Jaimee Chapman

The Last of Us Part II is one of the best games I have ever played. There is a ton of hate out there right now due to how this game was made but I just want to commend Naughty Dog on one the most complex stories I have been able to experience. It is definitely not an easy story and it is not for everyone. However, in a world where we are fighting for social justice this is just the kind of story we need. This game takes you on a necessary emotional roller coaster, where you see that everything is gray. You will not find clear-cut lines that tell you who are the good guys and who are the bad guys. You will not see what is right and what is wrong in this game. This game shows you why both sides (and there are many sides between Ellie vs Abby, Scars vs Wolves, and so forth) believe more than anything that what they are doing is right and justified. This game shows you that the world is grayer than you think and sometimes to see what is actually right and wrong in a situation you have to consider the other side as well as your own. We are a world divided just like in this game. We are republican’s vs democrats. We are Christians vs non-Christians. We are mask wearers vs non mask wears. We are Trump supporters vs non-Trump supporters. We are just always fighting and divided. We never take the time to understand the other side and see where they are coming from. To see that in this world there is no clear-cut lines pointing to what is right and what is wrong. Every situation is different just like every person is different. This is the type of message we need to be having in this divided world. We need to take the time to walk in each other’s shoes and see the situation from another perspective. Only then can we truly respect each other and make a difference in this world. So again, Naughty Dog thank you so much for taking the risk that you did on this game to give us a story that we truly needed. Am I sad and emotional? Most definitely! But the journey was amazing, thoughtful, engaging, and so damn realistic even for a zombie-type game. Showing us that there are no good guys and bad guys but just people. And people are messy, complicated, and very imperfect.