The Last of Us, released in 2013, tells the story of Joel and Ellie as they make their way across the country to try and save what's left of humanity from the zombie apocalypse. This game has lessons throughout that are both relevant to life and entertaining. *This article will contain spoilers!!!!*
1. Some family you're born with, some you choose.
As Joel loses his family early on, he finds a new family in Tess and Ellie. Although he fights moving on, by the end of the game, he cannot bear to lose Ellie as it means losing the only family he has left.
2. Have as many shivs as humanly possible when facing the zombie apocalypse.
They kill zombies, they upgrade weapons, AND they open doors that are locked.
3. Some sacrifices are worth it. Some aren't.
Losing his daughter and Tess, Joel makes a lot of sacrifices. However, when he has to choose to lose Ellie, he decides that losing her isn't worth it, even if it means saving the world.
4. Losing people sucks.
There is a lot of death in this game. There is also a lot of grieving. This is one of the few games I've seen that shows a variety of ways people deal with losing loved ones.
5. Killing a deer, by yourself, is not worth it.
Ellie found herself in the company of a cannibal because of a deer. She also almost died. And she wouldn't have been able to carry it anyway.
6. Don't trust strangers just because you help each other fight off a wave of zombies.
Reference to the cannibal, David, mentioned above. He seemed super trustworthy and helped Ellie survive. Until he later tried to assault her and murder her and Joel.
7. Your brother may betray you, but he will also save you.
Tommy, Joel's brother, helps Joel and his daughter escape the city during the initial outbreak. However, shortly after he abandons Joel and joins the Fireflies. Joel loses his brother and is doubtful that he would help when Joel and Ellie need it, but Tommy pulls through, not only saving Ellie's life, but providing Joel with the tools necessary to complete his journey.
8. Humans are scarier than zombies.
The scenes fighting David, or other bandits, freaked me out way more than the zombies. The zombies didn't have a choice in attacking Joel and Ellie. But the bandits knew they were the same, but tried to kill them anyway. Quite the commentary on human nature.
9. The correct solution isn't always the right solution.
The end of the game leaves Joel facing the choice of letting Ellie die to save humanity, or saving Ellie and allowing the infection to continue spreading. While the "correct" choice would be to save the world, Joel chooses his family.
10. Stealth, while good, isn't always practical.
This game is designed for stealth so that you aren't constantly fighting zombies. However, sometimes, stealthiness around zombies leads to a more challenging fight, when you inevitably get noticed by a zombie. Choose your challenge.
