Get Real: Narrative and Gameplay in the Last of Us
2015; University of Bucharest; Volume: 6; Issue: 1 Linguagem: Inglês
ISSN
2068-0317
Autores Tópico(s)Gothic Literature and Media Analysis
ResumoAbstractThis essay addresses problems of ludonarrative dissonance in the 2013 video game The Last of Us. Much of the game's production is well executed and very realistic, both in terms of graphics and storytelling; however, a few unrealistic elements in its gameplay undercut the otherwise compelling narrative. While many other video games include similar tropes to make the games more accessible and appealing to consumers, the narrative in The Last of Us ultimately suffers because of its developers' attempt to appeal to a mass audience.KeywordsVideo games, gameplay, narrative, ludonarrative dissonance, realismBecause it's a video game.For a few decades now, we gamers have been able to forgive, to even embrace certain unrealistic elements of our games. We expect or rely on tutorial levels, save points, health regeneration... The chance to start over. Most of the time, we don't require (or provide to any non-gamers who ask) any explanation for these tropes beyond Because it's a video game. This, however, is becoming an increasingly unsatisfying answer. As technology advances and game developers try to tell us implicitly and explicitly that they are placing us into much more graphically realistic game worlds, certain conventional elements of gameplay and design that hew closely to those of earlier games start to seem glaringly old-fashioned. These archaic elements become more jarring and distracting, sometimes to the point of silliness-sometimes, to the point that they undercut the emotional stakes at the heart of the game's narrative. Such flaws present in The Last of Us stand out because the we experience-that we create-while playing is at points in direct opposition to the literal story occurring in the game.Since its initial release for the PlayStation 3 in 2013 and rerelease for PlayStation 4 last year, The Last of Us (from developer Naughty Dog) has been universally praised by critics and gamers alike for its memorable and realistically-rendered characters, well written story, superb voice acting and performance capture, visually rich environments, tense gameplay, and moody minimalist soundtrack. It topped numerous 2013 Game of the Year lists, and many gamers regard it as the best PlayStation 3 game ever made. For others, it's one of the best games, period. It is good, fantastic in some respects, but don't let the gushing praise fool you. The Last of Us does have its flaws. These problems may seem nitpicky-things many gamers would not perceive as problems at all-and are by no means particular to The Last of Us.The game tells the story of middle-aged Joel and fourteen-year-old Ellie twenty years after a worldwide fungal pandemic called CBI (Cordyceps Brain Infection) wiped out much of the population (and civilized society) and transformed many humans into ferocious fungus-mutants that can't wait to rip out your throat. (The word zombie is never used-they're referred to generally as infected and more specifically as runners, stalkers, clickers, or bloaters based on the stages of the fungal infection-but for all intents and purposes you're dealing with zombies.) Joel is tasked with escorting Ellie to a militia group that hopes to use her to develop a vaccine since she appears immune to the Cordyceps fungus.Even in games that involve zombies or aliens or monsters, it seems a bit strange when your character can haul around a dozen weapons, thousands of rounds of ammunition, pieces of armor or clothing he or she is not currently wearing, and a plethora of other useful or useless objects. These almost infinitely deep pockets aren't bound by the physical laws of the real world and are just one of many tropes that have become part and parcel of video games that we accept, understand, take for granted... and have come to depend on. We double-jump with ease or chow down on a turkey leg in the midst of battle to immediately heal a supposedly fatal stab wound, and we think nothing of it. …
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