MovieChat Forums > The Last of Us (2023) Discussion > The mall and video games

The mall and video games

posted 2 years ago by NukeDude (800)
7 replies | jump to latest

"Present day" in the series is about 20 years after the collapse and bombings.

So, if Riley is "16 almost 17" she would have been born 3 to 4 years after the collapse.

Ellie is 14 and she was born 5 to 6 years after the collapse and bombings.

Neither one of them would have known what a mall was if they grew up being told they were "sealed up."

Neither one of them would have known what video games were, how to play them, how the knobs, buttons and joysticks worked, and what money was used to get them into "play" mode.

I know that fiction requires a little suspension of disbelief, but their nostalgic excitement in the arcade was totally misplaced.

[–] [deleted] 2 years ago

I think they got to know from their classes and all the books and magazines they seem to collect. They know about the past. Ellie's hero is Sally Ride.

I asked myself something similar to you when I saw Riley dance. I was like "Where did she learn those moves, the finger snapping, and all". Then I thought they're in school so they must have old VCR's and DVD players in Fedra installations and they probably are able to view all that still remains from the past.

[–] WarrenPeace (2267) 2 years ago

Riley checked out the mall before she took Ellie there and probably played and figured out the game a few times.

[–] NukeDude (800) 2 years ago

Possibly, but that would not explain Ellie's nostalgic excitement and familiarity with game dialog.

[–] olioz (3703) 2 years ago

She's heard stories, read books, seen pictures and seen movies featuring video games. Of course she's going to get excited when she finally sees a working arcade.

[–] emori (3661) 2 years ago

Do you know many old movies from the 80-th and 90-th that would constantly show video games?

[–] olioz (3703) 2 years ago

I'm sure there are some and there's other stuff too that show video games. I don't see how this is an issue.
There's a lot of stuff that doesn't exist anymore that I'm familiar with because I've heard stories and seen picures etc.

[–] emori (3661) 2 years ago

Yeah, that was weird. Show can all be: "Well they saw movies at the Fedra training camp".

But no they didnt. They had to have history lessons and stuff. And there had to be library and movie nights or something. When people would be shown video tapes with movies but not to the point of 14 years old Ellie and 16 years old Riley to be nostalgic about it. We saw Ellies room. There wasnt tv or anything in it to have her watch movies every night. They trained and went to school. To learn.

There is no way those two would have so much knowledge about malls and videogames. Show presented them like they were some people who actually experienced it all and returned to witness their youth fun times.