucial to this point based on how most video games do not represent
reality. This is especially true in the case of video game narratives because they are set in other
worlds or different versions of our own world, which adds to the unrealistic nature of video game
narratives. Video game characters are also typically powerful, and not entirely accurate as real
19

human beings. This study will help individuals understand how realistic gaming helps add to
narrative fidelity. Hopefully, this will encourage future researchers to do similar studies on other
groundbreaking video games that will be released in the future. Another hope from this thesis is to
see video games being studied for their positive effects on mental health across all age groups
instead of the continuous stigmatization on the negative effects of video games.
Another focal point will be looking at the characters and what they symbolize. The main
characters from The Last of Us have been one of if not the most highlighted aspect of the game
from critics and fans alike (Baggs). This analysis aims to break the characters down and find the
symbols and meaning that makes them so acclaimed and loved. Another focal point is the
apocalyptic setting to discover why this setting decision was made for the game. This is a specific
type of setting and is also a common setting for many media narratives in recent years. A few
narratives that come to mind are Horizon: Zero Dawn, I am Legend, the Fallout game series, and
The Planet of the Apes franchise. Specific research questions regarding the characters are listed
below:
Q4: What do the main two characters symbolize?
Q5: Why do these symbols resonate with players?
Another major focal point of this analysis is to advocate for the acknowledgement of video
games as a storytelling media channel. The end goal of this thesis is for positive progressive change
to be made in terms of people’s perceptions of the video game industry. The video game industry
deserves recognition and respect from regular people, scholars, critics, and fellow gamers alike.
The hope is for these changes and progress to be spread to other industries. This can help make
20

certain topics more prominent to be addressed by our elected leaders and officials. We should
always be striving for positive change and this thesis is focused on this endeavor wholeheartedly.
Looking Forward
This thesis will be made up of four more chapters in the following order: a literature review,
a methodology section, the narrative analysis, and an overall conclusion of the study. In the
literature review, I will be reviewing studies and articles utilizing the same research tools and
criticism methodologies. In the methodology section, I will go into further detail about the specific
way I will conduct my analysis. The analysis section will be focused on my actual in-depth analysis
of the narrative of The Last of Us. The conclusion will be focused on addressing the findings from
my analysis and addressing areas of potential future research and the overall implications of the
study.

21

CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW
Introduction to Literature Review
The focus of this literature review will be on video game research. Most of the research
chosen for this chapter focuses on different aspects of video games to showcase the broad scope
of potentiality for video game research. Some researchers and articles were chosen because of
the differing stances they take to the study of ludology (the study of video games). Rather than
focusing on the traditional and stigmatic view of video games, the scholars selected look at video
games as legitimate rhetorical artifacts worthy of study. Not only will this study influence
communication and ludology research, but the hope is to break the stigma of video games
through this study as well. Later, the focus will switch to specific research on video game
narratives which will help to guide the narrative analysis of The Last of Us. The only piece of
research not necessarily focused on video games is an essay from Roland Barthes which is
focused on the rhetorical implications of images which will begin this chapter.
Rhetoric of the Image
This essay from Roland Barthes delves into the implications of images as symbols and
whether images can create meaning when they are not entirely real. He believed all images are
22

mere representations of what they are. Through a picture or image, you can see something, but
you do not see it in any other way than how the image presents it to you (Barthes, p. 32). Due to
this, images can trick you into believing certain characteristics or appearances are true. This is
clear to see in the modern age with editing technologies such as photoshop. Models and images
are enhanced and edited to make them appear to be something they are not. Another example can
be a simple family picture. A family picture only shows the family in that moment but there is no
connection to who those people are themselves or why the picture was taken. For all we know,
the family could hate each other. No one would guess this because the family picture seems to
represent happiness and love.
Barthes focuses on advertising images in his essay because they are used to sell products
which means they were chosen for a reason. For instance, he breaks down an advertising image
to reveal three hidden meanings all images share. These are the linguistic message, the denoted
image, and the connoted message (Barthes, p. 37). Through his analysis of the advertising image,
Barthes showcases how every detail of the image plays a role as a signifier that gives
significance to the entire image itself. This includes the text surrounding an image, the specific
pieces of the image, and the meaning of the image. Nothing is included in an image for no reason
because every piece plays a part in the construction of the whole. This is especially true in
advertising considering the advertiser is trying to sell some type of message or feeling in their
product or service to gain a profit. As this article has clearly shown, imagery is powerful and can
be intricate in its creation.
This article was chosen for this literature review because of the usage of images
throughout this thesis. They were all chosen to bring more significance to not only The Last of
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Us, but also the video game industry itself. While Barthes would potentially argue the dangerous
implications of the imagery from video games due to their unreal nature, this thesis argues they
can be powerful imagery tools instead. Every year, video games appear to be more realistic from
a graphical standpoint. Not only this, but the characters can represent real human beings and that
can have a profound effect on people. People are more willing to connect with those who share
their values and who have had similar experiences. If film and television imagery can be
impactful on people’s lives, then how is video game imagery any different? The argument from
this thesis would suggest the “unreal” imagery of video games can be incredibly impactful to
people if given the chance they deserve.
Video Games as Rhetorical Artifacts
One of the most influential researchers of video games as rhetorical artifacts is Ian
Bogost. Throughout many of his works, he writes about video games as a different medium
compared to other media channels. The next article for this literature review will be his article
titled The Rhetoric of Video Games, which was briefly discussed in the previous chapter.
In this article, Bogost delves into various video games as rhetorical artifacts as well as
talking about “gamer” culture. One such example is Animal Crossing which is about the player
beginning life in a small-town involving working, upgrading, and other miscellaneous tasks.
Bogost describes the game as:
“a game about everyday life in a small town but also about
long-term debt. It is a game about the repetition of mundane work
necessary to support contemporary material property ideals. It is a
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game about the bittersweet consequences of acquiring goods and
keeping up with the Joneses” (Bogost, p. 119).
Animal Crossing is a prime example of a video game that does not fit into the stigmatic
view of video games in society. The game is about the player’s own life living in a capitalistic
society. This game proves the point mentioned in the previous chapter of video games being
more than what they are at face value. There is always some underlying theme or element
present in the game from the developers. Often, these can be connected to society or specific
social groups.
In Bogost’s article, he talks about the importance and relevance of communities in video
game culture. As Bogost points out, “video game play could be understood as a community of
practice” (Bogost, p. 119). Communities are formed for individual games such as Animal
Crossing where fellow players can gather to discuss the game, share their experiences, and help
one another out by answering questions etc. (Bogost, p. 119). An important distinction Bogost
points out in this article is how video games and the communities associated with them do not
represent values from inside of the game, but rather the values in our society (Bogost, p. 119).
“They are media where cultural values themselves can be
represented – for critique, satire, education, or commentary. When
understood in this way, we can learn to read games as deliberate
expressions of particular perspectives. In other words, video games
make claims about the world, which players can understand,
evaluate, and deliberate” (Bogost, p. 119).

25

In this sense, video games have a more practical and educational aspect to them as
opposed to the stereotypical outlook of them being mentally damaging and psychologically
impairing.
Bogost continues his discussion by focusing on video games as rhetorical artifacts and
how to study them. This is important for the current study because The Last of Us will be studied
as a rhetorical artifact that undoubtedly holds significant meaning to the fans of the game. Bogost
uses the term procedural rhetoric based on how video games utilize procedures in their
construction and play. Procedural rhetoric is the practice of authoring arguments through
processes (Bogost, p. 125). Video games can utilize procedural rhetoric based on the various
elements they are made up of such as coding and programming.
“…its arguments are made not through the construction of
words or images, but through the authorship of rules of behavior, the
construction of dynamic models. In computation, those rules are
authored in code, through the practice of programming” (Bogost, p.
125).
This provides further evidence as to why video games are more intricate and worthy of
study compared to other media channels. Video games are designed by creators to be played and
interacted with in specific ways. Every detail and capability the player has available to them was
done on purpose. This indicates the need for video games to be studied as rhetorical artifacts and
validates the current study being done.

26

Next, Bogost delves into how video games are prime artifacts to showcase procedural
rhetoric through making claims about the world. One example he uses is The McDonald’s
Videogame. This game examines the business structure of McDonald’s and showcases the
various ethical, immoral, and tragic business decisions the corporation makes.
“The player controls four separate aspects of the
McDonald’s production environment, each of which he has to
manage simultaneously: the third-world pasture where cattle are
raised as cheaply as possible; the slaughterhouse where cattle are
fattened for slaughter; the restaurant where burgers are sold; and the
corporate offices where lobbying, PR, and marketing are managed.
In each sector, the player must make difficult business choices, but
more importantly he must make difficult moral choices. In the
pasture, the player must create enough cattle grazing land and soy
crops to produce the meat required to run the business. But only a
limited number of fields are available; to acquire more land, the
player must bribe the local governor for rights to convert his
people’s crops into corporate ones. More extreme tactics are also
available: the player can bulldoze rain forest or dismantle
indigenous settlements to clear space for grazing. These tactics
correspond with the questionable business practices the developers
want to critique.” (Bogost, p. 126-127).

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This is a prime example of a video game serving a greater purpose than being strictly for
entertainment purposes. The McDonald’s Videogame showcases decisions and business practices
that are made every day by corporations such as McDonald’s. By continually supporting these
types of businesses, people are allowing them to prosper. Why are businesses who continue to
ruin the environment and people’s livelihoods being supported by the public? Without this game
being made, many people would never have been exposed to the outright greed and corruption
businesses thrive on behind the scenes.
Another underlying aspect of our society video games can help to expose are ideologies
in the world. These tend to be the hidden ways of thinking that often drives social, political, and
cultural behavior (Bogost, p. 128). One game Bogost focuses on in this section is the first-person
shooter America’s Army: Operations which was conceived and published by the U.S. Army as a
recruiting and communications tool (Bogost, p. 128).
“The game was released on the Army’s website for free and
within the first six months over one million users had registered, of
which over 600,000 had completed the game’s basic rifle
marksmanship and combat training, a necessary step before gaining
access to combat missions” (Bogost, p. 128-129).
However, unlike many first-person shooters, the game follows strict rules of warfare
where you must abide by the rules of engagement and not go against them. Going against the
proper protocols and rules will put the player in a prison cell and they might not get the chance to
redeem themselves (Bogost, p. 129). America’s Army: Operations utilizes procedural rhetoric to
establish a clear understanding for the players to know what it is like to join and be recruited as
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new U.S. Army recruits. While this decision from the U.S. Army showcases serious ethical and
moral problems, this warrants more reasoning as to why video games deserve study. If anything,
this shows the game developers need to be studied just as much as the game itself.
Bogost’s article was crucial for establishing a need for research on video games by
providing an overview of video games and their uniqueness as rhetorical artifacts. As Bogost has
shown in his article, video games can be utilized in a variety of ways other than being purely for
entertainment to address criticisms of our society. His article may not have addressed the
narrative elements in video games, but his research is still important to outline the current state
of video game study. While Bogost’s article focused on an overview of video games, the
following articles will be looking at specific elements of video games.
Post-Apocalyptic Narratives
The third article focused specifically on analyzing post-apocalyptic video game
narratives. Some of these video game narratives were The Last of Us, Fallout 4, The Walking
Dead, and Plants vs Zombies (Pérez-Latorre). Due to the author utilizing The Last of Us in its
study, this makes it a necessary article to utilize in this literature review. This article focused on
looking at these post-apocalyptic narratives and comparing them to the Great Recession and
finding key aspects from that era in the games. The author termed these key aspects “utopian
enclaves” which make up the sample of the study. Specifically, the underlying utopian enclaves
were post-apocalyptic cowboys, back to nature and do-it-yourself, and community leaders,
empathy, and rebelliousness (Pérez-Latorre). The sample consisted of multiple best-selling video
games between 2009 and 2017 (Pérez-Latorre).

29

The article begins by describing post-apocalyptic narratives and the questions they
usually ask: “Post-apocalyptic narrative tends to gravitate towards issues like: What went wrong?
How can we survive? What kind of new life and new society will emerge from the rubble?”
(Pérez-Latorre). These are important questions for the current research study considering The
Last of Us is a post-apocalyptic narrative itself and utilizes these questions. From prior research
the article addresses post-apocalyptic video game narratives as “critical dystopias” and the author
goes into detail about this term:
“There are two types of dystopian narratives: the first is the
anti-utopia, that is, narratives in which there is no room for hope,
where social change seems impossible, and where the main
character is incapable of “fixing” a wrecked society or changing its
direction. The second is the “critical dystopia,” in which the narrator
offers at least one utopian enclave or holds out that the dystopia can
be overcome and replaced with utopia” (Pérez-Latorre).
As the article points out, many video game narratives have the player play as the hero or
the character tasked with bringing humanity/civilization back from the brink of destruction. This
presents a unique perspective for the player because they are playing as a potential savior of
humanity and civilization. The implications of this task are monumental and must bring some
sense of responsibility in the player. This article is important for establishing the study of the
setting for this analysis of The Last of Us due to the post-apocalyptic setting tied to its narrative.

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Uses and Gratifications in Gaming
The following article focused on looking at the video game media channel as a source of
entertainment beyond the scope of traditional entertainment media channels many scholars in the
past have examined.
“Traditionally, entertainment has been conceptualized in
communication

research

as

a

hedonic

experience,

with

conceptualizations and measurement of entertainment focusing
primarily on enjoyment. Recent research efforts, however, have
broadened

that

conceptual

scope

by

investigating

media

entertainment experiences that go beyond enjoyment, such as a
deeper appreciation of moving or thought‐provoking media
narratives” (Elson, Malte, et al., p. 521).
This article utilizes the terms hedonic and eudaimonic to represent enjoyment and
pleasure received from playing video games. Both terms refer to happiness gained, but in
different ways. Hedonic happiness is derived from experiences of pleasure and enjoyment
whereas eudaimonic happiness is derived from experiences of meaning and purpose. The
researchers of this article look at video games as being sites where both forms of happiness can
be obtained.
The article emphasizes on needing to look at video games differently as an entertainment
medium because of the various elements that are unique to video games themselves. These
elements create a stronger effect on the narrative of the games. People engage with media to
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satisfy needs they have at any present moment. This study revealed video games can be even
more satisfying than other forms of media based on multiple elements which strengthen video
game narratives further.
“Building on the framework provided by the IMP (Integrated
Model of Player Experience), we propose that both hedonic and
eudaimonic gratifications from digital games depend on the
interplay of variables related to game narratives, mechanics, and the
social context of play. Similar to other media, the narrative of a
game is a much better means for eliciting meaningful experiences
and delivering eudaimonic gratifications, but with digital games the
experience of that narrative can be augmented and enhanced
dramatically by game mechanics” (Elson, Malte, et al., p. 537).
The conclusions for this article are important for this study because they showcase how
video game narratives are stronger based on multiple other elements that work with the narrative,
such as social engagement and the mechanics of the game. Not only that, but this study also
proves video games provide happiness to gamers which breaks the stigma of the impairment of
video games. While The Last of Us might not be a multiplayer game, there can still be a social
aspect to the game. The ability to engage with other fans and gamers alike about the narrative
can be impactful on the player and can help influence the meaning and importance behind the
video game narrative. This social connection of gaming will be the primary focus in the
following article.

