With a catastrophic fungal pandemic creating the “infected”, a post-apocalypse breakdown of society, and a moral quest amidst humans hunting humans, PlayStation game and HBO TV phenomenon The Last of Us has exhilarated and terrified millions of gamers and viewers.
Throughout the series, “Look for the light” is a slogan graffitied on walls, often alongside a firefly image. As a theologian, I interpret this “light” as life, justice and the belief in God. Does this mean I perceive God to be present even in the apocalyptic misery of The Last of Us, in which humans have morphed into grotesque, hellish creatures with names like “clickers” and “bloaters”?
In the recently published book The Last of Us and Theology: Violence, Ethics, Redemption?, 14 contributors and I sought to examine ethical and theological issues in the game and TV show. Questions included: Is God present in these worlds? What happens when the love for an individual is chosen over the welfare of greater society? Are human beings intrinsically good or prone to vengeance? What does fatherhood or motherhood mean in an apocalypse?
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