Converting video games to films or television programs has been a challenging undertaking for Hollywood over the years. It is not easy to retain the interactive, immersive nature of gaming in a medium meant for passive consumption. But now and then, a production arrives that thwarts the usual dangers of video game adaptation. HBO’s “The Last of Us” is one such, initiating significant conversations not just about narrative, but also representation.
Why Video Game Adaptations Usually Fail
It’s no surprise that video game adaptations tend to struggle. A big reason is the basic difference between films and games. Games like “Assassin’s Creed” live and breathe on player choice—stealth strategies, discovery, and decision-making—that are hard to transfer to a straight movie storyline without diluting what makes the experience special.
The other problem is the temptation to lean on gimmicks. Consider the “Doom” film, which for a moment adopted first-person point of view to simulate the game, with the result being confusion instead of thrills. As the co-creator of “The Last of Us,” Craig Mazin, writes, overreliance on a game’s mechanics or brand recognition has the effect of alienating existing fans as well as attracting new ones.
Furthermore, most games take strong cues from successful film genres. “Halo” borrows from sci-fi classics such as “Alien,” for instance, while “Tomb Raider” takes an Indiana Jones-inspired adventure. When such familiar tales come back to the screen, they tend to seem stale or unoriginal. Open-world games such as “Skyrim,” with their focus on player choice, create another problem—how do you summarize such vast, choice-based worlds in one narrative? Typically, you can’t.
Why Television is a Better Fit for Video Game Stories
One of the secrets to the success of “The Last of Us” is its decision to become a limited television series instead of a feature film. Video games provide hours of content, so it would be almost impossible to cut the story down to two hours without sacrificing necessary depth. Television has the room to flesh out characters and establish relationships over several episodes.
Neil Druckmann, the game’s creator, initially resisted adapting the story into a movie because it would require significant cuts. Partnering with Craig Mazin, they realized a series format could capture the emotional nuance and complex storytelling of the game. The episodic approach allows viewers to invest in the relationship between Joel and Ellie, mirroring how players grow attached to these characters over time.
Adapting “The Last of Us”: Changes and Decisions
It’s not about merely replicating its narrative when adapting a favorite video game for television. Druckmann and Mazin carefully adjusted things to make the show new yet respectful of the original material. The game is largely Joel and Ellie-centric, engaging players through their viewpoints. The series opens up with fresh characters and even ventures outside the U.S. to depict the pandemic’s worldwide effects.
Violence, a major aspect of the show, is treated differently on screen. While repeated fighting by the players is common in the show, violent scenes are given seriousness in the series, and each loss counts. Mazin clarifies that seeing someone die in real life must not be the same as viewing “pixels die” in the show.
Joel, played by Pedro Pascal, is also more earthly. This Joel, unlike the nearly superhuman one in the game, has the physical cost of years of suffering—unhearing in one ear, creaking knees—small touches that create realism and depth.
Representation and Casting Debates
Although highly acclaimed, the series has been controversial in some ways, particularly concerning representation. One of these is casting Maria, initially a white character, as a Black woman. This has initiated debates about “race-swapping” in adaptations.
Critics suggest that race-swapping a character can come across as tokenistic in nature, rather than a solid step forward, wondering why creators can’t just add new diverse characters instead. This argument is reminiscent of analogous controversies, such as with the outrage over casting a Black actress as Ariel in Disney’s “The Little Mermaid.” For some, such modifications appear to be lip service towards diversity, rather than actual inclusion.
Supporters counter that, especially in fictional universes, race is sometimes not central to a character’s identity and changing it can bring fresh perspectives. However, this logic isn’t always applied consistently—imagine if a historically Black character like Blade were recast as white; such a decision would likely provoke strong criticism.
Finding the Right Balance
What makes “The Last of Us” stand out is the way it handles these issues with care. The series doesn’t avoid nuanced discussions of representation without losing its emotional center. Strong character development and careful storytelling help it steer clear of video game adaptations’ most common missteps.
Whether a seasoned gamer or new to the story, “The Last of Us” proves how to effectively bring video games to the screen. It is not as much about re-creating the game as it is about finding worthwhile ways to get people involved while keeping in mind the original material.