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The Socialization of Video Games
The final article looking at specific elements of video games is focused on looking at the
positive effects of video games on players’ lives. Specifically, the researchers analyzed online
forums where fellow gamers interact with each other and discuss the positive impact of video
games on their lives. This is an important study in relation to the current study because of the
focus on real messages from gamers about the effects of video games on their lives. There is no
better way to advocate for the positive effect of video games than to use messages from real
gamers.
“While some game developers argue that the full potential
of video games is yet to be explored, many players already articulate
the profound impact and everyday effects of video games on their
lives, thus contributing to the “social institutionalization” of gaming.
Indeed, at the level of personal experience, people have regularly
expressed and shared stories of how their lives were affected by
books, movies, or video games. Such statements can be analyzed
“not as evidence of what people really know or believe, but as a form
of social action which serves particular social purposes”
(Bourgonjon, Jeroen, et al., p. 1733).
This focus was chosen based on the growing relevance of video games as well as to
further research on new media technologies and the arts.

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“… defining what games are and what they do can be
described as “a site of struggle,” which is defined in the article as “a
point in the dialectic where rhetorical forces are exerted in an effort
to gain dominance over competitors, technologies, players,
concerned citizens, and the media” (Bourgonjon, Jeroen, et al., p.
1733).
The researchers utilized New Rhetoric to analyze the sample of messages they assembled
from a multitude of different popular online game forums.
“According to Kenneth Burke, a founding father of the New
Rhetoric, discourse should not merely be studied as argumentative
persuasion but also as an important mechanism in the construction
of meaning. The New Rhetoric examines how people adopt and
repurpose terms and arguments that have long existed in the public
sphere or intellectual tradition. It thus provides us with the
epistemological basis to understand how people’s talk about the
impact of video games is constitutive of both the personal and social
construction of the impact of video games” (Bourgonjon, Jeroen, et
al., p. 1733-1734).
Utilizing the sample created by the researchers, they conducted a qualitative content
analysis to understand the underlying themes and messages within the discussion forum. “All
messages were screened using directed qualitative content analysis, focusing on expressions of
how video games positively changed the life of the players” (Bourgonjon, Jeroen, et al., p. 1735).
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The sample was made up of 964 messages that were coded by trained coders to determine which
coding categories each message fell into. Some of the most notable coding categories discovered
through their study were civilization, self-development, personal well-being, catharsis,
education, and significant part of life (Bourgonjon, Jeroen, et al., p. 1736).
“By analyzing players’ positive experiences using a theorybased coding scheme that is attentive to the wide array of effects that
have been ascribed to the arts, this study offers a broad perspective
on the attributed impact of video games. We found traces of most
arts-centered categories in players’ forum messages” (Bourgonjon,
Jeroen, et al., p. 1744).
The overall conclusions of this study are important for the current study because of the
focus on advocacy for video games and the narrative capabilities of them as well. The results of
this study showed clear falsities in the societal view of video games being detrimental to a
person’s health. Two results distinctly stood out:
“Many

players

challenge

the

overly

negative

conceptualization of the impact of video games in the academic
debate. With regard to escapism, players provide indications of
improved feelings of personal well-being, for example, by traveling
to virtual worlds” (Bourgonjon, Jeroen, et al., p. 1745). “In contrast
to research on mental health risks as a consequence of video gaming,
we found that many messages rather focus on the psychological
benefits. This might inform research on the use of video games in
35

institutionalized therapeutic practice. Based on players’ descriptions
of gaming as self-medicating - for both daily concerns (e.g. stress
relief) and serious psychological traumas (e.g. abuse) - we suggest
a reassessment of this negative evaluation through further research
on the testimonies of players” (Bourgonjon, Jeroen, et al., p. 1745).
Many of the forum messages that were coded and analyzed in the study were focused on
game narratives and how they shaped and changed how gamers saw aspects of the world or
themselves. Two messages stood out:
“It sounds silly, but exposing myself to a lot of video games,
books, and movies since I was young has certainly affected my
outlook on life and worldview. Many people scoff at the archetypal
hero and the notions he or she throws around, but those are things
I’ve internalized and worked into the way I see things” (Bourgonjon,
Jeroen, et al., p. 1740).
Unlike what many would like to believe, video games (as well as media in general) can be
profoundly impactful on people’s lives.
“For me, Lost Odyssey would have to be the one game in my
life that has really altered my perspective of things. After playing it,
I began looking at things very differently. After all, having just spent
the last however many hours seeing the world through the eyes of a
man who could never die, and always lived on regardless of those
36

he left behind, you can’t help but be affected in some way”
(Bourgonjon, Jeroen, et al., p. 1740).
Fictional narratives can have a profound effect on people especially when they are
presented to a person at specific moments in their lives. This study showcases specific positive
impacts of video games on people which is precisely what this thesis is advocating for. This
study showcases how the video game industry needs advocacy actions to be taken to change
society’s view of video games towards a positive direction.
From here on, the literature review will begin to focus on specific narrative elements of
video games.
Narrative Focused Literature
In the article written by Thomas H. Apperley, he focuses on readdressing how video
games should be studied. Specifically, he investigates genres and criticizes scholars on using the
same genres other media channels use to define video games.
“I suggest that the primary problem with conventional video
game genres is that rather than being a general description of the
style of ergodic interaction that takes place within the game, it is
instead loose aesthetic clusters based around video games’ aesthetic
linkages to prior media forms” (Apperley, p. 7).
Ergodic interaction in this case is the specific interactions video games present the player
with. The interactivity of video games changes the way video games should be viewed and why
they should not be categorized in the same groups. Considering every video game brings
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different interactivity elements to the player, Apperley believes no two games can be categorized
into the same genre because interactivity is the main defining element of video games compared
to other media.
The narrative focus in this article is derived from the different viewpoints video game
scholars utilize. In traditional video game study, the researchers are concerned with
understanding video games through their structure and elements specifically regarding the rules
of the game. Contrast to this view, is the narratological concern from other researchers who are
focused on understanding video games through their narrative and representational strategies.
Based on these two distinctions between researchers, genre plays a key role in video game study.
One set of researchers are focused more on the video game genre itself whereas the other set of
researchers is focused on looking at the video game in an all-encompassing view, taking into
consideration the narrative and the genre of the game. Thus far, the information discussed in this
thesis has helped Apperley in his argument for video games needing to be looked past their
genres and focused more on their narratives and other unique elements.
A key element of Apperley’s argument stems from the targeted audience for video
games: “…it must be noted that players of games - that is, their audience - are not necessarily
satisfied with the same generic conventions being endlessly repeated” (Apperley, p. 9). Genre
gives the audience expectations of what to expect but video games are not a stagnant media
channel. The industry is constantly in a state of flux and innovation from development teams all
around the world, as well as continuous technological advances. Video game players rarely want
the same stories and gameplay mechanics rehashed repeatedly. Player bases always want more
from the next installment or new project in the works. Due to this, there are practically no video
38

games that are the same as another unless they are a part of the same franchise. However, even in
cases such as this, there are usually new mechanics and gameplay features different than the
previous entries. This clearly demonstrates a distinct feature of video games from an analytical
standpoint. If the video games are not the same based on narrative features or gameplay
mechanics, then how can they be categorized into the same genres? If anything, this is insulting
to the creative and innovative teams creating new original video games. How can their creations
be reduced to simple genres? Why should their unique game be in the same category of another
game that is completely different?
This article highlights specific issues surrounding video game study and the limitations
those issues create for scholars studying video games. The Last of Us is no different to any other
video game being categorized into different genres, but this thesis will argue the game is far from
a typical game in its genre classification primarily because of the narrative. The genre
classification does not provide justice for the game being one of the most important video games
from the past decade as has been previously discussed.
The study from Teun Dubbelman examines the new possibilities in the storytelling
practices of video games. Specifically, Dubbelman investigates how narration is often looked at
as representational and argues video game narratives cannot be looked at the same as traditional
media narratives. In Dubbelman’s article, there is a primary focus on critiquing structuralist
narratology. This is a view of narratives derived from structuralism, which states nothing can be
understood or studied by itself, but rather needs to be looked at as a piece of a larger structure.
“Though scholars in what often is referred to as structuralist
narratology disagree about the exact definition of narrative, their
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work unanimously conceives narrative as representational in nature.
…these narratologists believe the standard conception of narrativity
to be manifested in the act of telling somebody else that something
happened, with the assumption that the addressee is not already
aware of the events” (Dubbelman, p. 159).
Narratives being representational in nature indicates the narrator is giving new life to the
events of the narrative by recounting events that happened in the past.
“The concept of recounting implies that the events expressed
(the story) already happened and find themselves re-presented in the
present by some discourse, whether verbal, written, pantomimic or
any other form of narrative transmission. For structuralist
narratologists, then, a narrative retrieves the there-and-then in the
here-and-now, thereby suppressing (but not replacing) our direct
experience of the here-and-now” (Dubbelman, p. 159).
This view is legitimate when looking at narratives derived from traditional storytelling
techniques such as through oral or written communicative forms. However, this view is trickier
to uphold when narratives without a narrator are analyzed.
Not all narratives require a narrator to be present for a story to be understood. There are a
countless number of television shows and films that do not contain any sort of narrator. In these
narratives, the stories are not being recounted and are rather being presented to the audience.
While both representational and presentational narratives have impacts on the audience, based
40

off Walter Fisher’s theory of the narrative paradigm, presentational narratives are stronger. If a
narrative is presentational as opposed to being focused on representation, then it is more
impactful on the audience. This is because presentational narratives involve the audience
whereas representational narratives do not (Dubbelman, p. 162-163). When a narrator is present
in a story, then there is a sense of knowing how the narrative will end whereas if a narrator is
absent, then the result is a mystery to the audience. Presentational narratives are focused on
providing first-hand real-life experiences. Couple this with the impact narratives can have on
people, and the power of presentational narratives is profound.
Video games are entirely presentational as opposed to representational considering the
player is taking part in the story. Typically, the player assumes a major role in the narrative of
the game, which makes the narrative more impactful on the player. No other media channel
offers the audience a central and integral part in the story besides a select few of niche
exceptions, such as choose your own adventure books. The argument can be made not all video
games are presentational in nature and can be more representational. However, there is the
argument that the multiple elements in video games create the presence necessary for a story to
be presentational:
“Events feel as if coming into existence in the very moment
they are expressed as the discourse focuses on describing what
happens in the here-and-now (description), rather than providing a
lot of background information on the plot (exposition). Plots
fragment into episodes and encounters. Unlike the representological
mode, where the discourse structures events in tight strings of cause41

and-effect, the discourse of presentation places events meaningfully
beside each other rather than after each other” (Dubbelman, p. 168).
The most important element of video games is the player playing as the protagonist,
which creates the presence of the player in the narrative. In Dubbelman’s article, he utilizes
Henry Jenkins’ work Game Design as Narrative Architecture to discuss the idea of video games
being spatial and how this makes them more presentational in nature.
“In many cases, the characters – our guides through these
richly-developed worlds – are stripped down to the bare bones,
description displaces exposition, and plots fragment into a series of
episodes and encounters. … Spatial stories also portray the
protagonist less as a distinctive other and more as an empty vessel
for somebody to project one’s own identity on. Because of this, they
succeed in extending our physical presence and thus function
effectively as guides through richly developed worlds” (Dubbelman,
p. 168).
The player being put into the position of needing to learn about the world they have been
thrown into, as well as being tasked as the protagonist of the video game, is enough to define
video games as presentational based narratives. This article is crucial to this narrative analysis of
The Last of Us because it is focused on painting a new light for video game narratives. As
previously discussed, this is one of the main focuses of this thesis. The presence phenomenon
discussed in this article plays an important role for the player in the consumption of the narrative.

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The concept of presence will be utilized later in the analysis of The Last of Us because it is a
primary factor in how a player will be impacted by a video game narrative.
The final study for this literature review is the study by Aaron Hess based on the game
Medal of Honor: Rising Sun. Unlike the previous two articles, this article delves into how this
specific game helps to construct public memory of the events of World War 2 through the
narrative of the game by utilizing narrative criticism (Hess, p. 339).
“While other war video games arguably glamorize war, such
as Aces of the Pacific or Axis & Allies, Medal of Honor: Rising Sun
combines violence with history, providing gamers with a seemingly
educational and realist portrayal of the era. Its first-person
perspective provides gamers with direct contact with its narrative
and immerses players into its historical narrative.” (Hess, p. 339340).
Public memory is an important focal point because of the historical significance of the
events from World War 2 the game delves into. Public memory can also be important for the
current study to assess the potential changing shifts in how video games are perceived by society.
A particularly interesting and noteworthy point from this study was how Medal of Honor:
Rising Sun and many other video games provide the opportunity to allow players to help shape
public memory while individually experiencing the fictionalized versions of historical events.
“The use of digital interactive media, then, highlights an
exceptional location of public memory, whereby the creation of
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memory via a public artifact is experienced in private spaces. Users
are invited to take part in history from their living rooms, replicating
the museum, from a video game console” (Hess, p. 341).
The main implication Hess points out in his article is the chilling prospect these
fictionalized versions of history can change the gamer’s perspective on war and their recollection
of what happened during major historical moments. While creativity is important for the
development of a video game, Hess is right in his argument of how video games have potential
implications for society and citizens.
“…historical war games attempt to create an experiential
history, placing gamers inside the war rather than witnessing it from
the camera’s purview. The danger of this teaching lies in its subtle
form: gamers come for entertainment and walk away with selective
memories of the past” (Hess, p. 354).
As this article has pointed out, video games have the potential to reshape public memory
of real events, which is a serious outcome. Keep in mind, this study is from one game
specifically, so there cannot be definitive conclusions to associate all video games with this
discovery. However, game developers should be made more aware of the impact they can have
on gamers especially when they are developing a game specifically focused on history. While
The Last of Us is not a game focused on real history, the narrative delves into an alternate future
which can be used to better understand our own society.

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Summary
As this chapter has shown, video games have many intricate variables and elements
associated with them as opposed to simply shooting and killing enemies. The chapter began by
defining and better understanding imagery through the essay written by Roland Barthes and the
importance it can bring to video game research. Bogost’s research shows how video games are
highly educational and can help people to learn valuable skills and information. Pérez-Latorre’s
article showcases how post-apocalyptic narratives are often based on actual historic moments in
history which indicates a significant element traceable in those narratives. The article from Elson
and his colleagues shows video games need to be analyzed and looked at differently by scholars
and the public alike because of their uniqueness as a media channel. The article from Bourgonjon
and his colleagues showcases real messages and emotions from gamers who say video games
have been monumental and helpful for their lives. Thomas Apperley’s article focused on
changing video game study by reshaping the notion of genres and what they represent. Teun
Dubbelman’s article focused on how video games are a powerful media channel for delivering
narratives due to their presentational form. Hess’ article focused on an actual narrative analysis
of a video game utilizing narrative criticism. In the next chapter, the methodology of the
narrative analysis of The Last of Us will be discussed.

