60°

'The Last of Us' video game undeterred by real-world violence

Montreal Gazette - The creators of "The Last of Us" aren't planning to tone down the post-apocalyptic video game's violent content, including a young, knife- and gun-wielding girl.

Neil Druckmann, the game's creative director, said the developers at Naughty Dog in Santa Monica, Calif., won't alter "The Last of Us," which features 14-year-old Ellie as one of the protagonists, in light of recent real-world violence, including the elementary school shooting in Newtown, Conn.

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montrealgazette.com
SeanScythe4096d ago

THANK YOU! It makes no sense to change this game because there are sick minded people in the world.

HammadTheBeast4096d ago

It's a videogame in a post-apocalyptic setting.

AAAND NEXT ON FOX NEWS!!!:

'THE LAST OF US' - A NEW VIDYAGAME CREATED TO TRAIN PEOPLE TO KILL OTHER PEOPLE JUST TO SURVIVE.

SeanScythe4095d ago

Why just fox news? The same is said on all news channels. MSNBC, CNN, & Fox don't try and make all the nuts in news only part of fox. They all blame games, movies, toys, and whatever else they can rather than the parents or overly medicated people.

DeadlyFire4095d ago

Don't blame it all on Fox News. Other ones are just as bad.

Right now all the media look at violence and the old ones say what is different from me and this person that killed so many. They look at the first thing they don't ever touch. Which is a video game.

Its ignorance in our elders that do not take time to learn, evolve, and enjoy themselves.

InfinityG35JT4096d ago

Personally I'm so sick and tired of hearing of censoring games and media due to some sick minded individuals and the tragic events in Connecticut. I'm so glad Bioshock Infinite and now The Last Of Us has remained the same and not changed due to the media outcrys of violence in this day and age.

joab7774096d ago

I got an idea. Instead they can rate it matute for adults. Then, adults can be responsible and parents can parent and we can enjoy it.

karlowma4096d ago

Parents can parent... I like the way you think.

Adam Sessler was on FOX News (yeah I know) the other day. Here's a great quote:

"(Violent video) games are not made for children. I think one of the biggest misnomers we have is calling them games, because it does give the impression it's a toy, and for someone under the age of 18. These cost $60, they are designed for adults, and there is a rating system that helps explicate this to parents."

http://www.youtube.com/watc...

AznGaara4096d ago (Edited 4096d ago )

Whoa videogames have a rating system that shows what age range should play the game?!? But all the news people are saying Videogames are all violent! Why don't they inform the public to be aware if the rating system that is clearly on the button left of every videogame boxart?!?!

Anyways, The Last of Us is rated M. Lol.

Bathyj4096d ago

Man, I wish videogames were never invented so violence never would have been either.

90°

The Sounds of the Fireflies ("The Last of Us") concert kicks-off on April 28th, 2024

"The Game Music Foundation are today very proud and pleased to announce an additional concert, circling back to the roots of Game Muisic Festival in Poland. On April 28th, 2024, the National Forum of Music in Wroclaw will once again become a place to celebrate the art of video game music, featuring scores from The Last of Us and The Last of Us Part II." - The Game Music Foundation.

430°

Naughty Dog’s Next Game Is “Really Ambitious” And Will Be “Really Hard” To Create

Speaking on what’s coming next for Naughty Dog, which could be either their new IP or The Last Of Us Part III, Druckmann gave what he seems to feel are realities of the project he’s talking about. That it’ll both be “really ambitious” but also “really hard.”

H949d ago

"I’ve really surrendered to knowing it’s going to be really hard, knowing it’s going to stress members of the team out"
As if crunch wasn't stressing them enough

helicoptergirl49d ago

Members of the team don't have to crunch anymore

helicoptergirl49d ago

According to people who work there

H949d ago

So the people who remained in a studio that had tons of workers quiting and others laid off said that they don't have to crunch, and you are just believing that

frostypants49d ago (Edited 49d ago )

They absolutely will wind up having to crunch. Happens at the end of almost every software project development cycle, especially with release date pressures. It's part of the job. Obviously they aren't in a crunch when they aren't in that late phase. But it's wishful thinking if they think they won't see that stress again. Druckmann himself seems to be aware of that.

helicoptergirl49d ago (Edited 49d ago )

Yes I believe them. The people who want to crunch can do it. The people who mentally and physically can't, don't actually have to. Some have young babies at home. Things have changed since the Schreier report.

