Abstract
The Last of Us is a video game that is a notable artifact of study because the creators intentionally wrote queer characters and a same-sex relationship between two teenage girls into the core of the franchise’s narrative. In examining the portrayal of these queered characters and same-sex relationship in the post-apocalyptic horror survival video game through a queer theory, this study found each of the three queered characters were written complexly with backstories and motivations. Although the representation of characters Bill, Ellie, and Riley are generally positive, foundational story narratives and interviews with voice actors weaken the efforts of the Naughty Dog video game company in producing a text that completely embraces its LGBT-friendly intentions.
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Sipocz, D. (2018). Affliction or Affection: The Inclusion of a Same-Sex Relationship in The Last of Us. In: Harper, T., Adams, M., Taylor, N. (eds) Queerness in Play. Palgrave Games in Context. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-90542-6_5
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