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CHAPTER THREE: METHODOLOGY
This chapter will focus on outlining the analysis of The Last of Us. Specifically, the
chapter will delve heavily into narrative criticism because of it being a central aspect to this
study. However, it is important to address the importance of storytelling before discussing
narrative criticism. This will help to showcase the importance of storytelling not only in our
lives, but also for the communication discipline as well. After this, the chapter will shift to
outlining the actual narrative analysis of The Last of Us, which will be done in chapter four.
The Relationship Between Communication and Narrative
Narratives are impossible to avoid in the present day. Narratives are present in the media
as well as in our own lives. We break our own lives down to a narrative to better understand
ourselves and our memories. When we explain to people our memories and past experiences, we
tell them through a narrative because it makes it easier for them to digest and understand. Since
narratives are so prevalent throughout society, it is necessary these narratives be examined and
better understood. Researchers use a variety of ways to study people’s usage of narratives such
as interviews. “Because narrative is one of the major ways in which people perceive, experience,
and evaluate their actions, people often shape their responses to interview questions as stories”
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(Foss, p. 322). This showcases the engrained power and prevalence of narratives in people.
“Narratives are now being used in the communication discipline not simply as stories to be
studied for their meaning and significance but also as research tools” (Foss, p. 322). Some key
areas of the communication discipline that can benefit from studying narratives are interpersonal
communication, organizational communication, and political communication. All three of these
areas are crucial sites where narratives are not only created, but continuously change as well.
Storytelling as a communicative practice has significance in the communication
discipline. Communication is a vital area of study because nothing can be learned without
communication being present. Humanity would not be the dominant species of the planet if there
was no communication among our species. Communication and storytelling can be incredibly
impactful on people especially when they can change their perspectives or how they interpret the
world. This thesis argues for enacting change throughout society, and narratives are crucial to
this endeavor. The inclusion of narratives has been shown to be effective for helping people to
understand other points of view and perspectives.
“Patients, for example, may be asked to construct narratives
about their illnesses to help medical professionals understand their
experiences and to develop specific intervention plans for them. In
disability studies, the narrative method has been used to offer
“alternative maps…regarding disability and impairment that refuse
and displace the tragedy story”” (Foss, p. 323).
These findings showcase the tremendous positive effects of narratives on not just the
specific people involved, but also the implications for societal change as well. While narratives
47

have been shown to be necessary in people’s lives, they need to be analyzed to make sure they
are promoting positivity and change. This is where narrative criticism comes into play.
Defining Narrative Criticism
The text Rhetorical Criticism written by Sonja K. Foss will be used here to establish a
clear and distinct breakdown of narrative criticism. According to Foss, there are four main steps
in the process of narrative criticism: selecting an artifact, analyzing the artifact, formulating a
research question, and writing an essay (Foss, p. 323). Any rhetorical artifact containing a
narrative can be used for a narrative criticism analysis. This can include any narrative from any
media channel whether those channels contain traditional media or not. The focus for this section
will be on the second step which is when narrative criticism is conducted. When it comes to
analyzing the artifact, there are two primary steps Foss points out: identifying the objective of the
narrative and identifying the features of the narrative to discover how they accomplish the
objective (Foss, p. 325).
Once a narrative is told, the storyteller has no control over the effects of the narrative
from that point onward, which is an important distinction that must be made. If the objective is
found to be positive, but had negative effects and implications, then the researcher’s findings can
be used to help fuel better storytelling techniques and channels. Overall, the aim for the critic is
to identify the reasoning and overall objective of the narrative from the storyteller’s perspective
(Foss, p. 326). Depending on the narrative being looked at, the critic can trust the word of the
original storyteller or come to their own conclusions from their analysis. Foss points out
narratives can have more than one objective, but there is typically one main objective of a
narrative. Some examples she provides are to defend or justify an act, to encourage action, to
48

inspire, and to educate (Foss, p. 326). After the overall objective of the narrative is discovered,
the critic must then shift their focus into identifying the features of the narrative that help to
reach the objective.
This portion of the narrative analysis is focused on the specific elements and events of the
narrative that help to accomplish the narrative’s objective. These can be the characters, setting,
structure, the use of a narrator, etc. Foss points out a third step of a narrative analysis which is
evaluation. During this step, the critic evaluates the successfulness of the narrative as well as the
relevance of the objective (Foss, p. 336). This step of the narrative criticism process is where the
critic provides their personal view of the narrative and the thoughts/opinions that have come to
light during their time analyzing the narrative. The next section will delve into how narrative
criticism will be used to analyze The Last of Us.
Constructing the Analysis of The Last of Us
Based on all the reviewed literature from chapter two, it is clear to see how video games
have a legitimate place in society and are worthy of study as well. These studies have helped to
shape the narrative analysis of The Last of Us for this thesis. As discussed previously, the main
theme of The Last of Us is survival. However, narrative criticism is focused on looking at an
artifact and understanding the purpose of the narrative associated with it. Due to this, the theme
of survival will continuously be highlighted throughout the analysis, while not being the central
point of the study. As previously mentioned in chapter one, the goal of this thesis is to
understand the strength of the narrative of The Last of Us.

49

RQ: How is the survival focused narrative of The Last of Us capable of impacting a player and
brand so much?
To answer the primary research question for this thesis, specific features from the
narrative of The Last of Us will be analyzed. These are the plot, setting, and the main two
characters, Joel, and Ellie. The analysis will begin with a plot breakdown which will uncover the
main objective of the narrative. The plot is significant to this study considering it follows a
specific narrative structure as well as being a key aspect of the narrative itself. Analyzing the plot
will also allow more people to be exposed to the narrative of The Last of Us, which supports the
goal for the advocacy of the game itself. After the objective of the narrative is identified, the
analysis will shift to analyzing specific key moments of the plot to showcase their relevance to
the objective. The following research questions will be utilized for the plot analysis:
Q1: What is the main objective of the narrative of The Last of Us?
Q2: Which key moments in the plot are significant to achieving this objective?
After the focus of the plot is complete, the analysis will shift towards the next feature of
the narrative: the setting.
The setting will be important for this narrative analysis considering the narrative of The
Last of Us is post-apocalyptic. This means the setting must represent specific questions and
concerns according to Pérez-Latorre’s study. One notable and important question from his study
for this analysis is: how can we survive? This again, brings up the theme of survival. Also, since
the narrative of the game is focused on a journey across America, the setting constantly changes.
It may still be the post-apocalyptic world, but the locations are all unique and have their own
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stories to tell. These various settings are believed to add more depth to the overall game
narrative. This is because of how each level of the game represents a new part of the game
narrative. The question below will be used for the setting analysis:
Q3: How do all the various settings throughout the The Last of Us add to the narrative as a
whole?
After the setting is analyzed, the analysis will shift the focus to the main two characters.
Since Joel and Ellie are the main two characters from The Last of Us, they are crucially
important to this analysis. As was stated in chapter one, they are often referred to as the best
aspects of the game (Baggs). Joel and Ellie will also be broken down to understand what they
represent because they are survivors in the post-apocalyptic world. Therefore, they must be
symbolic of certain characteristics of humanity. In this portion of the analysis, the presence
phenomenon Dubbelman pointed out in his article will be focused on as well. By doing this, not
only will the objective of the narrative be better understood, but the perspective of the player can
be analyzed as well. Due to the analysis being on a video game, it is important to understand how
the player is being impacted by the narrative. Specifically, since the player is playing as one of
the main characters, it is crucial to understand their perception of Joel and Ellie to understand the
depth and power of the game’s narrative. The following questions represent this portion of the
narrative analysis:
Q4: What do the main two characters symbolize?
Q5: Why do these symbols resonate with players?
Q6: How does presence impact the player’s consumption of the narrative?
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Finally, Walter Fisher’s theory of the narrative paradigm will be used to analyze the
narrative of The Last of Us to evaluate the strength of the narrative on the audience. As was
mentioned in chapter one, Walter Fisher’s theory of the narrative paradigm is focused on the
believability of a narrative. Since every player has had different experiences in their lives, they
all can be affected by the game narrative differently. These past experiences also bring the
potential for the believability of the narrative to be questioned by the player. For The Last of Us
in particular, the narrative is set in stone, meaning the player has no control in how the narrative
plays out. Even if they disagree with what the characters are doing, they must play the game out
the way it was intended. This must have a significant impact on the player and their perception of
the game narrative.
Looking Forward
This chapter focused on outlining the narrative analysis of The Last of Us. The chapter
began by discussing the relationship between communication and narratives. Then, narrative
criticism was explained and followed by the discussion of the methodology behind the narrative
analysis of The Last of Us. The chapter wrapped up by outlining how the narrative of The Last of
Us will be analyzed and the specific narrative elements that will be focused on. These are the
main theme, plot, setting, and main characters. Walter Fisher’s theory of the narrative paradigm
was also discussed as a methodological focus in the analysis. The following chapter will apply
all the methodology described in this chapter to the narrative of The Last of Us.

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CHAPTER FOUR: ANALYSIS
Introduction to Analysis
This chapter will detail the narrative analysis of The Last of Us. The primary focal areas
of the narrative will be the plot, setting, and characters. By doing this, the objective of the
narrative can be discovered. The chapter will conclude by applying Walter Fisher’s theory of the
narrative paradigm to The Last of Us to better understand the narrative as a video game narrative.
Utilizing this theory will allow the strength of the narrative to be compared to other similar
narratives. This will invoke the readers to not only want to experience the game itself, but also to
look at video game narratives differently.
Plot
Considering the scope and relevance of the narrative of The Last of Us for this thesis, the
plot discussion will be the longest portion of the chapter. This does not discredit the settings or
the main characters because they are still relevant for the narrative. The reasoning for the sheer
scope and size of the plot section is to convey the most accurate representation of The Last of Us
for the readers. By detailing the plot, the setting and characters can be easier to understand and
analyze as well. The plot will be detailed extensively and will be analyzed from a chapter to
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chapter basis. Some chapters will be grouped together for an analysis to show similarities
between events and messages being showcased. Also, some chapters are shorter, and more
gameplay focused compared to being integral to plot progression. These chapters should not be
ignored but rather should connect with other chapters to include them into the analysis.
Before delving into the plot, a map of the chapters of The Last of Us will be outlined to
help familiarize the game with those who have not played it. The Last of Us has twelve distinct
chapters which make up the plot of the entire narrative. Some of these chapters are more plot
driven and others are more character driven, but they all will be discussed below. This list will
not contain the chapters of the DLC Left Behind because it was an addition to the narrative after
the release of the base game. The DLC is only recommended for players who have beaten the
base game because of the spoilers it contains for other events in the game’s narrative. The DLC
will still be discussed in the plot section because of the relevance it contains for the narrative.
Specifically, it will be discussed after the base narrative of The Last of Us is examined fully. The
discussion of the plot and the subsequent chapters of The Last of Us will be done in the same
chronological manner they were in the game. The chapters are as follows:
1. Hometown - Prologue
2. The Quarantine Zone
3. The Outskirts
4. Bill’s Town
5. Pittsburgh
6. The Suburbs
7. Tommy’s Dam
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8. The University
9. Lakeside Resort
10. Bus Depot
11. The Firefly Lab
12. Jackson - Epilogue
The plot of The Last of Us takes place over the course of one year as Ellie and Joel travel
across the United States. However, there are two primary sections in the game where the story is
focused on moments outside of the one-year time window. The first is the first chapter of the
game because it is the prologue of the entire narrative. The other is from the DLC Left Behind
which focuses on Ellie’s backstory prior to Joel’s first meeting with her. The plot structure is
interesting because it is divided up based on the seasons. A noteworthy point of the game is how
the major plot points happen during cutscenes which have a film-like quality to them. This is a
case of media convergence where media join. Due to this, the cutscenes will be the primary focus
for this section of the analysis as opposed to the gameplay. The specific research questions this
section will try to answer are below:
Q1: What is the main objective of the narrative of The Last of Us?
Q2: Which key moments in the plot are significant to achieving this objective?
Hometown - Prologue
The Last of Us begins in Texas with a scene of Joel returning late from work and his
daughter Sarah waking up on the couch from his arrival home. They live just outside of Austin,
Texas. She checks the time to make sure the day has not ended yet and presents Joel with a
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birthday present which he had forgotten about. Her present was a new watch because his was no
longer working (Hometown). Sarah falls asleep on the couch and Joel carries her to bed.
Sometime afterwards, Sarah is woken up from a phone call from her uncle Tommy. Sarah grows
worried because Tommy seems scared of something and he asks her to tell Joel to call him. Now
the player begins to play as Sarah and going around the house trying to find Joel. During this
time there are hints around the house from the television news and a newspaper of a new
infection rapidly increasing in cases (Hometown).

Figure 3. Newspaper article depicting a new infection
The previous day is revealed to be September 26th, 2013. Sarah hears sirens and
explosions from the city and becomes increasingly anxious and scared. As she gets to the last
room, Joel arrives from outside and tells Sarah to stay back. Suddenly, their neighbor runs into
the glass door and smashes through it. Joel, after pleading with him to stop, shoots and kills him
which terrifies Sarah (Hometown). Tommy arrives and Joel and Sarah get into his car to find a
safe place. As they are driving, they encounter a house on fire and people asking for a ride, but
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Joel refuses to stop because they need to prioritize themselves. They get to the highway and
discover heavy traffic all over the highway, so they decide to go through the city instead. While
in town, they see countless people running in fear and many infected people attacking and killing
people. They end up in a car crash due to the pandemonium going on (Hometown).
Sarah’s leg is injured in the crash and now the player is playing as Joel, who is carrying
Sarah as they attempt to flee. While making their way through the city, Tommy protects them all
from infected and tells Joel to continue and he will catch up. Joel and Sarah make their way to a
dirt road heading out of the city and encounter an armed military officer. He radios his
commanding officer that he has encountered two people and one is a young girl. He is given an
order to eliminate them to prevent a risk of possible infection. The officer hesitates and wonders
if this is necessary, but shortly after shoots at them. Joel jumps away and drops Sarah. Before the
officer executes Joel, Tommy arrives to kill the officer. Joel and Tommy rush to Sarah and see
she has been shot in the abdomen. She cries to Joel because she does not want to die. Joel tries to
comfort her as she dies in his arms (Hometown).

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Figure 4. Joel’s final moments with Sarah after she is shot by the officer
The chapter ends with the presentation of the title of The Last of Us and depicting various
news reports of the infection spreading around the United States and the world. Military rule is
outlined, and the creation of quarantine zones is mentioned as well. This sequence ends with the
introduction of the Fireflies which were a group created to fight back against the military. Their
leader Marlene states everyone should “look for the light” and “believe in the Fireflies”
(Hometown). The game then picks up twenty years later in early summer.
Analysis
The most important element of this chapter is the established tone it creates for the
narrative moving forward. The player begins the game playing as Sarah, who represents
innocence in a world that has begun to turn violent. Everyone is confused and does not
understand what is going on around them. Her death indicates to the player the days of living
peacefully day to day are now over. The officer’s decision to shoot Sarah will leave a lasting
impression on Joel. Was the officer justified in their decision to limit the spread of the infection?
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Did he perhaps save Sarah from a worse death at the hands of the infection? Could Sarah’s death
have been helpful for Joel to survive in a post-apocalyptic world? Being cold-hearted can make it
easier to survive in the new world that is emerging. One thing is for certain from the prologue:
The apocalypse has begun due to the Cordcyeps fungus. Survival skills are now a necessity.
It is important to focus on the Fireflies here as well due to their presence at the end of this
chapter. The name of the Fireflies is important because the world is entering a dark age. In the
dark, fireflies are a source of light. This can be interpreted as the group itself being a guiding
light for humanity. People are lost in the darkness of the world and they want to build followers
to join them. Not only that, but they want people to see there is something to fight for in the
apocalypse. Their light does not need to be symbolic of one exclusive thing or idea. Their light
should represent something different for everyone. The Fireflies will be an important group in
the narrative of The Last of Us moving forward.
Summer
The Quarantine Zone
Joel is now living in the Boston quarantine zone, which is under strict military rule. There
are curfews, forced labor, and food rationing happening. The military is referring to the Fireflies
as “terrorists” and are hunting them down. Joel has been working with a woman named Tess for
some time as a pair of smugglers (The Quarantine Zone). She notifies Joel about an acquaintance
named Robert who has wronged them and stolen their supply of guns. Tess and Joel make their
way to Robert’s place which involves sneaking out of the quarantine zone due to the high
military presence. When they confront Robert about their guns, he tells them he sold them to the
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Fireflies and Tess kills him afterwards. Shortly after, the leader of the Fireflies, Marlene, appears
looking for Robert while wounded from an attack from the military (The Quarantine Zone).

