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

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

1-1-2016

Publication Title

Games and Culture

Volume

11

Issue

2017-07-08

First page number:

745

Last page number:

763

Abstract

The Last of Us plunges gamers into a decimated world, one in which the majority of the human population has succumbed to the Cordyceps fungal infection. Against the crumbling monoliths of human culture, social constructions of morality and culture are explored through the game's protagonist Joel and the various survivors he encounters. As the narrative unfolds, it asks compelling questions about the nature of morality, the antagonism between the human and natural worlds, and whether or not humanity is worth saving. To this end, the narrative utilizes elements of naturalism and its more modern form, environmental fiction. © The Author(s) 2015.

Keywords

Cordyceps; environmental; fiction; morality; naturalism; postapocalypse; The Last of Us

Language

English

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