I look forward to seeing it unbound.

This is what I’m talking about. It wasn’t bound in the first place.

More vague thises and thats. From the point of the view of the storytellers, yes it was. They had limited control over the pace, the POV, or what the player chose to notice or participate in (some of the best character development happened in optional conversations). Now the creators have the freedom to show whatever they need to show whenever and wherever it bests suits the narrative.

I agree that we'll lose some of what made the game special--namely the feeling that we were interacting with a live person (which Grant Voegle described so well), but in exchange we'll get a cinematic presentation of the full story (something Grant Voegle attempted to create), no doubt created by some of the best talent in the industry.

I look forward to seeing it unbound.

This is what I’m talking about. It wasn’t bound in the first place.

I’m absolutely with you there. It’s never bothered me at all.

However, I can absolutely understand how it might bother others. I can’t fault them for not being able to buy into Joel’s injury after having shrugged off who knows how many gunshot wounds.

It wasn’t a big issue for me, either. I’m a gamer. The degree to which The Last of Us did not ask us to suspend disbelief was part of what made it amazing. My point for Cody is that the story already follows the beats of a top-notch series. Presenting it in a game was impressive, but necessarily came with some restraints. I look forward to seeing it unbound.

However, I can absolutely understand how it might bother others. I can’t fault them for not being able to buy into Joel’s injury after having shrugged off who knows how many gunshot wounds.

Why are you so determined to be a shitlord gatekeeper for the crap you like?

I am merely predicting the reality of the situation. I’m totally going to watch this.

Then I really don’t even understand what this conversation is about.

I don’t think your reality matches actual reality in this case. Your numbers argument just doesn’t make any sense to me.

Let’s make it clear: I’m saying it’s likely going to end up like the near entirety of game to movie / TV adaptations if they just straight up tell the story of the game.

Yet you're unclear. Define your terms. What do you mean "like the near entirety of game to movie / TV adaptations"?

Whatever you mean, how would telling the story of the game contribute to that result?

Another question: would you call the LOTR movies a straight up telling of the novels?

Go back and search my posts. I’ve explained numerous times how novel to film is vastly different than game to film. Novels do not use audio or video at all, and can gain a tremendous amount in a straight adaptation. You’ll find the answers to all three questions.

I regret not having the time to comb through your past posts in order to piece together your argument. I get that you think it would be redundant because they use so many of the same elements, but I disagree because games are much less accessible to a great number of people (in this case I can give actual names of people from real life). What's unwarranted or unsupported are these assertions (which you won't clarify, but which I'll nevertheless attempt to express):

• Telling the same story is a waste of time.
  
• Telling the same story likely won't be successful.
  
• Telling a different story likely would be successful.

My thesis is this: I think this is worthy endeavor. The Last of Us is one of the first games to provide a narrative and performances on par with what I consider the premier storytelling form of our time (the long-form TV series)--a form that didn't fully mature until the last 25 years. The Last of Us was surely influenced by the high-water marks in this form--The Sopranos, The Wire, etc. That HBO, the birthplace of the prestige series, should buy into the material is a natural development and a good fit. There are parts of the script that are so perfect, I can't imagine changing anything, but there's plenty of room for creativity without changing a word. I'm thrilled to see a world so anchored in reality made flesh. And The Last of Us' few concessions to fantasy--the last vestiges of ludonarrative dissonance (e.g., recovering from gunshots with the quick wrap of a bandage) can be jettisoned once and for all. It can be better than the game.

In any case, they are gaining accessibility. Is that not enough?

Why are you so determined to be a shitlord gatekeeper for the crap you like?

I am merely predicting the reality of the situation. I’m totally going to watch this.

Then I really don’t even understand what this conversation is about.

I don’t think your reality matches actual reality in this case. Your numbers argument just doesn’t make any sense to me.

Let’s make it clear: I’m saying it’s likely going to end up like the near entirety of game to movie / TV adaptations if they just straight up tell the story of the game.

Yet you're unclear. Define your terms. What do you mean "like the near entirety of game to movie / TV adaptations"?

Whatever you mean, how would telling the story of the game contribute to that result?

Another question: would you call the LOTR movies a straight up telling of the novels?

Go back and search my posts. I’ve explained numerous times how novel to film is vastly different than game to film. Novels do not use audio or video at all, and can gain a tremendous amount in a straight adaptation. You’ll find the answers to all three questions.

Why are you so determined to be a shitlord gatekeeper for the crap you like?

I am merely predicting the reality of the situation. I’m totally going to watch this.