rlow148d ago (Edited 48d ago )

@helicoptergirl
It wishful thinking to think some workers can choose to crunch or not to do so. That’s akin to people you work with saying they don’t have to do work they don’t like and you’re the one that has to take up the slack. That’s not how things work. Especially if your the person assigned to a specific task that has to be completed for the development to move forward. It’s a team sport when it comes to making a game. As with most things in life. Now that they are a smaller group, it’s even more important for everyone to pull their weight. Peace

helicoptergirl48d ago

@rlow that was exactly the mentality before the exposure and it was talked about and reported on. It's different now. You know, sometimes things and attitudes just change for the better. They knew they needed to change and they have and they're not stopping trying to make the creative environment as good as it can be.

+ Show (4) more repliesLast reply 48d ago
Tristan198249d ago

When someone pays another person to do a specific job in exchange for a certain rate of pay, it's called work.

H949d ago

They didn't sign to crunch and neither were they paid for it, people were hospitalized in Naughty Dog

MatrixxGT49d ago (Edited 49d ago )

Exactly most of these people wouldn’t last a season in the trades.

-Foxtrot49d ago

I f******* love how many people are doing a complete 180 on their views of crunch culture despite the awful stories reported on over the many years just because we’re talking about NaughtyDog

You can’t just cherry pick what to be mad about

“They signed a contract…it’s called work…that’s life…it’s a job”

I mean really guys, if this was EA you’d be having a field day

I bet you any money if any of these guys regardless of studio went in and said to their superior “Listen, don’t feel like the over time tonight, I’ll just stick to my normal contracted hours if that’s alright” I highly doubt they’d be given a warm response

Crows9049d ago

@h9

Actually yes they did. If overtime is mentioned...that's crunch.

Christopher49d ago

@Tristan1982: The problem is crunch is because of the inefficient management and sudden changes in projects. ND made major story changes based on some feedback, that results in months of rework, redesign, etc. And none of those changes were built into the project from the get-go, so they still have to meet a deadline.

@H9: One person. And they did sign up for crunch, ND is notorious for hiring people who don't mind it. That's the problem, they tell you who they are, people just aren't listening. And, they did get paid, just their QA level of people are paid shit, which is an industry issue for something so freaking important. And people wonder why we have such broken games at launch. Because companies don't want to pay to deliver as long as people will buy enough to get them past first few months of patches and then re-release a major patch with an expansion to get people to come back.

@-Foxtrot " You can’t just cherry pick what to be mad about " -- N4G home of 'hold my beer' on that alone.

CantThinkOfAUsername49d ago

The kindda guy to guilt trip others into overwork or tell them to be better slaves ('employees'). Exactly what corps like. How does it taste?

+ Show (4) more repliesLast reply 49d ago
anast49d ago

They get paid and they signed the contract. It's not a slave factory.

Shane Kim49d ago

Shh... your in the era of feeling sorry for people.

jwillj2k449d ago (Edited 49d ago )

Assuming you have a job, how would you feel working 80 hours a week for the same pay? You’ve not experienced crunch otherwise you wouldn’t be speaking like this.

senorfartcushion49d ago

As somebody who has crunched before. No, it wasn't my choice, no, you couldn't handle it, and no, you don't work in a better industry than I do.

Markusb3348d ago

exactly, get the game out before PS6 and if it takes crunch, or over time which you get paid for, get on with it

anast48d ago

"Assuming you have a job"

Assuming I haven't worked more for less, I suppose. And yes, I do.

"Shh... your in the era of feeling sorry for people."

I feel awful for the people that fought for the workers and got stuck holding the bag and lost everything.

"no, you couldn't handle it, "

You mean "I"

+ Show (2) more repliesLast reply 48d ago
Christopher49d ago

I really hope this isn't management BS stress. I get wanting to put the best out, finding the best new ways and concepts, and ensuring your design is just top notch and not wasteful and fulfilling, but when I hear some manager talking about this my first thought is "Are these jerks changing paradigms on a regular basis that's making people play catch up and redo work to meet their new goals?"

48d ago
Kiryu199248d ago

They lost so many great experienced talented people over the past 5 years

anast48d ago

Burnout is real. I even had to change my job because of it.

Markusb3348d ago

as if you dont get paid for crunch, get on with it,

+ Show (3) more repliesLast reply 48d ago
Stuart575649d ago

That it’ll both be “really ambitious” but also “really hard.”

