The Last of Us is undoubtedly one of the hottest current shows. This show has received excellent ratings with a 96% percent viewer rating and a score of 9.6 out of 10 from IMDb This is quite impressive as this particular show is based on a video game. Over the years many video games have inspired movies: such as the likes of Sonic, Assassins Creeds, and the Uncharted series. Why is this? What is it about video games that makes them such great shows and movies?

Dr. Cory Geraths, Assistant Professor of Communication & Leadership, at Eureka College provides possible reasoning as to why video games make great stories and movies. Although Dr. Geraths has not played The Last Of Us the video game, He says it’s the “human concept” of the story: especially considering the relationship between Elli and Joel within the show. Dr.Geraths continued to say that “when we are looking at video games that are going to become popular and well-regarded television series and films they need to have that human element.” This human element allows people to feel more connected and engaged with the game’s plot and characters. Video games that can relate to human emotion and have a great story will always have the potential to me become a great show or movie.

The better the appeal the more viewers it will bring. Dr. Geraths said, “HBO Max could theoretically create a show based on a video game that will only appeal to those who play video games, but that’s such a narrow market and audience.” Games like The Last Of Us, and God Of War provide human element stories that people long for and need. The Last Of Us creates an inclusive take through the representation of diverse couples through the relationship between Bill and Frank, members of the LGBTQ+ community. These relationships and feelings are what gain people’s attention and interaction; they are relatable for media consumers and exist across multiple media forms allowing a deeper connection with fans. The conversation does not end with The Last of US as many imagine ideas of their favorite video games being transformed into films.

Mason Dewald would love to see Kingdom Hearts become a show or film. “It would be fun to see all the different Disney characters reacting to the weird shenanigans that go on within the series. He believes that “It would be a hard pill to swallow” due to the fact how many characters are in the game and how complicated the story was. “There were plans to make an adaption after the first Kingdom Hearts,” said Mason “In fact, there was a pilot episode that leaked online late last year” Kingdom Hearts is not so far off the radar, but with games with multiple characters within it, attention to detail is very crucial. Sonic The Hedgehog for instance. When they previewed the first sonic movie trailer everyone was talking badly about how sonic looked. Now, the creators went back and changed it, People still won’t forget about it. When it comes to games like The Last Of Us, which deal more with people and not animated characters like Sonic, it becomes a little easier to manage.