Naughty Dog’s zombie survival game The Last of Us has taken gamers by storm, offering tight gameplay, believable and brilliantly written characters and a realistic world where gamers have taken to the plight of Joel and Ellie. One interesting aspect of this game that makes the world that much more believable is the reason the zombies exist: the Cordyceps fungus.
The fungus that has reduced world’s population by 60 percent in The Last of Us actually exists, and it is terrifying. Unlike the game, it hasn’t made the jump to humans yet, but infects ants and spiders. This means a situation like a fungal zombie apocalypse is unlikely. Probability aside, though, using a real-world fungus for the reason the zombies exist instead of a simple virus grounds the game in reality, and makes the world that much easier for gamers to identify with.
By using the Cordyceps fungus as one of the game’s primary antagonists, there’s a ready-made hook to use in generating game PR and potentially creative marketing efforts. The fact that this game is appearing in a Scientific American article shows the utility of the game’s background as a PR tool. Doing solid research for a game before writing and creating it makes for a more compelling world, and for more compelling real-world marketing. Showing off the power of the real world fungus and connecting it to the world in game is a great way of bringing gamers into the world of the game, and convincing them that it is, indeed, a world worth exploring.
Source: Scientific American
