That the experience of catastrophe should turn people against rather than towards each other is a form of Social Darwinism that prevails throughout our culture, fiction, and common sense. No, the problem here is what the game is saying about humans and human society. Given this latter group of combatants are presented as bloodthirsty and backwards religious fanatics, the problems with this comparison hardly need much elaboration. Mostly though it is because if the Washington Liberation Front, who Ellie is hunting down to find Abby, represent Israel in being heavily armed, fortified, and technologically advanced then their rivals, the Seraphites, must surely represent Palestine. This is partly because treating the grievances of Israel and Palestine as in any way equivalent is obviously absurd. While interesting, it may be best not to dwell for too long on the Israel-Palestine analogy. There is little in the way of redemption for either of the characters, or their friends, with many people dying on all sides of all conflicts, and all for seemingly no other reason than a desire for revenge. On speaking of the game’s motivations, Druckmann mentioned the desire to “make you feel this intense hate that is universal” - the kind he experienced on witnessing the atrocity. This story of cyclical violence is one inspired by the Israel-Palestine conflict, with creator Neil Druckmann citing his feelings of murderous hate on seeing killings of Israeli soldiers in 2000. The game takes place several years after the first, and revolves around one young woman (Ellie) and her quest to take revenge on another (Abby). The Last of Us Part II takes this to a whole new level. This isn’t really the place to get into a discussion of how such a thing is constituted (what stops Pac-Man from being art?), but what it did reveal is that, among many commentators, media can be considered artistic if the story it presents is one of questionable morality and, naturally, tragic consequences. A bold ending, which no doubt helped earn the game the dubious honour of being considered as ‘art’. The first game said as much by concluding with its protagonist escaping with the only person who could cure the virus, effectively damning the planet to death.

However, the real villain is not the zombies but rather the humans. The games are both excellent, if relentlessly bleak, with intuitive stealth and combat, heart-pounding tension and storylines that are as captivating as they are emotionally devastating.

The two games, released in 20 by Naughty Dog, explore the aftermath of an airborne virus turning people into undead flesh-eaters and bringing human civilisation crashing down. The Last of Us is not the first horror franchise to examine the monstrosity of man, nor the first to do so with zombies. In other words, we create our own monsters. There are of course exceptions, but the point remains - the best way to scare a person is to get inside their head.

This is why some of the most effective horror films rarely show the monster, and if they do, it is only after the creaks, shadows, and bloodstains find their imprint on a person’s mind. What can be imagined is often far scarier than what is seen on the screen or read on a page, and for the fear to be real, the audience must engage on a psychological level. The trick of great horror is to make a monster of your audience.

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