The Last of UsandArcaneare two critically acclaimed adaptations of radically different video games, yet both tackle the same story and emotional hook.Arcaneis based onLeague of Legends, a game that is classified as a MOBA, or multiplayer online battle arena. This means that there is minimal story within the game itself, with most of its characters and world-building being done by supplemental material. By the time ofArcaneseason 2’s ending, the Netflix animation was one such piece of supplemental material that took characters from the video game and crafted an engrossing story around them.
The Last of Us, on the other hand, is the polar opposite of a MOBA. The game is entirely story-driven, telling one of the most cinematic stories with the most well-rounded characters in video game history.HBO’sThe Last of Usadapted this game almost exactly, keeping large elements of the original story and character arcs intact. Regardless of their differences,ArcaneandThe Last of Usare counted as two of thebest video game adaptation TV showsof all time. Moreover, the radical differences in source material did not stop both shows from telling the same story.
Arcane & The Last Of Us Are Two Fantastic Video Game TV Shows That Explore The Cycle Of Violence
Different Source Material Still Results In The Same Themes
The story that bothArcaneandThe Last of Usexplore is the cycle of violence. This is not necessarily uncommon for a lot of big stories, but the connection here is more interesting given the extreme differences in source material. As alluded to,League of Legendshas relatively little story to go off, withArcane’s characters being based on archetypes but fleshed out beyond that. The show centers around a class war between the nations of Piltover and Zaun, the former a wealthy city of progress and the latter its destitute undercity.
Zaun vs Piltover: History, Champions & Leaders
Netflix’s Arcane surrounds the nations of Piltover and Zaun, each with an extensive history, powerful leaders, and League of Legends champions.
While the show takes on much broader themes and messages as it goes on, it boils down to the idea of humanity and whether it can be “perfected.” One ofArcane’s prominent characters, Viktor, wishes to perfect humanity by removing all of the things that cause war, violence, and hatred via magic and forming a hive mind. Eventually, the message of the show is that imperfection is necessary and is what makes humans beautiful.The cycle of violence happens, and will likely always happen, due to the strong senses of love, friendship, and familythat cause the aforementioned tragic realities of life.
Arcane
Cast
Arcane is an animated series set in the League of Legends universe, debuting in 2021. It explores the conflict between the affluent city of Piltover and the oppressed undercity of Zaun. Central to the story are two sisters whose allegiance to opposing sides of a technological and ideological war strains their bond.
The Last of Us’cast of charactersenables an exploration of a very similar story via Joel and Ellie’s relationship. Joel is someone who is incredibly jaded due to a specific instance of violence that impacted his family in a huge way, with Ellie being the key to unlocking the true man beneath the trauma.This connection leads Joel to commit terrible acts of violence in the name of protecting Ellie, proving that those core elements of humanity explored inArcane- relationships and family - directly contribute to the cycle of violence.
The Last Of Us Season 2 & Arcane’s Spin-Offs Will Explore The Cycle Of Violence Even More
These Explorations Will Not Stop Taking Place
To further build on this exploration, the future of both franchises is set to delve even deeper into the cycle of violence.The Last of Usseason 2 will be based onThe Last of Us Part II, the second installment of the original game, and introduce the character of Abby. Abby is someone who, like Joel was previously, will be shown to have been impacted by a terrible tragedy fromThe Last of Usseason 1. This leads Abby on a quest to enact revenge, impacting Ellie and Joel’s journey massively.
The Last Of Us
The Last of Us is a post-apocalyptic drama series set two decades after a global catastrophe. It follows Joel, a seasoned survivor, who is tasked with escorting Ellie, a teenage girl, across a desolated United States, transforming into a harrowing journey of survival and companionship.
Where the other show is concerned,Arcane’s many planned spin-offswill explore how violence will continue to impact the fictional world of Runeterra. Two of the confirmed settings for future shows include the kingdoms of Noxia and Ionia, with the former regularly trying to conquer the latter in the source material. This bitter, violent history between the two will likely be explored, as will how the individuals of both are affected like characters such as Vi and Jinx were inArcane’s Piltover-Zaun conflict. Finally, the character of Mel is left fighting a war against witches that her mother started.
Why Video Game Adaptations Are Good Vehicles For Cycle Of Violence Stories
When video games were rising to become prominent forms of media in the late 1990s and early 2000s, a common criticism was that they were glorifying violence and a lack of consequences for the children playing them. This has since become a major talking point academically and socially, with many exploring the effects that video games can have on those who ingest them. However, overall, the perception of video games has somewhat changed, with many - likeThe Last of Us- being the source of critically acclaimed stories and characters.
Video games are not solely for allowing people to play out scenarios of violence with no consequences…
Through games like this, and stories based on them likeArcane, the video game industry is pushing back against this stereotype. Video games are not solely for allowing people to play out scenarios of violence with no consequences, with some even going as far as to convey the message that the endless cycle of violence is, obviously, a bad thing. As alluded to,The Last of UsandArcaneare two excellent examples of this, taking two drastically different video games but pulling out the same themes, proving the early perception of video games wrong in the process.