Figure 5. Marlene confronting Joel and Tess about Robert’s whereabouts
With Robert now dead, she asks Joel and Tess to smuggle something out of the city to
another group of Fireflies. Marlene says she will repay them with their guns and more if they are
successful. She takes them to a safe location where Ellie almost stabs Joel and Tess because she
thought they had injured Marlene. Marlene tells Ellie to stop and these two will take her to
another group of Fireflies. Marlene apparently knew Ellie’s mom and told her she would take
care of her. Tess tells Joel to take Ellie to one of their safe houses while she goes to the Firefly
base with Marlene to see the guns for herself. As they wait for Tess to arrive, Ellie asks Joel “It
can’t be any worse out there, can it?” Joel decides to go to sleep, and as he falls asleep Ellie
points out that his watch is broken, which is the same watch Sarah had repaired for his birthday
(The Quarantine Zone).
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Figure 6. Joel “killing time” by going to sleep to wait for Tess
The Outskirts
Tess meets back up with Joel and Ellie later in the night to start the smuggling operation.
Shortly after they leave, they end up being found by a city patrol unit who begin to use a device
that can determine if someone is infected or not. When they get to Ellie, she creates an opening
to allow Tess and Joel the opportunity to kill the officers. Afterwards, Tess and Joel look at the
device and see Ellie is infected and immediately aim their guns at her. Ellie claims she is not and
shows the bite mark on her arm and says the bite is three weeks old (The Outskirts).

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Figure 7. Ellie showing her bite mark to Tess and Joel
They do not buy it because most people “turn” in two days at most. More military arrive,
so they continue to flee together. After escaping further away from the quarantine zone they
manage to evade the other city patrols. Tess asks Ellie why Marlene wanted her to be smuggled
out of the city. She tells them the plan was to get her to another group of Fireflies to escort her
across the country to a Firefly outpost that is focused on developing a vaccine or cure for the
outbreak. Marlene believed whatever happened to Ellie is the key for not only a vaccine, but also
to restore civilization. After hearing this, Joel wants nothing to do with this mission because he
does not believe any of this. Tess on the other hand is focused on the “what if” scenario and they
continue to take Ellie to the capitol building which is where the Firefly group will be waiting for
them. While traveling through the night, they encounter many infected in the buildings they are
traveling through (The Outskirts).

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Figure 8. The group is ambushed by a clicker
After traveling all night, they make it to the capitol building to discover the Firefly group
has been killed. Tess freaks out and argues with Joel about what to do now because she has
nowhere left to go. Ellie realizes Tess was bitten because she knows what it feels like to feel the
impending doom waiting to “turn”. Tess shows her bite and compares it to Ellie’s and there is a
clear difference in the severity of hers compared to Ellie’s (The Outskirts). While Ellie’s bite
seems to have healed with fungal growths, Tess’s looks to be infected. She also is clearly
suffering from a fever and was only bitten two hours earlier during an infected ambush. Tess
begins to beg Joel to take Ellie to his brother Tommy who was a Firefly, so he could take Ellie to
the Firefly outpost. A military convoy arrives outside of the building and Tess decides she will
sacrifice herself so Joel and Ellie can escape which will also keep her from turning into one of
the infected. After successfully escaping, Joel decides they will head to a town north of the city
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to meet up with a trading partner he and Tess dealt with to see if he could provide them with a
car to travel (The Outskirts).
Analysis
This chapter introduces the main quest of Ellie and Joel’s journey and introduces the new
post-apocalyptic world. Joel and Tess are merciless in their pursuit of Robert which is telling of
the world. If you are wronged, then you wrong the other person. The Fireflies are also
highlighted which showcases an important aspect of the current world. Oppression will lead to
revolts from the oppressed. The Fireflies were created for the purpose of trying to bring back
civilization and to end the corrupt military rule across the nation. Ellie’s immunity is
representative of the Fireflies’ goal because it is the first major lead they have found. Ellie could
be considered the light they are searching for. However, we see Joel and Tess have differing
views towards Ellie’s immunity.
After what Joel went through, he cannot see the world returning to what it once was. If
the world were to return to normal, then he would have to live thinking about how much Sarah
missed out on. In the new world, he can be happy Sarah did not have to see what he has done to
survive. Tess on the other hand, sees the potential for Ellie’s immunity to be the key for
humanity’s comeback. Ellie and Joel’s journey can bring an end to the apocalypse and can
potentially bring back civilization. Joel only agrees to do it because it was Tess’s dying wish and
he feels indebted to her as a friend and partner. Ellie’s question to Joel about how the outside
world cannot be worse than in the quarantine zone is important to highlight because it
foreshadows a dark journey where there is no military protection to keep them safe from infected
etc.
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Bill’s Town
This chapter of the game was found to be more focused on gameplay and character
development rather than being integral to the plot. The only real goal for this chapter of the game
is to travel across the town to get a car. However, there are two key moments in this chapter of
the game that advance the plot. One is early on Joel tells Ellie about his brother and how the
Fireflies are focused on trying to restore the country to how it was. For Tommy, their goal was
valiant and meaningful, but Joel wanted nothing to do with it, so they went their separate ways
(Bill’s Town). Joel had heard his brother was living somewhere near Jackson, Wyoming so that
is their current destination. The second moment is about the trader who they meet up with in the
town, Bill. He is a loner and reveals at one point he had a partner named Frank who he relied on
and looked after. After Frank left, Bill realized other people will only hold you back. Survival
can be seen in different ways and some people think there is survival in numbers whereas others
think being alone has the best chance of survival. After obtaining a truck at the end of the chapter
they leave and head to Jackson, Wyoming to find Tommy (Bill’s Town).
Pittsburgh
While traveling, they make it to Pittsburgh but the road to the Fort Duquesne bridge is
blocked off. Joel decides to drive through the city rather than backtracking trying to find another
route. Shortly after driving into the city they are ambushed by a hostile group of survivors
(Pittsburgh). The game refers to these types of people as hunters. After killing the group of
hunters who ambushed them, Joel and Ellie discover these people have killed many people like
them who have made their way into the city. Through reading some of the collectibles early on in

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this chapter, it is revealed these hunters took over the quarantine zone by overthrowing the
military (Pittsburgh).
Joel and Ellie continue heading towards the bridge and eventually must make their way
through a hotel to continue. As they are making their way through the hotel they are separated.
Joel tells Ellie to stay put and he will meet back up with her when he makes his way around. As
he makes his way to Ellie, he is ambushed by a hunter and almost killed in a puddle of water.
Ellie arrives and picks up Joel’s gun and kills the hunter which Joel responds to coldly. He is
upset with her as to why she had not stayed put and how he “almost got his head blown off by a
fucking kid” (Pittsburgh). Ellie wants a thank you or some recognition for saving Joel’s life, but
she receives negativity and criticism instead. Shortly after, Joel realizes Ellie is hurt and she was
in the right. He gives her a rifle to use to defend him as he moves ahead to take on a group of the
hunters on an old street. Before heading down to the street, he tells Ellie “it was either him or
me” which Ellie takes as a thank you and replies “You’re welcome”. After killing the group of
hunters, Joel takes the rifle from Ellie and gives her a pistol and says, “this is for emergencies
only” (Pittsburgh).

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Figure 9. Ellie after killing the hunter to save Joel
While continuing to evade the hunters who have taken over the city, they meet two
brothers Sam, and Henry, who have been separated from their group. Upon meeting they try to
kill each other, but they quickly realize they are more similar than different. Sam and Ellie are
similar in age being thirteen and fourteen, respectively. Henry appears to be in his mid-twenties
and Joel is in his late forties. They decide to work together to survive and escape the city. They
devise a plan to sneak past the guards near the outskirts of the quarantine zone that night. Henry
tells Joel his group had planned to meet up at the radio building outside of the city, so they want
to head there to find any survivors from their group. He also tells Joel they are planning to meet
up with the Fireflies, which is a coincidence considering Joel and Ellie are doing the same thing.
The two of them see how Sam and Ellie have become quick friends which makes Henry and Joel
both happy to see (Pittsburgh).

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Figure 10. Ellie and Sam having fun eating blueberries
When attempting their escape plan, Henry ditches Joel to save Sam. Ellie stays with Joel
and convinces him to jump off the bridge with her. They almost drown but Henry ends up saving
them. When Joel wakes up and sees Henry, he is ready to kill him, but Henry convinces Joel his
call was the correct one when it came to protecting Sam. They then venture onwards towards the
radio station together (Pittsburgh).
The Suburbs
This is a similar chapter to Bill’s Town where there is not much focus on the overall plot,
but rather being very character driven. However, the events that transpire at the end of this
chapter shape the tone of the narrative moving forward. Due to this, they will be discussed here.
After the group escaped infected from the sewers and more of the hunters from Pittsburgh in the
suburbs outside of the city, they made it to the radio station and began to unwind (The Suburbs).
Joel and Henry talk amongst themselves and so do Sam and Ellie. Sam believes Henry thinks he
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cannot do anything right and is clearly upset. He proceeds to ask Ellie a myriad of questions
regarding the infected and other personal things. “Do you think the people are still there and
trapped inside? Is there a heaven? What’s your biggest fear?” Ellie says her biggest fear is
ending up alone. Sam says his is becoming an infected. As Ellie leaves to go to sleep, Sam looks
down at his leg and shows a scratch mark (The Suburbs). This happened at some point after
escaping from the hunters and being ambushed by a horde of infected who were drawn to the
noise from the skirmish between their group and the hunters.

Figure 11. Sam’s scratch
In the morning Henry tells Ellie she can go wake Sam up since he let him sleep in for
once. Sam (who has “turned”) attacks Ellie and Joel tries to shoot Sam, but Henry shoots at Joel
to stop him. Henry then proceeds to kill Sam and is stricken with overwhelming grief and
despair. Joel tries to comfort Henry, but he commits suicide right in front of Joel and Ellie (The
Suburbs). After this, the story picks up sometime in the Fall.
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Analysis
The Pittsburgh and Suburbs chapters connect to each other due to the inclusion of Sam
and Henry. They are different versions of Joel and Ellie. Henry’s goal was to join the Fireflies
because he wanted to show Sam the importance of fighting for something in life. However, after
losing Sam, he lost his reason to live. He had a responsibility in being Sam’s protector and he
failed. The major flaw in Henry’s survival strategy was being too overprotective of Sam. Prior to
their meeting with Henry and Sam, Joel and Ellie had a similar situation because Joel did not
trust his life in the hands of Ellie. However, Joel realized he would have died if Ellie had not
been there and had his back. Joel was recognizing Ellie’s usefulness and value by providing her
with a gun. Sam is a perfect representation of Ellie before Joel gave her a gun. He felt useless
and wanted to have some use while traveling together. Henry could not see that, which might be
a prime reason why Sam was scratched. How do you survive without a sense of purpose?
The only major difference in Sam and Ellie was how Ellie had a purpose in her survival
due to her immunity. The Bill’s town chapter can be connected to the other two chapters based
on the question of survival. The inclusion of Bill, Sam, and Henry brings up the question of
whether there is a “right” way to survive. Survival in numbers does not warrant much success if
one person is doing all the work. The downside to surviving with other people is the resources
need to be shared between everyone. If you are surviving on your own, then you can keep all the
resources for yourself. Surviving by yourself might be the optimal choice, but if you are cornered
then you have no chance of backup. When it comes to survival, are you supposed to prioritize
yourself or others? Everyone needs to ask these questions and decide for themselves what they
are willing to do. What works for one person might not work for another person. This is also
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something that is noticeable from reading the artifacts in the game. Many of them depict families
being torn apart, or people questioning their best chances of survival. Should they try to team up
with other people and trust their life in the hands of others? Or are they better off surviving on
their own?

Figure 12. An artifact from the sewers section of the Suburbs chapter
Fall
Tommy’s Dam
The chapter begins with the duo finally making it to Wyoming. Joel talks more about
Tommy and how the two of them parted ways on bad terms. He is not sure what to expect when
they find Tommy. Not long afterwards, Joel and Ellie make their way to a dam and are met with
guns pointing at them, but then Tommy tells them all to lower their guns (Tommy’s Dam).
Tommy and Joel hug and start to become reacquainted. Tommy tells Joel he got married to
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Maria, who takes Ellie to get some food. Joel tells Tommy he needs to talk to him, so they head
to the other side of the dam to see the finishing touches on fixing up the dam. By doing this,
Tommy and his group now have stable electricity in their settlement. Before they go to talk,
Tommy tells Joel he went back to Texas a while back and recovered a photo of Joel and Sarah
and asked if he wanted it. Joel looks at it but says no and Tommy says he will keep it in case he
changes his mind (Tommy’s Dam).

Figure 13. An old photo of Joel and Sarah after a soccer game
After finding a private room where they can talk things out, Joel asks Tommy to take
Ellie off his hands. Joel also asks if he can take some gear for himself so he can go off on his
own. He tells Tommy of Ellie’s immunity and the importance it holds to the Fireflies’ mission.
Tommy refuses and says his new cause is his family and his Firefly days are over. He cannot
leave after establishing an entire community who he now is responsible for. They argue and are
about to get into a physical fight, but bandits arrive. The two of them work together to kill all of
them (Tommy’s Dam). After dealing with the bandits and seeing Joel and Ellie interact with each
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other, Tommy realizes Ellie needs to get to the Fireflies, so he decides to take her himself. Maria
and Tommy then argue, and Ellie asks Joel if it is about her and Joel tells her “we’ll talk about it
later” and Ellie leaves frustrated. Shortly after, Tommy and Joel hear that Ellie stole one of the
horses, so they go after her (Tommy’s Dam).
They find the horse she stole at an old ranch house nearby and Tommy lets Joel deal with
Ellie while he makes sure there are no bandits around. Joel and Ellie’s conversation here is one
of the most important conversations in the game because it leads to a major shift in the narrative.
Their conversation is detailed below starting with Ellie reading an old journal from a teenage girl
from before the apocalypse:
Ellie: “Is this really all they had to worry about? Boys, movies, deciding which shirt goes
with which skirt. It’s bizarre.”
Joel: “Get up. We’re leaving.”
Ellie: “And if I say no?”
Joel: “Do you even realize what your life means? Huh? Running off like that, putting
yourself at risk, it’s pretty goddamn stupid.”
Ellie: “Well, I guess we are both disappointed in each other then.”
Joel: “What do you want from me?”
Ellie: “Admit that you wanted to get rid of me the whole time.”
Joel: “…Tommy knows this area and…”
Ellie: “Oh fuck…(gets up and walks over to Joel)”
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Joel: “Well I’m sorry I trust him more than I trust myself.”
Ellie: “Stop with the bullshit. What are you so afraid of? That I’m going to end up like
Sam? I can’t get infected. I can take care of myself.”
Joel: “How many close calls have we had?”
Ellie: “Well we seem to be doing alright so far.”
Joel: “And now you’ll be doing even better with Tommy!”
(Sad music plays and a long silence)
Ellie: “…I’m not her you know.”
Joel: “What?”
Ellie: “Maria told me about Sarah and…”
Joel: ”Ellie! …you are treading on some mighty thin ice here.”
Ellie: “I’m sorry about your daughter Joel, but I have lost people too.”
Joel: “You have no idea what loss is.”
Ellie: “Everyone I have ever cared for has either died or left me. Everyone (pushes Joel)
fucking except for you. So, don’t tell me I would be safer with someone else, because the
truth is, I would just be more scared.”
Joel: “…you’re right. You’re not my daughter and I sure as hell ain’t your dad. Now we
are going our separate ways.”

