The Last of Us Part II Tests the Limits of Video-Game Violence
This story contains spoilers for The Last of Us and The Last of Us Part II.
At the end of the bestselling video game The Last of Us, the player does something unspeakable. Living in a world overrun by zombies after a mutated fungus infects most of Earth’s populace, you play as Joel, a survivor who’s guiding a teen girl named Ellie across the country in search of civilization. The duo finally reaches a team of doctors who hope to use Ellie’s immunity to the fungus to develop a cure. But when Ellie is unconscious on the operating table, you learn the terrible news—a cure can come only at the cost of Ellie’s life. So rather than let her die, you slaughter everyone in your path.
It’s Joel, Joel’s actions. After my many hours of playing alongside Ellie, allowing her to die seemed even more unthinkable than mass murder.
