8/31/22, 10:22 AM Game Studies - Ellie’s Journal: Para-Narratives in <em>The Last of Us Part II</em> gamestudies.org/2203/articles/banfi 1/15 volume 22 issue 3 August 2022 ISSN:1604-7982 the international journal of computer game research Ryan Banfi Ryan Banfi is a PhD Candidate in Cinema Studies at New York University Tisch School of the Arts. He is a Corrigan Fellow at NYU, and he is a Hispanic Scholarship Fund Scholar. Ryan holds a BA from the Claremont Colleges in Literature and Media Studies, a MA in Cinema and Media Studies from the University of Southern California, and a MPhil from NYU in Cinema Studies. He has been published in Games and Culture, Flow Online Journal, Studies in European Cinema, and In Media Res. Ryan’s research interests include game studies, television studies, and American cinema. Contact information: Reb9418 at nyu.edu Ellie’s Journal: Para-Narratives in The Last of Us Part II by Ryan Banfi Abstract The Last of Us Part II expands upon the game mechanics of collecting and analyzing artifacts (letters, audio recordings, etc.) in the first game, The Last of Us. This essay closely interprets Ellie’s journal (the main artifact) in The Last of Us Part II. Rather than focus on chapters (levels) or cut-scenes, this essay analyzes Ellie’s journal to dissect her relationships with Joel and Abby. This analysis will further scholarship not just on The Last of Us as many articles on this game have overlooked the importance of the paratexts in the series, but also on how video game narratives can be understood in the context of game studies. Keywords: The Last of Us, The Last of Us Part II, Naughty Dog, paratexts, para-narratives, narrative, artifacts, Gérard Genette Introduction This essay examines Ellie’s journal, a paratext in The Last of Us Part II (Naughty Dog, 2020). “Paratext” is a term coined by Gérard Genette to describe “productions, such as an author’s name, a title, a preface, illustrations [that] belong to the [main] text, in any case they surround it and extend it” (Genette, 1997, p. 1). Although Genette was primarily writing about literature in his book (1997), game studies has adopted his terms to discuss paratexts in videogames e.g., in-game menus and collectibles (see Aarseth, 1997; see Austin, 2021; see Consalvo, 2007; see Freyermuth, 2021; see Gardner & Tanenbaum, 2021; see Krichane, 2021; see Mäyrä, 2010; see Švelch, 2020). In the diegesis of The Last of Us Part II, Ellie’s journal exemplifies what Genette would call a “private epitext” (Genette, 1997, p. 371). As an example of a “private epitext” Ellie’s journal provides an “interior monologue - it consists of telling oneself what one wants to tell oneself and wants to hear oneself telling oneself” (Genette, 1997, p. 395). Ellie’s journal is unique in that it extends the game’s primary narrative (gameplay and cut-scenes) by providing the player with a cognitive map of Ellie’s thoughts. When Ellie encounters a place in the game where she can write in her diary, the HUD (heads up display) informs the player that they can press the touch pad on the PlayStation 4 controller to “view” her journal entry. When the player does this, the camera switches from a third person perspective to Ellie’s POV. This allows for an intimate interaction -- one between the player and Ellie’s diary. By examining Ellie’s stream of consciousness, the player can gain intimate insights into how Ellie feels towards Abby and Joel, the two other protagonists in the series. Ellie’s various entries amount to a hidden para-narrative. I argue that the mechanics of finding and reviewing these journal entries are emblematic of the home about archive RSS