DISPATCHES AUGUST
Violence
As we gear up for summers trapped indoors, gaming is becoming more and more a part of all our lives. I loved seeing people who’d abandoned gaming return to it in lockdown, and many were thrilled at how things had changed. However, as I watched the trailer for The Last of Us Part II, my heart sank. Not because of the massive spoilers that leaked to the internet, and not because of the behaviour in response (although it was unedifying to say the least). It wasn’t even over the game itself, which has earned its grimdark future through groundwork laid in the original game.
No, it was for the developers. We hear about the trauma experienced by people working on the series, and as I watched a character knife another opposing force member, I thought, ‘What a waste.’ As I watched Ellie’s green jacket darken with water, as the rain lashed down so accurately that if I was glancing
