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Most importantly, the show is an opportunity to build on the game’s strongest narrative asset: the relationship between Joel and Ellie. At one point, Joel describes Ellie as “not family, just cargo.” Her move from the latter to the former is what anchors both game and show. 8/13 — PolitiTweet.org

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Turning action into drama allowed them to flesh out some deep narrative aspects the game deals with only indirectly. For Mazin, the zombie is about mortality, and the Cordyceps fungus eating its way through mankind is the great leveler, created by our relentless consumption. 7/13 https://t.co/3qvIDEBalV — PolitiTweet.org

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While writing the scripts they arrived at a few related precepts: action into drama, dramatize the mundane, and, the starkest, dump the gameplay. Replicating game mechanics felt like pandering, so any moment that drew its power from interactivity went on the chopping block 6/13 https://t.co/fGNusjI8j3 — PolitiTweet.org

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At the same time, there are also things that linear, cinematic storytelling can do that a game can’t. The task for Mazin and Druckmann was to find a way to bridge the gap between the two mediums in a way that allowed them to avoid what they called “the video game curse.” 5/13 https://t.co/3kqghjB4Ed — PolitiTweet.org

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That’s because adapting a game offers challenges very distinct from adapting a novel or comic book. Films are linear; games are interactive. For those who have played #TheLastOfUs the riveting sequence that opens the show is already iconic. More than that, it’s personal. 4/13 https://t.co/bRP9zg7c9o — PolitiTweet.org

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Previous video game adaptations, largely attempts by non-gamers, have delivered “projects that can feel inauthentic to the game-playing audience and be downright confusing to the non-gaming viewer,” says Casey Baltes, head of interactive programming for the Tribeca Festival. 3/13 — PolitiTweet.org

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It would be wrong to say that video game adaptations haven’t improved since the 90s. But while movies like Detective Pikachu and Werewolves Within entertain, they’re not considered prestigious, and a widespread perception persists that Hollywood just does not get games. 2/13 — PolitiTweet.org

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🧵If any source material had the potential to break the video game curse it was #TheLastOfUs Still, the fact that @Neil_Druckmann and @clmazin seem to have actually delivered a thoughtful, compelling TV adaptation of a video game is astonishing. https://t.co/nZyoDw50QL 📷:HBO https://t.co/JXc6DTDYa6 — PolitiTweet.org

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For more thoughtful analysis of TV, movies, music, and all things pop culture, subscribe to WIRED. 👇 https://t.co/Q2rX2Wlcu1 https://t.co/j9Xjk9rJUb — PolitiTweet.org

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Druckmann insists he didn’t set out to make a game in the style of prestige television. . . But watching the show, there’s a nagging sense that this is the story he always wanted to tell. Ultimately, it doesn’t matter– the curse has finally been lifted. 13/13 — PolitiTweet.org

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It’s not that #TheLastOfUsHBO is a groundbreaking TV show in and of itself. But it is, at last, a game adaptation that stands as a great live-action TV show on its own terms, poised to appeal to skeptical gamers and those looking for their next Sunday night watercooler fix. 12/13 https://t.co/q4LbdtEFgb — PolitiTweet.org

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For his part, Mazin is an avid gamer, but what impressed him about The Last of Us was separate from its gameness. To him, Ellie and Joel felt like people, not vessels. “The characters had this remarkable relationship that developed in this very human and grounded way.” 11/13 https://t.co/exKANDEn2X — PolitiTweet.org

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Naughty Dog’s offices teem with TV writers who have worked on shows like Westworld. Druckmann, the studio’s co-president since 2020, cites literary influences like Cormac McCarthy as inspiration for The Last of Us, and is an adherent of screenwriting legend Robert McKee. 10/13 — PolitiTweet.org

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Games have always drawn on film, but no studio has done so as ideologically as Naughty Dog, who has been branding its products “active cinematic experiences” with a focus on “emotional emphasis” since the mid-aughts. 9/13 — PolitiTweet.org