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Tommy bursts into the room and tells them more bandits have arrived (Tommy’s Dam).

Figure 14. Joel and Ellie’s conversation at the ranch house
After dealing with the bandits, they all head back to Tommy’s settlement (Jackson) and
there is no talking amongst them because they all have things they need to think about. They
make it to a hill overlooking Jackson, which is an entire town full of children and other survivors
now equipped with electricity. Tommy remarks “the kids will be watching movies tonight”
(Tommy’s Dam). Joel asks Tommy where the Fireflies are, and he tells him last he heard they
were at the science building at the University of Eastern Colorado (UEC). Joel tells Ellie to get
on his horse and Ellie is elated to hear they will continue to travel together (Tommy’s Dam).
Tommy tries to talk things out with Joel, but Joel has made up his mind. As they head off,
Tommy tells them they always have a home to return to at Jackson. This is the major turning
point in the story based on Joel and Ellie’s reformed relationship and how it affects the narrative.

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The University
This is yet another chapter that is more character driven than completely plot focused.
However, the end of this chapter relates to the next entire portion of the game. Joel and Ellie
have made their way to the UEC campus on horseback. Ellie has named their horse Callus. They
see signs of Firefly activity but encounter no guards or anything. Ellie is extremely anxious to
finally have answers to her questions about her immunity. They get to the science building and
find a tape recorder indicating the Fireflies have left. The recording says they have moved to St.
Mary’s hospital in Salt Lake City to continue to conduct research (The University). Just as they
are about to leave, they are ambushed by a group of hunters. While trying to escape the building,
one hunter tackles Joel and they fall off the second-floor balcony and Joel is impaled by a metal
pipe through his abdomen upon hitting the ground. Ellie helps Joel as best she can while dealing
with the rest of the hunters. They make their way back to Callus as it begins to snow. As they are
riding away Joel collapses from Callus (The University). Winter has come.
Analysis
Tommy’s Dam and the University of Eastern Colorado chapters of The Last of Us contain
the major turning point for the story due to the renewed relationship between Joel and Ellie.
They have become closer and respect each other. They are not father and daughter, but they both
have an interest in the other and getting to know each other on a deeper level. Through their
conversation at the ranch house they have talked out their concerns and misgivings. Joel realizes
he never gave much attention to Ellie’s feelings. He was focused on getting to Tommy so he
could drop her off with him and move on with his life. Joel treated the journey as another
smuggling job, as opposed to understanding Ellie’s perspective on everything. Perhaps he was
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scared to get too close to Ellie based on her similarities to Sarah? Those feelings could interfere
with his survival skills. However, Joel knows what loss can do to a person, so he cannot allow
Ellie to feel more despair and fear. Unfortunately, after realizing this, he is gravely injured, and
Ellie is on the verge of losing someone again. This is the first time either of the pair has been
injured to such an extent.
Winter
Lakeside Resort
The chapter begins with Ellie killing a rabbit with a hunting bow in a forested area. She is
about to give up hunting for the day but spots a deer in the distance. She decides to take this
opportunity to acquire more food. The player is now playing as Ellie. Joel’s whereabouts and
condition are unknown. After successfully landing multiple arrows into the deer, Ellie tracks it
outside of a mining camp (Lakeside Resort). She hears some people approaching and
immediately is on full alert. She tells them to come out and two men appear. The one introduces
himself as David and the other as James. David tells Ellie he has a whole group who could really
benefit from bringing the deer back with them. Ellie is careful and asks questions to not arouse
any suspicion. After some negotiation, Ellie says she will trade the deer for antibiotics. David
tells James to go back to their camp and get two bottles of penicillin and a syringe (Lakeside
Resort).

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Figure 15. Ellie meets David and James
David and Ellie decide to wait in one of the buildings to get out of the cold. While
waiting, a horde of infected appear and David and Ellie are forced to work together to fend them
off. After successfully fighting the horde off, David tells Ellie he believes everything happens for
a reason. He tells her a story about how a few weeks earlier members of his group were
slaughtered by “a crazy man” who was traveling with a young girl (Lakeside Resort). Ellie
immediately realizes the severity of the situation and points her gun at David. She knows the
group from the university were members of David’s group. James returns with the antibiotics
and Ellie grabs them and flees back to Callus.
She makes her way back to a house of a lakeside resort. In the basement lies Joel covered
in blankets and appearing to be in bad shape. The wound in his abdomen has been stitched up but
appears to be infected. Ellie injects some penicillin near the wound and lays down with Joel and
falls asleep (Lakeside Resort).

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Figure 16. Ellie lying next to Joel after giving him a shot of penicillin
Ellie wakes up in the morning to discover David’s men are in the resort area and looking
for them. She realizes David has trapped her and contemplates what her best move is since his
group is clearly after revenge. As Joel is still asleep, she tells him she will lead David’s men
away and make her way back to him. While trying to escape on horseback, David’s men kill
Callus and Ellie is forced to make her way back around to Joel on foot while killing more of
David’s men. Right before Ellie is about to make her way back to Joel, David appears and
knocks her out (Lakeside Resort).
Ellie wakes up in a cage and witnesses a human body being chopped up and realizes
David’s group have resorted to cannibalism. David brings her some food, but Ellie is skeptical of
the meat, but he assures her it is deer. While eating Ellie calls David “a fucking animal”
(Lakeside Resort). He tells her she is quick to judge considering how many people they have
killed. Ellie responds by saying her and Joel were left with no other choice. David asks her if she
thinks they have a choice in the matter: “You kill to survive and so do we. We have to protect
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our own by whatever means necessary” (Lakeside Resort). David tells Ellie he thinks she can
change and join their group, but she will have to show an effort to change considering his entire
group wants her dead except for himself. He refers to Ellie as “special” and Ellie touches
David’s hand to then break his finger. She tries to get the keys to the cage from David, but he
slams her against the cell bars. He then hints Ellie will be cut up into tiny pieces tomorrow
(Lakeside Resort).
The story then switches back to Joel as he wakes up and is seemingly better than he was
before Ellie had left. He is worried about Ellie and goes off to find her even though he should
continue to rest. Joel runs into some more of David’s men who were continuing their search for
him. Joel ends up capturing two of these men and brutally tortures them for information
regarding Ellie. One of the men reveals she has become David’s newest “pet”. Joel obtains
Ellie’s new whereabouts then kills the two men and heads off to rescue her (Lakeside Resort).

Figure 17. Joel interrogating one of David’s men

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The story picks back up the next morning as Ellie is dragged out of her cage by James
and David who are about to chop her to pieces. Before they do, Ellie screams at them and says,
“I’m infected!” and tells them to look at her arm. David looks and sees the bite mark, but he does
not buy it because it does not make sense how she has not turned by now. James is fully
convinced though and he argues with David about what to do. During their argument, Ellie grabs
a knife and kills James and manages to escape from David outside into a blizzard (Lakeside
Resort). After a while, Ellie manages to make her way to an old restaurant where David
confronts her. David sets the building on fire, so Ellie has no escape because he no longer has
any interest in keeping her alive. In their struggle, they end up knocking each other out.
The player switches back to Joel to see he has found his way to the town and is searching
for Ellie in the blizzard. Eventually he sees the restaurant on fire and assumes Ellie is there. Back
inside of the restaurant, Ellie and David wake up. Before Ellie has the chance to grab David’s
machete, David kicks her and tells her “it’s okay to give up”. He then climbs on top of her and
tells her she can “try begging”. He goes on to say, “You think you know me? Huh? Well, let me
tell you something. You have no idea what I'm capable of.” (Lakeside Resort). His intentions
here are left open to interpretation for the player. For this analysis, the belief is his intentions
were to rape and murder Ellie as he begins to strangle her. However, before he has the chance to
do anything further, Ellie grabs the machete and stabs David with it to get him off her. She then
repeatedly stabs him in the head after she has already killed him. Joel arrives and embraces her to
try and calm her down. He reassures her everything is going to be fine now (Lakeside Resort).

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Figure 18. Joel comforting Ellie after she killed David
Analysis
This chapter is shaped by the theme of survival and doing whatever is necessary to
survive. Ellie and David are the main characters of this chapter while Joel takes a backseat due to
his injury. This is the first chapter where the player plays as Ellie. An important point to note
about this chapter is winter is the harshest season to survive in. Due to this, it makes sense Ellie
is faced with an entire group to deal with on her own. It also indicates why Ellie is faced with
such serious and brutal forces. For Ellie’s character, all the people she killed will impact her
greatly. Joel was always the one to kill most of the other human enemies they have encountered
thus far. Not to mention, she was almost raped and murdered by a man who at one time was a
survivor partner who she had to place her trust in. Ellie was faced with the dark and grim
realities of the post-apocalyptic world by herself. In many ways, she was living out her greatest

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fear of ending up alone because Joel was not around to make her feel safe. Her encounter with
David will traumatize her as she and Joel near the last leg of their journey.
In many ways, David could be considered an alternate version of Joel. They are of similar
age and both had to put their survival in Ellie’s hands. Both he and Joel had excellent survival
skills as well. He treated himself like Ellie’s protector just like Joel because capturing her
ensured her safety from the rest of his group. His distinguishing differences from Joel were his
firm belief that everything happens for a reason and his treatment of Ellie. While Joel attributed
survival with luck, David believed fate was the reason he would survive and why everything
happened. He also consistently treated Ellie like a child and would talk to her in a patronizing
tone to fool her into thinking she was in control of her situation. For example, when David and
Ellie were working together to fend off the infected at the mining camp, he revealed he had a
hidden revolver on him that Ellie had no clue of (Lakeside Resort). At any point, he could have
killed her. Joel early into their journey treated Ellie similarly as a child, but eventually let go of
this view of her. Also, based on the response Joel got from one of David’s men, it is safe to
assume Ellie was not the first young girl to be captured by David. Was David always capable of
these cruel acts or did the post-apocalyptic world shape him into what he had become?
In terms of survival methods, David believed survival worked best as a group. Therefore,
David was so desperate to get the deer from Ellie in the beginning of the chapter. Based on some
of the collectibles from the resort, his group had not built up enough of a food supply to last
through the winter. They probably over hunted the deer in the area. This also explains why
David’s group had to resort to cannibalism because they would not have been able to survive
without doing so. This proves the drawback previously mentioned of choosing to survive in a
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group. Survival will require doing things that you will not want to do. To survive they had to
treat strangers as a food source rather than as real people.
Spring
Bus Depot
Joel and Ellie have made their way to Salt Lake City. There is a stronger bond between
Joel and Ellie after the events from the winter. However, Ellie is noticeably quiet and distant
when Joel tries talking to her about the future. Ellie is not only still shaken from those previous
events, but also more determined than ever to find the Fireflies to bring this journey to an end
(Bus Depot). Upon their arrival to the city they discover it was at one time a quarantine zone. To
progress any further into the city requires them to go through a bus depot. While trying to help
Joel to continue further into the bus depot, Ellie runs off after seeing something. Joel catches up
with Ellie to encounter a herd of giraffes which must have escaped from the zoo after the
outbreak. One appears in front of them eating some of the foliage growing around the building
and the two of them get to share the experience of being able to pet a giraffe (Bus Depot).

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Figure 19. Joel and Ellie encountering a giraffe
They are both mesmerized by the experience and it allows them both the chance to step
away from the journey and to see life thriving in the wake of the apocalypse. Shortly after the
giraffe herd fades away into the distance, Joel tells Ellie they do not have to do this and wants
her to understand there are other options. Ellie in disbelief asks, “what other option is there?”.
Joel tells her they can go back to Tommy’s and say goodbye to all of this. Ellie responds with
“After everything we’ve been through…, after everything I’ve done, …it can’t be for nothing”.
Later, Ellie gives Joel the photo of him and Sarah because she took it thinking he would want to
keep it. He responds by saying “no matter how hard you try; you can’t escape your past” (Bus
Depot).

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Figure 20. Joel telling Ellie “we don’t have to do this”
While traveling through a flooded turbulent subway tunnel on their way to St. Mary’s
Hospital, Ellie is knocked unconscious after attempting to save Joel from a subway car. While
Joel is attempting to resuscitate Ellie, he is approached by two armed guards who knock him out.
The Firefly Lab
Joel awakes to see Marlene in a hospital room where she reveals to him, she lost nearly
all her men while traveling across the country. She is amazed they managed to make their way
here. Joel claims it was all due to Ellie who “fought like hell to get here” (Firefly Lab). Joel asks
to see Ellie and Marlene tells him he cannot see her because she is being prepped for surgery.
The doctors did scans of Ellie’s brain to understand why she is immune. They found that the
Cordyceps fungus mutated in her brain which is why she is immune (Firefly Lab). The doctors
think they can reverse engineer a vaccine after they remove the fungus from her brain. Joel
questions how safe the operation is considering the fungus grows all over the brain. He then
realizes the operation will kill Ellie and tells Marlene to find somebody else. She understands
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how Joel feels but tells him there is no one else and this is the best course of action for
mankind’s survival. The decision was not easy for her to make either considering she promised
Ellie’s mother she would look after her but that this is the only choice there is. Joel tells her “to
keep telling yourself that bullshit” (Firefly Lab). Marlene tells the guard with her to escort Joel
out of the hospital and to kill him if he tries anything. Marlene says, “Don’t waste this gift, Joel”
and she leaves. Joel manages to kill the guard escorting him after torturing him to figure out
where the operation room is. Joel proceeds to kill all the Fireflies who get in his way as he makes
his way to the surgery room. When Joel gets there, he saves Ellie and rushes to keep her safe as
he is chased down by more Fireflies.

Figure 21. Joel arrives at the operating room
Joel manages to get to the parking garage of the hospital, but Marlene confronts him
before he can leave. She tells Joel he cannot keep her safe and deep down, he knows this is what
Ellie would want. Joel, hiding a gun in his hand, shoots Marlene and gently lays Ellie in the
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backseat of a car. Before he leaves, he goes back to Marlene who is begging for him to spare her.
He tells her he knows she would just come after her and kills her (Firefly Lab). Later, Ellie
wakes up as Joel is driving back towards Jackson. She asks what happened and Joel tells her
there are dozens of people like her who are immune, and the Fireflies had stopped looking for a
cure. Ellie feeling lost and defeated turns away from Joel as he apologizes to her stating “I’m
sorry” (Firefly Lab).

Figure 22. Ellie turning away from Joel after he lies to her about the events at the lab
Jackson – Epilogue
Joel and Ellie make their way back to the outskirts of Jackson. The player is again
playing as Ellie who is depressed and defeated. Meanwhile, Joel is happy and talking about
Sarah and how he thinks Ellie and her would have been great friends (Jackson). They make it to
a hill overlooking the settlement and Ellie gives the backstory of how she was bitten. She tells
Joel she was with her best friend Riley who also was bitten. They had decided to wait things out
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and see what happens, which was Ellie’s immunity and Riley’s death. “She was the first, then
Tess, and Sam. I’m still waiting for my turn” (Jackson). Throughout their journey, Ellie has been
suffering from survivor’s guilt. Joel tells Ellie none of their deaths are on her hands and she
needs to find things to fight for to continue to survive. Ellie tells Joel he does not get it. She asks
him to swear to her everything he said about the Fireflies was true. Joel says, “I swear”, and Ellie
responds with “okay” (Jackson). The End.

