How ‘The Last of Us’ TV adaptation is Resonating with Non-Gamers

The HBO series “The Last of Us” is a show based on a popular video game. It’s set in a world taken over by an infection that has turned the United States into an apocalyptic place. People watching this show who haven’t played the game might think it’s just another story with zombies and lots of fighting, but it’s much more than that.

The Last of Us TV show was a huge success. People who don’t even play video games liked it! 4.7 million viewers in the U.S watched when it first premiered on HBO, making it the second-biggest debut that HBO ever had, right behind House of the Dragon.

Neil Druckmann, the co-president of Naughty Dog and the creator of a Playstation 3 video game released ten years ago, said he was surprised by how well this game has been accepted and appreciated.

“It has been really interesting to me to watch the way new people react and interact with what I wrote; they give their own interpretation of the content and explain what they liked or disliked,” said Druckmann, who also worked on the show as a co-creator, writer, and executive producer.

The show talks about topics people can relate to, like how it feels to grow up, deal with sadness and loss, stay hopeful and be a parent. It’s not just about zombies – even though they do cause the problems in this exciting apocalypse story, there are other monsters around. People have connected to the meaningful plot and complex characters that make the show more than what you’d expect from this kind of series.

Victoria Jin, a 24-year-old law student, said that normally she would not watch horror or zombie shows. She had never actually played the game related to the show but started watching it with her friends. What made her stay was the third episode which explored the relationship between two characters Bill and Frank. This episode was about love and hope in a difficult world.

“For me, it’s the drama that makes me come back. All of the heartache and emotions make it real and exciting to watch,” explained Jin. “Plus, having Pedro Pascal as one of the stars is reason enough to keep watching.”

The performances of two actors, Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey, on the show have been widely praised. Fans are already thinking about them getting Emmy nominations for their roles! And that’s for a good reason – Pedro Pascal plays internet’s favorite dad on “The Last of Us” and additionally in Disney Plus “The Mandalorian.

Michael Tucker, an avid gamer, writer, and filmmaker says that the plot may seem simple but what makes it successful is its complex characters.

Tucker, the creator of a YouTube channel called “Lessons from the Screenplay” believes that in TV and video games we can relate to the characters because they let us experience their relationships slowly. This helps people develop sympathy for them which is universal and understandable.

Kim Shay, 26 years old, isn’t a video gamer, but she remembered seeing the online discussions about it even before the release of HBO series. She watched some full playthroughs of this game on YouTube and was swept away by its story right away. Kim said: “The tale presented in this game is just outstanding.”

TV shows and movies based on video games are really popular. Netflix has made a lot of successes from their adaptations like “Arcane” (which was based off the game “League of Legends”) and “Castlevania” (which was adapted from an action-adventure gothic horror series). Unfortunately, some of them have failed.

Making a successful adaptation of something isn’t just about copying the original. That’s why “The Last of Us” was so special, because its creators worked on the project with an open mind about what to keep and change. These same creators from the video game also voiced some of the major roles in the show; Troy Baker and Ashley Johnson being two examples of this as they were responsible for playing Joel and Ellie respectively.

The show succeeded in part thanks to a special connection between its lead director and showrunner, Craig Mazin. During their conversations, Neil Druckmann noticed that Mazin was a huge fan of “The Last of Us” video game and he really thought deeply about the characters, relationships, and what they all meant. Druckmann said that Mazin’s love for the characters had a big impact on him.

As Hollywood starts to pay more attention to video games, Druckmann stands firm that the passion and effort put into a video game should be what developers value the most.

According to him, “Making video games is something I’m very passionate about. And I’m always excited to do something new because the possibilities of what a story in a video game can be are bigger than any other type of medium.”