Then I really don’t even understand what this conversation is about.

I don’t think your reality matches actual reality in this case. Your numbers argument just doesn’t make any sense to me.

Let’s make it clear: I’m saying it’s likely going to end up like the near entirety of game to movie / TV adaptations if they just straight up tell the story of the game.

Yet you're unclear. Define your terms. What do you mean "like the near entirety of game to movie / TV adaptations"?

Whatever you mean, how would telling the story of the game contribute to that result?

Another question: would you call the LOTR movies a straight up telling of the novels?

Why are you so determined to be a shitlord gatekeeper for the crap you like?

I am merely predicting the reality of the situation. I’m totally going to watch this.

Then I really don’t even understand what this conversation is about.

I don’t think your reality matches actual reality in this case. Your numbers argument just doesn’t make any sense to me.

Let’s make it clear: I’m saying it’s likely going to end up like the near entirety of game to movie / TV adaptations if they just straight up tell the story of the game.

Why are you so determined to be a shitlord gatekeeper for the crap you like?

I am merely predicting the reality of the situation. I’m totally going to watch this.

Then I really don’t even understand what this conversation is about.

I don’t think your reality matches actual reality in this case. Your numbers argument just doesn’t make any sense to me.

Why are you so determined to be a shitlord gatekeeper for the crap you like?

I am merely predicting the reality of the situation. I’m totally going to watch this.

If someone wants to turn 2001 into a stage show, I say go for it.

I’m not saying they should or shouldn’t do anything. I am saying that The Last of Us story is worth experiencing, but it’s a fairly difficult video game, and a prestige television series allows the translation of that story without all that much being lost in the process.

Why are you so determined to be a shitlord gatekeeper for the crap you like?

My point is that it would have to be a bigger hit than Game of Thrones to reach more people on TV than it did as a game. And let’s be honest, it’s not going to be bigger than Game of Thrones.

What? No it doesn’t. That doesn’t make any sense at all. You’re assuming that if it doesn’t have more than 17 million viewers, that all those people would have played the game already. Just looking at numbers means next to nothing.

It’s like assuming that every person who saw The Lord of the Rings or Harry Potter already read the books (only it’s an even sillier assumption, because the cost of entry is so much more for video games).

Games are not a slum of storytelling anymore.

No one is arguing that. There’s still a massive number of people that don’t play games but do watch TV and movies.

Right. Maybe everyone in Cody's social circle is a gamer and specifically a Playstation gamer, but in my world I have a large number of friends who I know would be impressed by the acting and storytelling yet they could not experience it.

More people is better. Good stories getting more exposure is better. The fact that the numbers of viewers will or won't exceed the number of gamers who are already fans is irrelevant. A significant number of people will have access to it who did not have access before. I don't know what's bad about that.

My point is that it would have to be a bigger hit than Game of Thrones to reach more people on TV than it did as a game. And let’s be honest, it’s not going to be bigger than Game of Thrones.

What? No it doesn’t. That doesn’t make any sense at all. You’re assuming that if it doesn’t have more than 17 million viewers, that all those people would have played the game already. Just looking at numbers means next to nothing.

It’s like assuming that every person who saw The Lord of the Rings or Harry Potter already read the books (only it’s an even sillier assumption, because the cost of entry is so much more for video games).

Games are not a slum of storytelling anymore.

No one is arguing that. There’s still a massive number of people that don’t play games but do watch TV and movies.

I’m actually not sure what your point is.

It’s not a numbers game. There are a huge number of people who have never played The Last of Us, will never play The Last of Us, but might watch The Last of Us on HBO.

Edit: The latest number I could find puts worldwide numbers of HBO subscribers at around 140 million. That’s a fuckload more than the 17 million that bought The Last of Us.

My point is that it would have to be a bigger hit than Game of Thrones to reach more people on TV than it did as a game. And let’s be honest, it’s not going to be bigger than Game of Thrones.

Games are not a slum of storytelling anymore.

Edit: The latest number I could find puts worldwide numbers of HBO subscribers at around 140 million. That’s a fuckload more than the 17 million that bought The Last of Us.

Yeah, 20 million is not that much in the streaming market. Gotta think global, man.

It’s not a numbers game. There are a huge number of people who have never played The Last of Us, will never play The Last of Us, but might watch The Last of Us on HBO.

Edit: The latest number I could find puts worldwide numbers of HBO subscribers at around 140 million. That’s a fuckload more than the 17 million that bought The Last of Us.