Pascal Verheul
ABSTRACT:
This paper explores the representation of Nature in the digital game The Last of Us as subversive of established ecodystopian tropes, providing a strong critique of anthropocentrism through its depiction of a world in which humanity is no longer on top. The paper focuses on the first digital game in the duology, with intertextual analysis of the second instalment and the HBO adaptation to support the framing of key concepts. While ecodystopian fiction commonly depicts environmental decline and scarcity to show the consequences of unbridled anthropocentrism, The Last of Us instead presents a world with abundant Nature that has turned hostile to humanity. Through an analysis of Nature’s characteristics within the digital game, through the scope of ecocriticism and Marxist literary theory, this paper argues that the narrative at hand makes complex environmental concerns tangible through an immersive, post-apocalyptic landscape wherein Nature has become both monstrous and sovereign. The paper furthermore posits that the mycomonstrous antagonist, the Infected, is Nature personified, reflecting ecological negligence, capitalist overreach and anthropocentric hubris. Through its interactive format, The Last of Us functions as a narrative-driven medium that critically provides echoes of anthropocentric capitalist actions and their consequences, refuting the end of Nature through humanity.
KEY WORDS:
anthropocene, capitalism, digital games, ecodystopian, environmentalism, post-apocalyptic, posthuman, The Last of Us.
DOI:
10.34135/actaludologica.2025-8-1.50-63
HOW TO CITE:
Verheul, P. (2025). Environmental engagement and the ecodystopian narrative: The Last of Us and its anthropocenic echoes. Acta Ludologica, 8(1), 50–63. https://doi.org/10.34135/actaludologica.2025-8-1.50-63
Environmental Engagement and the Ecodystopian Narrative: The Last of Us and Its Anthropocenic Echoes © 2025 by Pascal Verheul is licensed under CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0
