I had mentioned this to a few commenters here a few days ago, and thought: this is a really good story that should be told by someone. And the longer I sat around today thinking about it I decided you know what, I should say something about this.
When the game Last of Us was introduced for the Sony Playstation 3 last year, it was one of those things that upended all expectations for what a game should be. Outside of decent action, the game worked away from the typical shoot-em-up and characters who were used stealth and cunning were highly rewarded.
In the story, the future is set where a man helps guide a young girl through a destroyed America in hopes of finding a cure for the plague.
Without getting too deep into the story, let me say that I don't have a lot of time to play games (my kids do) but Sundays are my 'day off' and sometimes I enjoy throwing on something and playing around. Last of Us was something I had never played before - a game with a story so compelling that between voice acting and concept I considered it one of the better narratives I had experienced the entire year.
But in an add-on DLC (Downloadable Content) The Last of Us did something that stunned a few people - it was revealed that the lead character, a ~16 year old girl named Ellie was, in fact, gay.
It would be one thing if this was a game that only a few people cared about.... with a minimal following. But when IGN, a leading game site asked for gamers of all platforms to rank the best games on any platform in the last generation:
http://ca.ign.com/...
#1 The Last of Us
Released June, 2013. Sony: Naughty Dog.
That's right. Out of all the gamers on all platforms, The Last of Us won best game. Period. Not in any specific genre. In any genre.
Computer and Console games have long been portrayed as either homophobic, anti-women, overly violent, rewarding death and so on. They've been mocked by Parent advocacy groups, blamed with actions of others and so on.
But when Last of Us decided to take this step rather than equivocate, Naughty Dog took to Reddit and other sources to say: no, this is what it is. This is giving our female protagonist a female love interest.
When the games DLC was released in February, outside of some issues with the brevity, a large number of gamers came forward and said: I had never expected this.. and I am blown away.
But in Left Behind you are one half of that friendship. It’s active, not passive. It is also the first mainstream, big-budget game I’ve ever played that’s done it, and that feels really significant to me. This is a moment I didn’t even know I’d been waiting for until it happened.
http://www.ign.com/...
This week, as Sony prepares for E3, where "Last of Us" was remembered for being 1 year in the marketplace. Which has led to discussions about what the game meant to the gamers who played it.
Here, starting really at about the 1:50 marker, you get to see some of the heart of the game, the nature of the storytelling and the what it meant to someone playing it.
As the gamer tells us:
"I can't start crying..."
"I need a second. You guys... I seriously never thought I'd see this shit. I mean, Ellen Paige just came out... (cries).. and here, this is normal. This isn't even a big deal. There is a lesbian romance in this game. If only I could have seen this when I was like.. I don't know, twelve.. or like her age."
Ashley Johnson, in an interview with IGN on May 30, revealed that the reaction of people who came up to her blew her away:
http://www.ign.com/...
(can't embed that video :( )
We sometimes forget how powerful media in all it's forms can be. Having a powerful protagonist in a genre that has been so geared toward young boys and something else that presented a gay character not as a conflicted bad guy but as the absolute hero of the story stands out.
Anyway, very short diary.. and I know someone will say this in the comments so I will say it here: The "Remastered" edition comes out this month on the Playstation 4. If you are a gamer, I'd tell you: give it a try. See if you can find out why so many other gamers picked it as the greatest game of the last generation.