Just last month, for one hot second, the internet was in grief. It felt like we were reliving the horrors of the Red Wedding—the brutal episode that shook Game of Thrones fans back in 2013. This time, we were watching The Last of Us season two, episode two. As a show based on a video game and clicker zombies brought us to emotional ruin, some remained smug over television’s biggest open secret. Those PS4 gamers? They saw it coming.
What began as a 2013 PlayStation game about Joel, a smuggler, and Ellie, a teenage girl (starring Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey in the lead roles) navigating a post-fungal apocalypse, has quietly turned into one of the best dramas on television today. And it’s no exception. Some of the most emotionally devastating, gorgeously crafted, pop-culture-shaking shows started life as video games.
Not so long ago, plot-driven shows meant stories that were most likely derived or adapted from books or comic books. These days, some of the most gripping story lines are sieved from video games. The Last of Us, the Emmy-winning post-apocalyptic drama streaming on JioHotstar, may not be the first, but it is the most impactful video game to turn into a show. Read Shyamolika Vaz's full story here.