Figure 23. The final shot of the game as Ellie accepts Joel’s lie as the truth
Analysis
The ending of The Last of Us is not the typical ending that would be expected from a
post-apocalyptic narrative. Rather than bringing an end to the apocalypse, Joel decides to save
Ellie so she can live a life. Joel’s decision will have repercussions. Not only did he doom
mankind to stay in the apocalypse, but he took away the meaning behind the journey for Ellie.
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Ellie needed everything they have been through to mean something based on her quote “It can’t
be for nothing”. Not only that, but Ellie feels as if everyone’s deaths were in vain. Based on her
final conversation with Joel, she was prepared to do whatever was necessary. As Marlene
pointed out to Joel, she would have wanted to go through with the surgery. However, Joel did not
want to lose a daughter again.
By this point in the story he sees Ellie as a second daughter. His new view of Ellie as a
second daughter is clear to see based on his openness about Sarah as they are walking towards
Jackson. When Sarah was taken from him, he could not do anything. Marlene’s quote “Don’t
waste this gift, Joel” can be interpreted as a second chance to save a daughter. Watching Joel
carry Ellie away from the Fireflies is like the beginning of the game when he was carrying Sarah
away from the infected. In both instances, he was met with a gun pointed at him. However, now
he can save a daughter and he will do whatever it takes. This time he was prepared, which is why
he shoots Marlene. Joel’s decision is selfish considering the scale of what Ellie’s immunity can
mean for mankind. Joel is focused on Ellie and does not care about the rest of the world. For
him, Ellie is his world, and he cannot allow her to give up her life for other people. He does not
believe Ellie understands the joy of living. This point is important considering the encounter with
the giraffe herd. Much like how Sarah represents innocence, the giraffes do the same. The herd
fading into the distance helps to show Ellie how life moves on even in the grimmest of realities.
Their world still has beauty even if a mass infection ruined civilization. Even though what she
went through scarred her, there are things to keep living and fighting for.
On one hand the ending leaves the player wanting more. However, the ending also is a
refreshing take on post-apocalyptic narratives. Rather than the narrative leading to the restoration
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of humanity, the conclusion further dooms mankind. This is noteworthy and revolutionary
because it focuses on messages that would not normally be thought about. The ending of The
Last of Us is fascinating because it makes the player question if the world could even return to
what it once was. Can humanity return to how they were after twenty years of living in a postapocalyptic world? As Ellie pointed out, could anyone recover from the trauma and actions they
had to take to survive? Would the old “normal” be achievable for society? These questions are
purposeful and allow the player to think about the decisions made by the characters and to see
their perspectives. The player can then come to their own conclusions. The one question that
sticks with the player after beating The Last of Us is whether Joel is justified in lying to Ellie?
Left Behind
This is the DLC which was released the following year after the initial release of The Last
of Us. As previously mentioned, the narrative from this content is focused on Ellie’s backstory
before the events of the main game to fully flesh out Ellie’s character. This content also fills in
the gap of time after Joel was injured and Ellie took care of Joel’s wound. The narrative of this
new content switches between Ellie’s backstory and when Ellie initially patched up Joel’s wound
throughout the playthrough. However, for this analysis, Ellie’s backstory will be the primary
focus. This is because the portion focused on dressing Joel’s wound is more focused on
gameplay with Ellie trying to find medical supplies inside of a mall near the college. There is not
much plot relevance besides witnessing the full aftermath of their escape from the University of
Eastern Colorado when Ellie dresses Joel’s wound.

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There are six chapters of the Left Behind DLC. As previously mentioned, they are split
between the flashback with Ellie and Riley and Ellie looking for medical supplies to stich up
Joel’s wound. The chapters are as follows:
1. Back in a Flash
2. Mallrats
3. So Close
4. Fun and Games
5. The Enemy of My Enemy
6. Escape from Liberty Gardens
In terms of relevance for this narrative analysis, only four of the chapters will be focused on.
These will be Back in a Flash, Mallrats, Fun and Games, and Escape from Liberty Gardens
because they are focused more on Ellie’s backstory.

Figure 24. The poster released for Left Behind featuring Riley and Ellie
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Back in a Flash
Left Behind begins in early summer before the events of the main game. Ellie is woken up in
her room by her best friend Riley who has been missing for over a month. They are attending a
military boarding school. Riley surprises Ellie with her recruitment into the Fireflies which has
always been her dream (Back in a Flash). Ellie is upset with Riley because she disappeared
without a trace and believed she was dead. Riley apologizes but assures Ellie she will forgive her
if she sneaks out to the mall outside of the quarantine zone. This is a place they had snuck off to
countless times before. Ellie is hesitant because she has military drills in the morning, but Riley
convinces her she will be back in time for them (Back in a Flash).

Figure 25. Riley convincing Ellie to sneak out with her
Mallrats
Through their traveling to the mall they try to patch things up because of a fight they had
before Riley had left to join the Fireflies. Her time away was because Marlene was testing her to
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make sure she was worthy of becoming a Firefly. Ellie asks if she can become one too, but Riley
tells her Marlene wants her to stay in school (Mallrats). When they arrive at the mall, they begin
to enjoy themselves by having competitions between each other and exploring old stores. The
surprise Riley wanted to show Ellie was turning on the power for the mall because she had found
out the military had not shut it down. The run-down mall was brought to life for the two of them
to see for the first time (Mallrats).
Fun and Games
Ellie and Riley enjoy some of the technology that had never worked before such as a
merry-go-round and an old photobooth. The two of them make their way to an old arcade where
they find all the arcade games are broken, which disappoints Ellie because she always wanted to
play one. Riley helps Ellie to imagine herself playing one of the games as the character “Angel
Knives” and this experience is enough for Ellie to be satisfied with (Fun and Games). Riley
wants to venture further into the mall, but Ellie tells her she needs to go because she cannot get
in trouble again. She tells Riley she is excited to continue exploring another day. Riley reveals to
Ellie she will be leaving tomorrow because Marlene wants her to join another group of Fireflies
outside of Boston (Fun and Games). Ellie is upset because she does not understand how
everything went wrong because they had been better than good before she had left. Riley reveals
to Ellie she is supposed to be holed up on the other side of town, but she decided to spend this
time with Ellie. Ellie tells Riley she should go because this has always been her dream, but Riley
runs off to continue exploring (Fun and Games).

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Figure 26. Riley tells Ellie she will be leaving Boston
Ellie catches back up to Riley in a music store. Riley reveals she had stolen back a pair of
water guns they had previously lost because Ellie wanted them back so much. They decide to
have a water gun war before they talk everything out to calm themselves down. Afterwards, they
begin to talk things out (Fun and Games). Ellie tells Riley she will be able to survive without her,
but Riley tells Ellie she is the only person who could convince her to stay. Riley asks for Ellie’s
Walkman and connects it to one of the speakers in the store. Riley jumps on top of a table and
drags Ellie up with her to dance together. During this, Ellie discovers she does not want Riley to
leave and tells her “don’t go”. Riley then tears off her Firefly pendant from her neck symbolizing
she will not go. They both stare at each other and Ellie kisses Riley, but quickly apologizes.
Riley tells her she does not mind, and they are both elated. Their happiness is quickly cut short
when a small group of infected show up (Fun and Games).

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Figure 27. Ellie and Riley’s kiss
Escape from Liberty Gardens
Riley pulls out her gun and protects them as best she can while they flee. After a
desperate struggle to escape, they manage to kill the infected that pursued them, but at a cost.
Riley tells Ellie to look at her arm where she discovers she has been bitten. Riley shows her hand
to Ellie which also has been bitten (Escape from Liberty Gardens). Frustrated and scared, Ellie
begins breaking potted plants with a metal pipe. Their conversation brings the DLC to a close as
the cutscene switches between Ellie and Riley in the past and Ellie stitching up Joel in the
present:
Riley: “There’s some more stuff over there that you can break.”
Ellie: “What are we gonna do?”

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Riley: “The way I see it, we got two options. Option one. We take the easy way out.
(gestures with her gun) Its quick and painless. (puts the gun down) I’m not a fan of option
one. Two. We fight.”
Ellie: “Fight for what? We’re gonna turn into one of those things”
Riley: “There are a million ways we should’ve died before today. And a million ways we
can die before tomorrow. But we fight…for every second we get to spend with each
other. Whether its two minutes…or two days…we don’t give that up. I don’t want to give
that up. My vote…let’s just wait it out. You know we can…be all poetic and just lose our
minds together.”
Ellie: “What’s option three?”
Riley: “Sorry. C’mon. Let’s get outta here.”

Figure 28. Ellie and Riley’s final conversation of Left Behind

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Analysis
Left Behind is a great name for this addition to The Last of Us because it represents
Ellie’s feelings throughout the main game. The main story ends with Ellie providing the
background behind when she was bitten and how she was with her best friend. This DLC
provides the full backstory on their ordeal with the infected and showcases their relationship as
best friends. However, based on the events that take place, they were on the verge of becoming
more than friends. This adds to the relevance of Riley’s response to Ellie about why they should
still fight after being bitten. It represents one of the key messages The Last of Us is trying to
convey: find something to fight for and to never give up hope.
Every day can be our last day alive, so we should cherish the time we have with our
loved ones because who knows what can happen. The DLC ends with their conversation, so
there is no depiction of Riley’s death, but it is clear she died from the infection. Her death is
where Ellie’s survivor’s guilt originated from because they pledged to wait things out together,
but the infection had no effect on Ellie. She was prepared to die with Riley, but instead was
forced to live on. For Ellie, her immunity had to mean something greater than herself after losing
Riley, considering they wanted to fight and die together. For Ellie, their experience in the mall
that day made the need for the entire journey with Joel to matter. Her immunity had to make her
life valuable, so Riley dying would not have been in vain. Joel’s decision made this exact
prospect a reality which devastated Ellie.
The analysis will now shift towards analyzing the various elements of the setting in The
Last of Us.

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Setting
This section will be devoted to analyzing the various settings of The Last of Us. By doing
this, the world of The Last of Us can be better understood. This will add to the understanding of
the plot as well as the themes and messages being described through the game. To begin this
portion, the seasons will be analyzed to understand their significance. The specific research
question for this section can be seen below.
Q3: How do all the various settings throughout the The Last of Us add to the narrative as a
whole?
The Importance of the Seasons
The Last of Us uses the seasons to break up the different chapters of the story. Through
analyzing the plot, every seasonal change seemed to indicate notable changes in Joel and Ellie’s
respective characters. These changes will be further discussed in the character analysis in the
next section of the chapter. This is effective because of the use of a natural phenomenon to
represent the changes in the characters.
The game begins in the summer which is when the world/nature is flourishing. Starting
the narrative in the summer is important when you look at the purpose of Joel and Ellie’s
journey. Ellie is the potential cure for humanity and her immunity manifested in the summer. In a
sense, the summer brought out the cure for the Cordyceps fungus. Nature works in mysterious
ways and this could be the case for Ellie as well. The summer breathes new life into Joel and
Ellie who both have been wrought with grief and despair for years. However, summer ends with
Sam and Henry’s deaths which breaks both Joel and Ellie’s spirits after they were beginning to
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find some sense of happiness again. This is more apparent in Ellie than Joel after analyzing the
plot. The narrative is based on tragedy and despair which seems to always come back to haunt
Joel and Ellie.
The fall represents the preparation for winter. All life in nature begins to physically
prepare themselves for the winter. For the narrative, this season represents preparing Joel and
Ellie for what will happen to them as their journey moves forward. They face each other and
express their feelings towards their journey so far. Their relationship is renewed and becomes
stronger which is necessary for their actions to come. Joel is then critically injured at a crucial
point in their journey, which forces Ellie to quickly adapt to survive. Would Ellie have been able
to survive her ordeal with David and his group if her and Joel had not patched up their
relationship?
Winter is the harshest season to survive in for all life. Many life forms end up going into
a state of hibernation during this time because they would not be able to survive otherwise. If
there was not enough preparation done in the fall, then winter can be the cause of death for many
forms of life. David’s group was facing this very predicament which is why they had to resort to
cannibalism. The winter portion of The Last of Us was a desperate struggle for survival between
Ellie and David’s group. Joel and Ellie are no longer continuing their journey because of Joel’s
condition. Joel for much of the season was on death’s door until Ellie was able to get the
antibiotics. If David and James had not been hunting at the same time as Ellie, then Joel would
most likely have died. In the grimmest of circumstances, Ellie found a way to save Joel which
almost got herself killed in turn. This is representative of survival.

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The spring represents a new beginning. Life begins to come alive once again and this is
true for Joel and Ellie’s journey as well. They have made it to their destination and Joel and Ellie
have renewed resolves. Ellie is determined to do whatever it takes to help with the creation of a
cure because of the trauma from the winter. Joel on the other hand is determined to make sure
Ellie has the most fulfilling life possible. In many ways the beginning of the spring portion of the
game can be considered the calm before the storm. The giraffe herd gives the player a sense of
serenity and peacefulness before Joel shakes up the entire world. He decides to save Ellie and
kill anyone who gets in his way. At the end of The Last of Us, Joel decides to lie to Ellie because
his lie will bring their journey to a definite end, so they can begin new lives in Jackson.
As was shown in this analysis thus far, the focus on the seasons was brilliant. They not
only accentuated the plot of the story, but also initiated significant character development for
Joel and Ellie. The next portion of the setting analysis will focus on specific settings showcased
throughout the game.
Specific Chapter Settings
The initial beginning of The Last of Us depicts the world and society as reality. However,
the initial outbreak causes pandemonium and disaster to begin to take over. When the story picks
up twenty years after the Cordyceps outbreak, populations of people have been living in
quarantine zones controlled by the military. Society as it once was is gone. There is only one still
functioning quarantine zone to use to understand how life is like inside of a quarantine zone.
Military checkpoints are installed across the zone to maintain peace and order. The people living
in the Boston quarantine zone look depressed and tired from military rule. There are constant
checks for infection from the military and public executions seem to be common. Food ration
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cards have become the new form of currency in quarantine zones. Tess and Joel did some
bargaining with them early in the game on their way to Robert. As was stated in the previous
section on the plot, other quarantine zones were taken over by the people who were being
oppressed by the military. Others were abandoned altogether most likely due to infections or
uprisings.

Figure 29. The military rounding people up to check for possible infections in Boston
Outside of the quarantine zones, destroyed city landscapes line the horizon. The cities
have been taken over by foliage and infected. Skyscrapers are tilting and/or have begun to
degrade and fall apart. Whole sections of city streets have been blown apart and abandoned cars
line the roads. Early in the game when Joel and Tess are smuggling Ellie to the capitol building,
Ellie asks why the city looks so destroyed. Tess reveals quarantine zones were established by the
military to isolate the infected so they could bomb the cities to kill them, but it did not work.
This was especially true in Boston where infected roamed all over. Pittsburgh would be the
exception because there was an entire large group who had patrols on watch to keep infected
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from getting into the city. Cordyceps spores are rampant in some old buildings particularly in
cities because of the subways and other closed off areas where the fungus can grow unhindered.

