The role of violence in The Last of Us

Violence in video games has been debated for as long as the medium has existed. The Last of Us is and The Last of Us Part II being some of the more realistically gruesome and violent games on the market has naturally made them a central talking point when it comes to violence in games. So in this video, I thought I’d give my two cents on the role of violence in The Last of Us.
Hey everyone! Whether we like it or not I think we can all agree that the violence in The Last of Us is very realistic, even more so in The Last of Us Part II. Now violence has always been a touchy subject when it comes to video games, and it’s no wonder it’s the same with the last of us since it features it very prominently. The thing is though that violence plays a crucial role in the last of us’ story and is not there only for the sake of it. which is what I’m going to discuss today.
Enjoy!
Outro song: Popsicle - LFZ
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[@paige4814]

“Let’s get on with it” my fav intro from any youtuber😂

[@TheHawkeye0725]

Sometimes you gotta beat the crap outta your problems to solve them

[@TheiPadCat]

Ain’t that the truth ;)

[@basementdweller235]

Im actually surprised people actual complained about violence in a zombie apocalypse game.

[@itsblitz4437]

You know Quentin Tarantino said this to the critics who detests his violence and why he does it: "Because it's fun!".

[@enmaibed]

People who say "violence isn't the answer" are casuals

[@TheiPadCat]

“If violence doesn’t solve your problems, you didn’t use enough of it”

[@shadxed1127]

@@tauba99 I would put it first, when someone bullies you, you slam the to the floor and punch them till they say stop

[@MUZZLEFLASHER10O10]

@@tauba99 In cases of bullying it is a long term solution, the problem is it could go wrong and you could get beaten up, still, if it goes well, you recieve respect, and sometimes, in those cases, it's much better to make people understand how real the problem is, not using violence is a way to make the problem last longer.

[@PayondeAwsome]

Imagine of Joel had the foresight to carry around a pocket knife like Ellie so he wouldn't have to swap weapons every 3rd enemy

[@lonewulfmo9128]

In my opinion video games are just like tvs, books all of which can contain graphic violence and may influence people differently. I TOTALLY AGREE WITH YOU. Violence IS a necessary part of tlou coz in tlou world which parallels nature of real world violence IS the only way safety, security, order, justice and other ethical goals can be attained. This is reality, that violence is necessary for good. In a developed society violence becomes almost obsolete BUT if its leaders are wise they MUST retain a group of people who specialize in efficient use of violence to attain leader goals

[@TheiPadCat]

Absolutely. Violence doesn’t belong in every type of entertainment media, but to claim it’s out of place in tlou is like claiming a fish is out of place in the ocean.

[@vincentcenni8649]

P.S.: I believe Neil Druckman said people playing TLOU 2 cringed and were more upset about killing dogs than humans. And they were relieved when he said it was possible to escape the dogs without killing them.

[@ChildEater71]

When I first played tlou 2 I genuinely couldn't bring myself to kill any of the dogs ✋🏻😭

[@burakasik3937]

In a dark world like last of us violence is a necessary evil to survive

[@the_dark_knight2325]

Dude, I'm so happy I found this channel. Keep up the good work! :D

[@supervegito2277]

Part 2 is more violent. The first time i can remember where ive actually felt the impact of Violence in a game. GTA 5 Gunfights are no more violent than a paintball battle...

[@TheiPadCat]

For sure. It actually makes me cringe and stop every now and then. Certainly not glorified and trivialised “video game violence” like how many news outlets like to portray it.

[@alexnedin]

Everything is logical. I remember how shocked i was when a clicker ate my Joel in the first encounter with him in that skyscraper :)

[@neutch1991]

That's nothing compared to when a bloater kills you. Now that's something truly horrifying.

