While playing Uncharted 4, a big concern I've had is how the treasure hunter trope affects the places he visits. At one point in the game, Nate practically demolishes a cathedral and centuries-old architecture to get to a clue – not the full treasure, just a clue. He exits to see hundreds of locals going about their business, unaware that their local monument was just destroyed by a greedy visitor.
What does the genre say about cultural imperialism? What do we do about the first-world explorer venturing to exotic locales to plunder, leaving nothing but rubble in his wake?
I like this idea a lot. Another interesting aspect of these games you might want to tie in is the realization that Nathan Drake is functionally a mass-murderer. It's very strange and almost comical to see his casually mowing down endless security guards and locals with machine guns and cracking jokes all the way through with a complete disregard for human life. He never seems to deal with any of the emotional repercussions of his murders (a common occurrence in shooter games, addressed very powerfully in Spec Ops: The Line). One aspect of the Uncharted games to note is their intensely cinematic nature. They play like action movies, a genre that also largely disregards human life as well, so perhaps that is where this brazen attitude comes from. – Michael9 years ago
This is so interesting. I've yet to play Uncharted 4, but when I do I'll defiantly be keeping this topic in mind. – Lexzie9 years ago