Figure 30. Joel, Tess, and Ellie traveling through Boston after leaving the quarantine zone
The suburb chapter has a different feel to it compared to the previous chapters. This is
due to the fact of how the rest of the game does not take place in a city setting. This provides the
player with an interesting change of scenery and perspective. Rural areas are relatively more
peaceful than the cities and easier to survive in. Cities will attract survivors searching for
supplies but are far more dangerous due to the presence of infected and hostile survivor groups.
Rural areas also appear to be more like what they once were even after twenty years of the
apocalypse. Houses and other buildings are starting to deteriorate from the lack of care and
maintenance. Overgrown lawns and other foliage have begun to grow outside of abandoned
vehicles and homes. However, houses are still recognizable from the inside. The interiors appear
to be either savaged by other people searching for supplies or are just as they were when the
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owners left. Children’s rooms are still full of toys and games. While scavenging through homes
across the journey, it is easy to picture how families were once living there before the world was
faced with an overwhelming pandemic.

Figure 31. Joel and Henry in the suburban development featured in the Suburbs chapter
The Old vs. the New
One of the most enjoyable aspects of The Last of Us is seeing the contrast between the
old reality and the new one. During the Pittsburgh chapter, Ellie sees an old advertisement
depicting a very skinny woman and remarks how stupid it was to choose to not eat for looks.
From her perspective, it does not make sense because her reality is focused on survival. The past
reality was more focused on entertainment and pleasure. The contrast between these realities is
striking to say the least. In a sense, they are not comparable at all. However, survival was still
crucial in both realities. In the old reality, people still needed to survive. They needed to survive
in more ways than one when finances, social relationships, and other important variables of life
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are considered. The new reality erases all the other variables affecting people’s lives and allows
them to just focus on just staying alive. When taken into this context, is the new reality as bad as
it seems? People seem to always wish life could be simpler and less complicated.
The focus of the analysis will now shift to the main characters, Joel, and Ellie.
Characters
This section of the analysis will be focused on analyzing Joel and Ellie. This is important
because of their significance to the The Last of Us. As was previously mentioned, they are
repeatedly highlighted as one of the best aspects of the game (Baggs). By breaking down their
actions, they can be understood as symbols. Symbolism is crucial to this analysis because
symbols are what are used to represent an ideology or subject. By breaking the symbol down to
its core, the meaning can be extracted and understood. The questions this section will be focused
on answering are as follows:
Q4: What do the main two characters symbolize?
Q5: Why do these symbols resonate with players?
Q6: How does presence impact the player’s consumption of the narrative?
Joel
Joel is the perfect representation of a survivor. He is only concerned with the present
moment. In the world of The Last of Us, you must be focused on survival each day. His actions
are always focused on how to survive the current situation. However, he attributes survival with
luck because he does not have faith in himself as he pointed out to Ellie in their argument in the
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ranch house. After losing Sarah, he lost everything which caused him to act on anger. Joel’s
hesitation and disbelief to Ellie’s immunity are from twenty years of hate for the world. He is
forced to accept it as reality after he sees Ellie breathe in enough spores that would normally kill
anyone.
Joel arguably changes more than Ellie over the course of their journey. The Joel from the
beginning of the game would have allowed Ellie to become the cure for humanity. However,
after the events of their journey, his outer layers of hatred and grief are peeled away. Towards
the end of the game, he revealed more about himself and Sarah to Ellie. The old Joel would
never have allowed himself to talk about Sarah to anyone. To him, Ellie had become a second
daughter. Their relationship was not exactly indicative of a father and daughter, but they grew to
love each other as they survived through a harsh journey together. How could you not? When
you place your life in the hands of another person, their needs to be absolute trust and faith in
them. They would not have survived without each other which Joel needed. He needed to be able
to protect someone again. Joel began the apocalypse losing the one person he had pledged to
keep safe at all costs, Sarah.
Grief and despair are hard to overcome and they can certainly be overwhelming and
taxing on a person. After Joel sees Ellie going so far to protect him during the winter, he has a
complete change of character when they arrive in Salt Lake City. He can face his feelings and
start to move on. By this point in the story, he just wants to go back to Jackson because he
regained something he had lost long ago. Therefore, he rescues Ellie and decides to kill the
Fireflies who try to stop him because he cannot lose what he has finally regained. For twenty
years, he has regretted his actions on that first night when Sarah was killed. Throughout the
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journey, he sees how Ellie is trying desperately to find meaning in her immunity and their
adventure. Joel wants to live life with a daughter again and be happy. Many would consider his
final actions to be selfish, but his actions are true to his character. For him, he will do whatever is
necessary to help Ellie to live a happy and fulfilling life. His lie at the end reflects his resolve to
help Ellie to look past her immunity and focus on her own happiness. In a sense, he wants Ellie
to live on for not only herself, but Sarah as well. In many ways, his selfish actions represent the
whole of humanity.
Human beings are inherently selfish creatures. They will do what is best for their own
self-interest. Not all people are selfish all the time, but no one makes decisions that do not take
their own interests into consideration. As individuals, we all are different and will act on what we
want. The individuals who bring life to large corporations and factories are doing so for
themselves. Their company goals might be positive, but profits will always be the main concern
with large corporations and businesses. The destruction of the environment to build new factories
or the pollution of the environment are all results from humanity’s selfishness. The seven deadly
sins described in the bible are indicative of our selfishness as well. Every person has those
characteristics inside of themselves. Others may act on them more than others, but no one can
escape from their selfish desires. Therefore, criticizing Joel’s decision to allow Ellie to live
means you must criticize humanity as well. In the world of The Last of Us, selfishness often is
the best course of action for survival. If people were to truly put themselves in Joel’s shoes, then
his decision might not seem so wrong.

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Ellie
Ellie is the potential cure for humanity. She never wanted to be the cure, nor did she ask
for this entire journey across the country. However, she accepted the responsibility of her
situation and understood the magnitude of what her immunity meant for the restoration of
humanity. Due to this, her immunity needed to mean something to her. She constantly wondered
why was it her? When she was first infected, she made peace with the fact she was going to die
because she would be dying with her best friend. However, she did not die, and Riley had to die
alone after they pledged to survive together. To Ellie, she broke their promise. Ellie believed
surviving the journey and bringing the restoration of humanity would be enough to make up for
breaking their promise. It would mean her continuing to live on had meaning. She needed to
know everything she had to do and everything they did together was worthwhile. This took a
mental cost throughout the journey.
Ellie throughout the journey sinks deeper into despair. Before the events of the main
game, she lost her best friend who she had just gotten back. Not only that, but she lost her first
love in Riley as well. When she meets Joel and Tess she is confused and anxious to understand
why she was immune. Then, she loses Tess, who she had grown to like, and was left with Joel
who felt heartless. She stayed with him because she had nowhere else to go. The resolve to find
answers to her immunity drove her to continue. Then, they met Sam and Henry which helped her
to gain a friend who was her age again. Their traveling together began to make Ellie feel happy
again because they were all heading to the Fireflies together. A noteworthy point regarding
Ellie’s character is during the Pittsburgh chapter she will tell jokes from a joke book every so
often to lighten the mood. The last time she tells jokes is before Sam and Henry died. After their
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deaths, she never once opens the book back up. This shows how she could not bring herself to
laugh and have fun because she does not believe she deserves to. From then on, she becomes
attached to Joel because he is all she has left.
Ellie knew Joel did not want to go on this journey which made her feel even more
worthless. The only person she has wants nothing to do with her. Again, her immunity keeps her
from giving up. However, she confronts Joel at the ranch house because she fears being alone.
Pawning her off to Tommy was the last thing she ever wanted. Thankfully, she broke through to
Joel and their relationship was renewed and they both regained some happiness. Again, Ellie’s
happiness is cut short when Joel is injured, and she must try to survive on her own while taking
care of Joel. Then, she is traumatized from being locked up in a cage and almost raped and
murdered while alone. Her trauma is apparent in Salt Lake City and she is focused on the present
moment unlike Joel who had begun to look towards the future. Therefore, during the final scene
she confronts Joel about what he had told her in the car ride leaving Salt Lake City. When Joel
initially lied to her, she took it as the truth. However, since she was unconscious during the entire
ordeal in the hospital, she had her doubts about what Joel told her. Ellie could not move on and
start a new life without having a confirmation of whether he told her the truth. After Joel lies to
her again, she accepts it and decides to move on from everything. For Ellie, an entire year’s
worth of turmoil and struggle led to nothing. Her defeated feelings will not be easy to let go of.
An interesting aspect of Ellie is she masks all these feelings until the end of the game.
This is representative of real people. Often, the people who always seem to be the happiest are
the ones who are suffering the most inside. When playing through the main game during the
summer, you would not think Ellie was depressed because she had plenty of happy moments.
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Her depression becomes noticeable in the fall because of how the summer ends with more death.
Depression is a disease that is misunderstood by many people. Everyone will beat themselves up
inside whenever they make a mistake or are hit with terrible circumstances. Most people will be
able to overcome those feelings after enough time has passed. Other people are not so fortunate.
Some things will weigh on people and the weight will continue to grow after every instance of
sadness or guilt. In many ways, Ellie is representative of people with depression. However, her
feelings towards her immunity and her life are more representative of humanity.
Ellie represents the average person searching for meaning in their life. Curiosity is a
lasting trait of humanity. People want to know their life will have purpose. No one wants to die,
but we all live everyday knowing our time will come. Because of this, every single person tries
to find their “purpose” in life. People define their life’s purpose in a myriad of ways. Some
consider their purpose to be their career, some say their significant other, others as a
mother/father, or even some spiritual or philosophical idea. Whatever way people define their
purpose, they feel better about dying because they feel as if they mattered. Ellie believed her
purpose to be the onset of the restoration of humanity. She never once thought her immunity was
meaningless. Most people would think the same as Ellie. However, does her immunity need to
mean something? Has anyone genuinely thought life does not need to have a purpose? While we
all search for some meaning behind our lives, we are losing out on countless potential
experiences. We each are just a small speck on the planet Earth. Animals die every single day
because the circle of life must continue. No one questions whether an animal had purpose when
they die. Once you place the same situation in a human context, the interpretation changes

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drastically. Why is that? Are we not animals living on the Earth? The only thing that connects
living things together is the want to live. All life fights to survive.
The Impact of Presence on the Player
The presence phenomenon plays a critical role in the player’s consumption of the
narrative of The Last of Us because the player becomes sympathetic with the main characters.
Not only that, but they are learning about the world from their perspectives as well. Joel and
Ellie have differing perspectives on the world because of the age difference between them. Joel
has lived through the entire apocalypse and knows what life is like outside of the quarantine
zones. Ellie on the other hand only knows life inside of a quarantine zone until she leaves with
Tess and Joel. Due to this, Ellie and the player are both experiencing the world for the first time.
It is an interesting point of view because the player is playing as Joel throughout most of the
game whereas they connect and resonate more with Ellie. However, by the end of The Last of Us
the player can understand Joel’s decisions.
This makes the ending of The Last of Us conflicting for the player because you are not
quite sure how to feel. Ellie did not achieve her goal of helping to create a cure, but she is able to
live out the rest of her life. In Joel’s case, the player can feel conflicted because you want Joel
and Ellie to live together, but the apocalypse cannot be stopped now. After witnessing the events
of the game, the player wants to see the Cordyceps fungus stopped. However, if Ellie’s life is
what it takes to bring an end to the fungal reign, then the player does not want that either. The
Last of Us is reminiscent of a situation where you cannot get what you want. The ending of the
game is not satisfying for the player, but would any of the other potential endings be any better?
From a player’s perspective, it is hard to tell since every player will have their own interpretation
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of the events and meaning of the narrative. Therefore, personal experience is so critical to the
consumption of media especially video games. The feelings and gratifications you receive are
what should be focused on. Criticisms from other people should not disvalue your feelings about
the media content.
This leads to the final portion of the analysis of The Last of Us.
Walter Fisher’s Narrative Paradigm
This section coincides with the previous section on the presence phenomenon based on
Fisher’s theory of the narrative paradigm. According to Fisher’s theory, every person who plays
The Last of Us will interpret the game differently due to our individual unique past experiences.
To quickly recap, the theory of the narrative paradigm is focused on the believability of a
narrative based on two principles: coherence and fidelity. Coherence is the degree of sense
making of a narrative (“The Narrative Paradigm”). This is influenced by three factors: the
structure of a narrative, the resemblance between stories, and the credibility of the characters.
Fidelity is defined as the credibility or reliability of the narrative in question (“The Narrative
Paradigm”). Fidelity needs to answer questions like are the events described factual? Have the
facts been distorted while narrating? How does the argument in the story affect the decision
making of the listener?
In terms of coherence, The Last of Us is strong between the three principles. The
narrative structure is straightforward and continues forward without any flashbacks etc. The only
exception would be for the DLC Left Behind, but this was done after the game was completed.
This does not convolute or disorient the player from not understanding where the events take
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place. There are also many moments in the game where the story skips a vast amount of time,
which occurs between seasons specifically. Through this analysis they were not found to be
confusing or jarring to the player. The Last of Us is also comparable to other post-apocalyptic
video game narratives such as the Fallout series and Horizon: Zero Dawn. None of them are the
same, but they all share common themes of survival and continuing to move forward after
traumatic events.
In terms of credibility of the characters, Joel and Ellie feel and act more like real people
than many other video game characters from other games. They do not use overwhelming feats
of power or strength to defeat enemies, nor do they have powers that are unique to themselves.
They survive using the resources they find around them as they travel. They can very easily be
killed if the player makes a mistake. The ranch house scene featuring Joel and Ellie’s argument
about their journey is one of the most realistic depictions in the game. Their reactions to each
other and their feelings towards each other gradually grow at a realistic pace. Joel’s decision at
the end of the game is an accurate representation of a father. If any other father were in the same
situation, would they have just let their child be killed to save people? There was no guarantee a
cure would be able to be made from Ellie’s immunity.
Fidelity is more focused on the player’s interpretation of The Last of Us and how the
message of the game affects them. Since The Last of Us is a video game, there cannot be an
entire accurate portrayal of reality because that is the driving motivating force behind people’s
want to play video games. To escape from reality and live and play as someone else. This was
addressed previously in the literature review. The Last of Us portrays reality to a strong degree,
while maintaining the appeal of video games to gamers. There are moments of the game that can
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be unreliable and unrealistic, such as when Joel is injured and is still alive after weeks of fighting
off an infection from his wound. However, the player can look past this because they understand
video games will not perfectly represent reality. No one would want to play a video game that
reflects reality perfectly because what would be the point of playing a game then? If reality in the
video game is true to our own reality, then why not just experience reality in the real world?
The Last of Us works well as a video game because every subtle detail adds to the overall
narrative. A movie or show will not be capable of being as in depth as a video game because
there is only so much that can be done using the real world. In a video game, anything is possible
because technology was used to engineer an alternate reality from the ground up. A show or
movie will need real footage to be shot and filmed. Depending on the specific scene, they might
need the weather to be exactly what is described in the script which means the production is
limited to reality. There are CGI and other computer-based editing technology that are used, but
the more of those that are used take away from the realness of the film or show. Video game
worlds are crafted entirely utilizing computer graphics and other similar technology. There are
real people and sounds used as a basis for the characters and world, but people want video games
to be unreal. The reason The Last of Us works so well as a game is because the characters reflect
real people accurately, while the world maintains the unrealistic feel of video games. They work
in tandem to create a piece of art that pushes the player to look beyond themselves and to
embrace other views and opinions.
The Objective of The Last of Us
Through this detailed analysis, the objective was found to be portraying life through the
context of a post-apocalyptic world. Ellie and Joel together represent the whole of humanity
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looking for meaning and purpose in their lives while maintaining the selfishness that is unique to
humanity. Another key objective of the narrative was to showcase how there are always reasons
to continue living for. No matter the circumstances someone is faced with, they must press
forward and continue to live and fight for what they believe in. Even if someone is living for one
specific goal or objective, then there will be something to continue to live for. In the world of
The Last of Us, survival is more than just the want to live. You need to have something to fight
for, and that will continue to push you forward.
In Ellie’s case, she only wanted to survive to be able to help stop the Codryceps fungus.
She had no real plans afterwards and because of this, she was willing to die to restore humanity.
For Joel, he survived for years to find things to live for. He was the one who told Ellie that no
matter what you might face, you must find something to fight for to continue. Giving up on life
is never the answer because there potentially is nothing else. You have this one chance at life and
to give up that life is the worst thing you can do. Many people die young from illnesses,
accidents, and other tragedies. Joel lost Sarah in a similar way and he could not allow Ellie to
give up her life at such a young age because she has no conception of what life can offer her. All
Ellie has known is despair and grief, so Joel wants to be able to provide her with happiness for
the rest of their lives.
The most important moments in the plot for achieving this objective is the ending of The
Last of Us. However, the entire journey helps to build the objective of the game. The DLC is
important as well because by playing through it, Ellie’s feelings are better understood. In many
ways, she wants to die because she feels like she is constantly being left behind by the people she
cared for. Joel is the only one she still has which is why the ranch house scene is so important.
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This scene is when Joel realizes Ellie’s feelings and starts to see things from her perspective. Joel
looking past his own selfishness and seeing Ellie’s views is what The Last of Us wants players to
do. To look past yourself and embrace the people around you to learn from them. From then on,
their relationship grew to the point that Joel saw Ellie as a second daughter. He could not lose
her. Their world is full of grief and despair. Joel wanted to fight for a happy and bright future
even if it might not be the one the rest of humanity would want. His lie to Ellie is proof of his
resolve to protect her from anymore despair and grief.
Summary
This chapter covered the narrative analysis of The Last of Us. The chapter began with an
extensive portrayal of the plot of the game to present an as accurate portrayal of The Last of Us
as possible. Then, the setting was analyzed based on the seasons and various environments Joel
and Ellie traveled through on their journey. The analysis then shifted to focus on the characters
and what they represent as symbols. This section also focused on the presence phenomenon
taken from Dubbelman’s article from chapter two. Next, Walter Fisher’s theory of the narrative
paradigm was used to evaluate the narrative of The Last of Us. This was done to showcase the
relevance of the narrative as being from a video game. Finally, the objective of the narrative of
The Last of Us was explained to bring all the elements of the analysis together. The next chapter
will address the conclusions from this analysis and how they can be used for future research.