WIRED @WIRED

More than anything the show is an opportunity to build on the game’s strongest narrative asset: the relationship between Joel and Ellie. At one point, Joel describes Ellie as “not family, just cargo.” Her move from the latter to the former is what anchors both game and show. 8/13 — PolitiTweet.org

WIRED @WIRED

Turning action into drama allowed them to flesh out deep narrative aspects that the game deals with only indirectly. For Mazin, the zombie is about mortality, and the Cordyceps fungus eating its way through mankind is the great leveler, created by our relentless consumption. 7/13 https://t.co/R6AwuemRU6 — PolitiTweet.org

WIRED @WIRED

While writing the scripts they arrived at a few related precepts: action into drama, dramatize the mundane, and, the starkest, dump the gameplay. Replicating game mechanics felt like pandering, so any moment that drew its power from interactivity went on the chopping block. 6/13 https://t.co/TAxAptIz6u — PolitiTweet.org

WIRED @WIRED

At the same time, there are also things that linear, cinematic storytelling can do that a game can’t. The task for Mazin and Druckmann was to bridge the gap between the two mediums in a way that allowed them to avoid what they called “the video game curse.” 5/13 https://t.co/3sil3DdIxd — PolitiTweet.org

WIRED @WIRED

That’s because adapting a game offers challenges very distinct from adapting a novel or comic book. Films are linear; games are interactive. For those who have played The Last of Us, the riveting sequence that opens the show is already iconic. More than that, it’s personal. 4/13 https://t.co/hd4pqNoAvY — PolitiTweet.org

WIRED @WIRED

Many previous video game adaptations, largely made by non-gamers, have been “projects that can feel inauthentic to the game-playing audience and be downright confusing to the non-gaming viewer,” says Casey Baltes, head of interactive programming for the Tribeca Festival. 3/13 — PolitiTweet.org

WIRED @WIRED

It would be wrong to say that video game adaptations haven’t improved since the 90s. But while movies like Detective Pikachu and Werewolves Within entertain, they’re not considered prestigious, and a widespread perception persists that Hollywood just does not GET games. 2/13 — PolitiTweet.org

WIRED @WIRED

🧵If any source material had the potential to break the video game curse, it was #TheLastOfUs. Still, the fact that showrunners @Neil_Druckmann and @clmazin seem to have–at last–actually delivered a thoughtful, compelling TV adaptation of a video game is astonishing. 📷:HBO https://t.co/xcMFCaUaQo — PolitiTweet.org

WIRED @WIRED

It's Day 12 of your New Year's resolutions. How are they working out? If the answer is 'not great' don't worry. It's not your fault. Here's Dr. Amanda Rebar, Associate Professor of Psychology, with an explanation: https://t.co/7iy5Q0RoIe — PolitiTweet.org

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It used to be widely thought that creative work would be one of the last things to be automated, but a new set of debates about AI's creative power and ethical and economic consequences are making people reconsider. https://t.co/FeQTlqbAta — PolitiTweet.org

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No internet, no problem. All the best streaming services offer some way to download content for offline viewing. Here, we walk you through the process—with some additional recommendations on expanding your device's storage. https://t.co/q2xQvNaqk4 — PolitiTweet.org

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If you needed any further evidence that our WIRED Classics newsletter is worth subscribing to, just look at this picture of @BillGates — PolitiTweet.org

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Elevate your perfect cup of tea with some our favorite handy gadgets. These are our WIRED recommendations for tea accessories. https://t.co/0NeGkRIscT — PolitiTweet.org

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This week on Gadget Lab, we dig into the dirt about John Deere and what the repairability of tractors means for the rest of the gadgets out there. https://t.co/QxaAsUN8UO — PolitiTweet.org

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Nicknamed “the Deliveroo of fashion repairs,” Sojo was launched in January 2021, and connects users with nearby seamsters while facilitating the pickup and return of clothes using a network of couriers. https://t.co/MsgZShwC1u — PolitiTweet.org

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RT @emilylmullin: Lab animals have long been subjected to toxicity studies to make sure drugs are safe before they can be tested in people.… — PolitiTweet.org