[@shadxed1127]

@@neutch1991 oh yeah man, at the end when your heading to the hospital with Ellie and you go under this highway you have to encounter like 5 bloaters

[@seven6577]

Shadxed 3* bloaters

[@vincentcenni8649]

I agree with your premise that the violence in TLOU is legitimate as part of the world that exists within the game. There are ways of playing it with minimal kills and greater stealth, but considering the types of people ( Hunter's, Cannibals, Zealots, and Infected) it is hard to see if this was the reality how you can leave them to cause you trouble later. With the exception of the Fireflies at the end, I don't think Joel killed anybody who was not equally willing to kill him or Ellie. The Fireflies were, of course, a separate issue because they threatened his life and more importantly stood between him and his fatherly feeling of protection for Ellie. ( A side note, when I first played this game I had 2 young daughters and if I was faced with Joel's options I would hope to have made the same choice given all the variables available about the Fireflies and Marlene's leadership.) To me, the violence in the game is much like when you see movies or documentaries about conquering armies from ancient times when it was common to put whole city"s to the sword complete with unspeakable violence toward non- combatants. It was the savage way that most conquering armies accepted as the norm. Some of the most celebrated names in history would be war criminals at the Hauge. However, we view the behavior of Alexander the Great, Pompey the Great and Julius Cesar as illustrious world leaders, not genocidal maniacs or ethnic cleansers. So too, the world of TLOU, unfortunately, our hard-fought centuries of the rule of law have been stripped away leaving little room for anything except the morally grey will to survive. In short, the enemy you leave alive could easily become a problem you'll have to deal with later.

[@heaventide]

Great, great video. Well explained

[@jvvayne555]

I believe some movies and games use violence as it should be used to tell a story and set a tone to make it grounded and show what they want to show to get the tone across and put you on edge. Others do not and only do so to make you feel sick not to inform you of anything like in hacksaw ridge or d-day do it right but then there’s is movies like the hateful 8, saw and kill bill that do it just to make it gory which is ok I guess but I prefer the more grounded and story driven version of it to set a tone to tell a story. And I agree with all your points here great video👍

[@dwaynewade66]

I agree with you a 100% My take on it is I never thought that The Violence was too much I never thought that Joel was the Villain The world in the last of us was justification For the brutality in the game And clearly millions and millions of people agree with me

[@sablemae8853]

3 minutes in and I agree 1000%. Without the violence from all parties we'd lose the moral gray in the story. It'd be the good guys against the bad and it'd lose its realism.

[@meepmoe]

Thank you for this. UuU

[@Adrian-yp4ip]

Watching this video at x1.75 speed makes your voice sound like that of jimmy’s from South Park

[@sussyslurp]

violence can be turned down in most recent remaster

[@nday5356]

May 29th lets get on with it

[@jorgerincon6874]

Honestly violence doesn't do it for me, I didn't feel anything by killing people in TLoU and honestly laughed when I killed the dogs in TLoU2, I guess it's because im almost always fully aware it's a work of fiction, or maybe I'm messed up.

[@TheiPadCat]

Everyone reacts differently . Some are able to completely distance themselves from it since it’s quite obvious we’re still playing a game. I’m not quite as... unaffected by it as you. But neither am I even close to being as affected by it as many other fans claim to be

[@moodyowlproductions4287]

In a world like this it kill or be killed....what other choice do you have...

[@ludvigsternberg9277]

Are u swedish? I noticed that you had swedish subtitles. I'm swedish too btw

[@xBLACKSTAR]

The combat and violence in the last of us is truly an art form! It really feels like your beating the absolute shit out of people when you press square. Umm ...btw ve recently started a comedic let's play of the last of us 1 ,this is to celebrate the upcoming release of tlou 2, anyone mind checking it out? I bet it'll make you laugh , especially if you like dark humor 🗣️

[@tvhead7074]

Personally if some form of entertainment is too over the top with violence, like Rambo Last Blood in September, I usually will start to laugh at it. So I hope TLoU 2 doesn’t make that mistake, even though Neil said they make the violence not funny, to me it might end up being funny anyway. Maybe I’m just sick idk.

[@gotz1516]

Blah blah blah

[@TheTiredhermit]

Garrett Steins 😂 why did you say blah blah blah?

[@oskar2930]

r u alive? i'm in abstinence hahah

[@TheThegirlbehindyou9]

hey iPadCat do you own a cat..

[@sablemae8853]

Or an iPad?

[@BreakthroughGaming]

Swag

[@Cuscusarevuar02]

The story wouldn't be THAT emotional anymore. I mean... come on