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CHAPTER FIVE: CONCLUSION
The final chapter of this thesis will be the conclusion based on everything discussed
throughout the previous four chapters. The chapter will begin by highlighting video game
narratives and their relevance to the video game industry. This will bring the focus back to
advocacy which was the overall goal of this thesis. Then, potential weaknesses for the study will
be discussed. This will then lead to a discussion of what future researchers can investigate
regarding video game narratives. Some personal thoughts on The Last of Us Part Two will then
be discussed due to its relevance to this study. Finally, the chapter will conclude with
readdressing the purpose for this thesis.
The Fight for Change
Change is necessary for the world right now. However, this thesis is most concerned with
changing the view of the video game industry. As mentioned in chapter one, many parents and
adults believe children play too many video games. However, the gaming audience is far from
just being targeted towards children. According to a 2020 survey by Statista, 38% of video game
players are between the ages of eighteen and thirty-four (Gough) The Last of Us is rated M (for
mature 17+) for a reason. Many of Sony’s signature titles on the PS4 were rated either teen or
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mature because they require a certain level of knowledge and competence to understand the
game mechanics and story.
This past generation of gaming has brought about a heavy narrative focus on video
games. Game narratives are becoming more unique and varied. Every developer is starting to
think about how they can separate themselves from the other developers. The narration is one of
the ways developers are doing this. Some video games require multiple playthroughs to learn the
entire story because the game is not explicit in narrating the story. Other video games make their
narratives more unique by adding in gameplay elements into how the narratives are told. This is
a unique aspect of the video game media channel because shows and films cannot change their
approach to narratives easily. Those media channels are representative in nature and therefore,
cannot allow the audience to be active and participate in the narrative. Video games are entirely
presentational and allow the player to be active in the narrative.
People respect famous actors and directors for their roles in releasing blockbuster hit
television shows and films to the world. Why are video game directors and the voice actors not
seen the same way? In chapter one, I discussed how video games utilize real people for many
elements including character modeling, gameplay actions, voiceovers, etc. Video games and
shows/films are not as different as some would like to believe. However, video games are
believed to be stronger in terms of narration. As this thesis has demonstrated, video games are
capable of being incredibly impactful on players. The passion and attention to detail in video
games since the release of The Last of Us has been evident. Video games and their creators
deserve more recognition from the public because they can stand on the same level as celebrity
actors and directors. The fact The Last of Us is being produced into a television show is evidence
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of this. The timing of this announcement is also important to point out because of the current
pandemic and the way life has become. Media will change and reflect what society is
thinking/feeling.
The Last of Us is relevant to the current time because of the similarities between the
game’s reality and our own. In 2020, everyone is confused and coping with the current pandemic
and protests in their own ways. In times like these, people need something to help them escape
from their strenuous lives. There are many people who seek out ways to escape from reality to
gain something that can be used to help them in their real lives. Video games are the best media
channel to use because they do more than any other media channel. They come with a fully
crafted world for the player to explore and enjoy. Players can resonate more with the characters
because they are playing as them. Video games present everything to the player and allow them
to explore every element in their own way. Conversely, most other media channels try to
represent reality because the creators believe people want realism. However, to truly escape from
reality requires unreal features. Any possibility can be created in a video game. However, video
games like The Last of Us are strong because they bring the real and unreal together to bring out
narratives that are believable and impactful on the player. The messages and themes people take
away from a story are the most important elements of what makes a strong narrative.
Narration is built into what makes us human beings. Stories have been told throughout
our human existence. We seek out stories to escape from the world and to experience something
new. Let us face the truth: reality can be boring. Therefore, people choose to spend their time
engaging in media to escape from their boredom. If those escape mechanisms can provide people
with new knowledge or perspectives to use, then they should be praised. For The Last of Us, the
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story makes the player think about Joel and Ellie’s journey which will reflect back to their own
life. Their journey is symbolic of your own personal life as you experience more of what life has
to offer. Joel and Ellie’s struggles can make your own struggles seem smaller than what you
believed them to be. The objective of the game was to portray life through a post-apocalyptic
world. Their reality is cruel and makes our own reality to be better than what we might believe it
to be. This can only help people to cope better with their own struggles and feelings. Many
people need experiences like these to better understand themselves and others.
“When you’re lost in the darkness, look for the light” (Naughty Dog, 2014). The
Fireflies’ slogan is representative of life in general. No matter how bad things might seem, they
will get better, but you must take the initiative to search for something to help you. It can be
family, friends, a story, media, or anything for that matter. This thesis would argue video games
to be an answer. But this thesis stands for more than just video games. It is founded on the firm
belief that life is sacred and should always be fought for, just as the characters in The Last of Us
fought for every second they could. You might not be able to escape your past but dwelling on
the past will do nothing for you. Pushing forward towards a brighter future is the ultimate sign of
resilience and strength. Every single person deserves happiness. It is without a doubt a human
right. Ellie must try to move on and find happiness after Joel lies to her. It will not be easy just
like life itself, but she must fight for something now. The ending of The Last of Us asks the
player to move on along with Ellie. Society must also move forward past the stigmatization of
video games. If this is done, then video games can receive the respect and recognition they
deserve.

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Potential Weaknesses
There are two primary potential weaknesses to this study. The first is personal bias due to
The Last of Us being my favorite game. This is due to sentimentality as well as the game having
personal meaning to me. Due to this, some portions of the analysis could be illegitimate.
However, most media are impressionable and are not tailored towards one person. Anyone can
watch a show or film or play a video game and interpret events and themes differently. Narrative
criticism is focused on the researcher’s own personal analysis, so this weakness is not necessarily
accurate.
The second weakness is this was my seventh time playing through The Last of Us. This
involves the of reliability of this study because if another researcher were to replicate this study,
they might not come to the same conclusions because they only played the game once. However,
this also brings back the goal for this thesis to create the motivation for people to experience the
game for themselves. Even though this analysis was detailed and thorough, there are many other
aspects of the experience that could not be accurately described. The subtle details of the world
and the character interactions are hard to replicate in the written word. As the saying goes, some
things are better experienced for yourself. This is especially true for video games because they
are a media channel focused on the player and their actions. This connects back to Dubbelman’s
article focused on looking at video game narratives as being presentational because the player is
taking part in the narrative. As this analysis has shown, the player is left with feelings of unease
after beating the game. This is crucial to better understanding video game narratives.

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Future Research
Future researchers can utilize this study to investigate similar video game narratives to
help drive this area of research forward. Specific video games that should be looked into further
are any of the first-party PS4 exclusives that launched during the PS4’s lifespan. Some of these
are God of War, Death Stranding, Horizon: Zero Dawn, and Ghost of Tsushima as well as a
myriad of others. With a new console generation looming over the horizon, this is a great
opportunity to examine and analyze the best games of this past generation. Not only did The Last
of Us pioneer the way for these various video game narratives, but they also were crucial to the
success of the PS4.
Future research can also investigate other video game narratives outside of the
PlayStation brand to determine how other video game console brands are tackling video game
narratives. The two most notable competitors for Sony would be Microsoft and Nintendo. Their
marketing strategies are different compared to the PlayStation. New research could help to
determine if one marketing strategy is more effective than the others. The PlayStation brand was
focused on the exclusive games that were available for the PS4 throughout its console
generation. Microsoft and their Xbox One were focused on the console and what it was capable
of. Nintendo and the Nintendo Switch has focused their marketing strategy on the player’s
experience while using their console. All three of these brands were successful this past
generation, but moving forward will they continue to be successful? Future research could delve
into the next generation of console gaming and compare it to the previous generation to
determine if these strategies are the same or whether they are changing to match their
competition.
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Another potential area for future research based off this study is to compare video game
narratives and film/television narratives. Specifically, the impact of the narrative can be
measured between participants. This could be beneficial in figuring out what the “best” media
channel is for delivering narratives. This thesis was focused on advocating for video games
specifically, but television and film narratives are strong in their own ways. They are all
important to the rapidly changing world we live in. However, for a study like this, the
researchers must make sure to clear out any bias from the participants due to the stigma of video
games by some people. People who equally enjoy these media channels should be selected to
participate.
While finishing up the analysis for The Last of Us, one research question needed to be
discarded. It was based on Walter Fisher’s theory of the narrative paradigm. How much of a role
do personal feelings play in the believability of a video game narrative? This question is hard to
analyze because it is hard to measure. How do you create a baseline for your personal feelings?
There were too many variables at play to adequately measure this question in this analysis. Even
for future research it might be impossible to answer. Perhaps that is how it should be? Since
everyone is unique, there are bound to be instances where people will view events and actions
differently. This is what makes analyzing media such a fascinating experience because everyone
will have their own interpretations. This can only benefit intellectual conversation and debate.
The primary area of future research based on the current study are for the sequel of The
Last of Us, The Last of Us Part Two.

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The Last of Us Part Two
This study could be taken further by analyzing the sequel, which has been widely
criticized and debated about. Many gamers argue the sequel to be a disgrace to the original and
are critical of it (Tassi). As this thesis has shown, The Last of Us was revolutionary for the video
game industry. The game proved video game narratives can be as good and acclaimed as film
and television show narratives. Without going into too much detail, I would like to outline
certain areas of focus for a follow up narrative analysis focused on the sequel.
To start, The Last of Us Part Two is not like the original. In many ways, they are
completely different games because of the major theme of the narrative. The first game is
focused on a journey across the United States and the lessons learned over the course of the
journey. However, The Last of Us Part 2 is focused on revenge after tragic acts are committed
towards Ellie. Due to this difference, there are stark differences between the two games. The first
game focused on the more positive and beautiful aspects of the world and life through a postapocalyptic context. There were many dark moments in the game, but the happy moments are the
ones that stick with you. The sequel is darker and fueled by hatred and anger, but it still depicts
those happy moments like the original to balance out the tone of the narrative.
Throughout The Last of Us, the player does not feel uncomfortable with the characters’
actions until the end of the game with Joel’s decision. However, the sequel is uncomfortable for
the player throughout the entire game. The player is forced to do things they might not agree
with but are forced to do. While this could be considered mental abuse or traumatizing, I think it
is important to better understanding ourselves and the people around us. As was mentioned in
chapter one, The Last of Us is relevant to the current times with a mass pandemic and society
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being flipped upside down. Many people have had enough with the discomfort from years of
mistreatment and systemic racism being built into the systems we depend on daily. The protests
which have come about are fueled by anger, but they are focused on positive change. In many
ways, I would consider The Last of Us Part Two to be even more relevant to the present day than
the original.
If we take justice into our own hands, then what does that say about justice itself? Justice
could mean many different things if we all choose to use it the way we want. Some people like to
think revenge is the right choice, but all it does is repeat a continuous cycle of hate and violence.
There are laws and systems in place to get revenge legally. If your loved one was murdered and
you believe murdering the perpetrator will make the world right, then you will be treated the
same as the murderer. People have every right to be upset and angry in circumstances such as
those, but if those feelings are used to perpetuate a cycle of hate, then there is no change. The
Last of Us Part Two might be uncomfortable for players, but that discomfort drives the want and
need for change in the world.
Contribution and Significance
This study advanced current research on video games by focusing on a game narrative
that revolutionized the gaming industry. The present study has paved the way for future narrative
analyses of video games. This research has also helped to advance narrative studies done in the
past. Video game narration differs from typical narration styles, so the present study can be used
to compare video game narration with other narratives from other media channels. Some of the
research from the literature review has also been expanded by this study. Apperley’s article
focused on redefining video game genres was found to be important for video game narratives. A
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third-person action survival game does not encompass what The Last of Us is about. The
narrative is the focus of the game, so the genre should reflect the narrative as well as the
gameplay. Gameplay and narration can work together to create impactful experiences for
players. When it comes to the socialization factor of video games, this analysis could be
considered my opinions being put out for the world to read. In a way, this analysis could be
considered socializing about The Last of Us.
The present study is significant because it is focused on advocacy and positive change.
While most research is focused on better understanding something, this thesis was built
integrally for advocacy purposes. The Last of Us was better understood by undertaking this
analysis, but there was an alternate purpose to this thesis. Through this narrative analysis, people
can better understand video games and their contribution to the world. This study has shown how
video games are not a waste of time or useless to society. People are asking for change now more
than ever. The Last of Us changed the video game industry from within. It was the catalyst to
bring about the first change to the video game industry. The hope for this thesis was to build
further onto the change The Last of Us created for the video game industry. The goal is for the
change to spread across society. “I struggled for a long time with surviving. and no matter what,
you keep finding something to fight for” (Naughty Dog, 2014). The fight for change will never
stop just like the fight to survive.

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