The video game franchise The Last Of Us has now exploded into pop culture mainstream consciousness with the new HBO Max streaming show version of the game. The series has already received rave reviews from critics and viewers, and has started to move the video game franchise into mainstream conversations.

The Last Of Us video game series launched in 2013, and became an instant classic in the video game world. The story was so engrossing, the graphics were superior, and gameplay was innovative. It had all the elements that created a successful video game franchise. It was so good, plans moved quickly on starting a TV/film version. Which was originally going to be a film, but evolved into this HBO Max series.

Going back to the origins of The Last Of Us, the story and franchise included influences from both Texas and Louisiana. Here's how:

TEXAS

In the original video game, the story following the lead character Joel Miller is all over Texas. Joel was born in Arlington, Texas, and grew up in the state. He met and married his wife in Texas, and started his family there. After his daughter was born, his wife left him. He raised his daughter in their home in Travis County, Texas until the events of the game lead to their evacuation.

There could be some spoilers here, but this is the opening to the original game:

LOUISIANA

When it comes to Louisiana, the influence doesn't have to do with the story, but with the visual aspects of the game. The designers of the game took direct inspiration for their designs from the devastation in New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina. Game Director Bruce Straley said that the deigns in the game were directly inspired by Robert Polidori's book After The Flood, which depicted photos of New Orleans in the immediate aftermath of Katrina. Those images were the inspiration for what you see in the game.

We're excited to see what's coming from the HBO Max show, hopefully it is as impactful as the video game franchise has been.

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