Not 'is' but 'will be', kinda suggests that they haven't started yet, hope not.

Come on ND, a game PLEAAAAASSSSEEEE. Desperate this gen.

S2Killinit49d ago (Edited 49d ago )

From the article:

“Working on this new game, it’s really ambitious, parts of it are really hard,…”

That is the actual quote. They are already working on it.

LucasRuinedChildhood49d ago (Edited 49d ago )

Yeah, a lot of people push fake narratives about NaughtyDog and misquote things. That quote is very straightforward.

https://twitter.com/MitchyD...
Above is the complete debunking of a false story that still gets spread around all the time. And the bad faith actors doing it also only pin it on Druckmann for some reason and ignore Straley. They want to portray Druckmann as an evil schemer, even when the false story they're spreading doesn't align with their narrative. They don't care about reality ...

SuckerPunch doesn't get even 1% of this criticism and they haven't provided any update whatsoever on their next game, and it's a sequel not a new IP, so turnaround would be quicker. That's not logical.

Markusb3348d ago

probably 7 years out at this point after wasting all that time on factions

Stuart575649d ago

Also, just off-topic slightly but..

Does anyone think that layoffs now may well be making space for AI integration of game development, and 'crunch-time', 'unsustainable', 'big budget' are all terms been used to butter us up to receiving the news that AI integration will help and maintain the level of AAA games that were accustomed to? Perhaps the layoffs were the devs that didn't join a union quick enough and if only they had the smarts of SAG members and strike while the time is right, before its too late?! Imagine DEV's on strike at a time like this, there's already a game drought.

isarai49d ago

Nah, quite literally every industry around is having layoffs.

shinoff218348d ago

I work in manufacturing. Layoffs here to. Especially people with no skill. I feel bad for them more then anything.

isarai48d ago (Edited 48d ago )

I work in advertisement, Im being laid off in may despite being the 3rd best on my team of 15 just under the team lead and assistant team lead, and the assistant team lead is out next week. Yet the last two years we've all been congratulated for record numbers. Times are weird.

shinoff218348d ago

Game drought. Lol what. I can't keep up. There's so many dope games releasing. I gotta ask what do you play

Stuart575648d ago

Not Naughty Dog games, not this gen. You know, Naughty Dog? Who the article is about?

+ Show (2) more repliesLast reply 48d ago
Brazz49d ago

I hope they remember to make it realy fun to play.

FunAndGun48d ago

I hope it's extra woke and really fun to play.

Kneetos49d ago

And then Sony will lay off 900 more staff to save costs

Christopher49d ago

Is this supposed to be a big gotcha after Microsoft laid off 1,900 and we're ignoring that? Let alone the over 16,000 other layoffs from Microsoft in 2023?

Kneetos49d ago

This is an article talking about Sony, no one said anything about Microsoft

And we should always be reminded of it like people are doing with Microsoft, Sony shouldn't get a free pass either

Christopher49d ago (Edited 49d ago )

Yes, and this article is 100% about Sony firing people.

ND says new game is ambitious - until Sony lays off 900 more staff to save costs!
Sony publishes new gameplay video - until Sony lays off 900 more staff to save costs!
Sony announces weekend sale deals - until Sony lays off 900 more staff to save costs!

Show all comments (87)
70°

The Last Of Us Series Has Remarkable Potential For Spin-Offs

Najam from eXputer writes "It's time fore a new installment in the series, not another pointless remaster."

anast81d ago

They are working on something new. Not to be rude but it is impossibility stupid to think ND next major announcement is going to be a remaster or their next Last of Us entry is going to be another remaster.

AlterRecs78d ago

I think this is in response to them releasing a remaster for the sequel, a game that didn't need a remaster.

Basically a "why did you put out a remaster no one asked for when you have all there options available"

anast78d ago

They remaster is to put out something quick while they are deving new stuff. I don't get how people can be so static.

AlterRecs77d ago

There's no news about a third game being in production, you're just assuming that they're working on something that they aren't

anast77d ago

When they release the news to start the hype-train, you can give me my props then.

DrDoomer81d ago

I want an alternate timeline spin-off, where part 2 never happened.

CrimsonWing6981d ago

They’ve already done Remasters of 1 and 2… what else is there to Remaster?

AlterRecs78d ago

Considering they remastered the first game twice, who knows lol

CrimsonWing6978d ago

That was a Remake. I guess they could do that to 2, but man…. They should wait a couple generations so it can look like a major upgrade.