Matthias Schuch

Twitter Account for the Course "Playing with the End of the World"
@ University of St. Gallen, Switzerland

[Matthias Schuch @ms24_TLOU]

Ellie probably knew that he lied to her; his motive is ostensibly clear (he does not want to lose Sarah again) and Joel also touches his broken watch when talking to her implying that he would protect her no matter what – and I assume Ellie recognized that. #PlayingWithTheEnd19

[Matthias Schuch @ms24_TLOU]

Did they name the hospital intentionally after the mother of Jesus Christ? There is at least an implied logical connection when we assume that the Fireflies want to create a vaccine that will cure and "recreate" mankind. #PlayingWithTheEnd19

[Matthias Schuch @ms24_TLOU]

Maybe Joel is actually deranged; especially with the quote at the end, it seems to me that he does not have any moral concerns at all but rather always tries to find a justification for slaughtering people. He also lies to Ellie without hesitation & emotions. #PlayingWithTheEnd19

[Matthias Schuch @ms24_TLOU]

Somehow disturbing that J&E try to find Fireflies the whole time and – in the end – Joel just butchers them like zombies. This reveals IMO either that he is the super-villain or that it remains unclear who represents the “good” or “bad” in this game. #PlayingWithTheEnd19

[Matthias Schuch @ms24_TLOU]

Extremely unrealistic spot to come across a comic magazine: on top of a ventilation shaft in a subway tunnel?! There are definitely more appropriate locations to hide such items IMO – could have been done better by the developers. #PlayingWithTheEnd19

[Matthias Schuch @ms24_TLOU]

As Joel reanimates Ellie, clear references to Sarah come up once again; the broken watch being visible in a close-up scene or the particular music playing in the background attest for that - their father-daughter bond is probably irreversibly manifested now. #PlayingWithTheEnd19

[Matthias Schuch @ms24_TLOU]

Ellie seems quite depressed at the beginning of this chapter – probably tired because of her fight with David. However, after spectating the idyllic nature within the city once again in sunshine, her mood improves instantly - maybe a bit too quickly. #PlayingWithTheEnd19

[Matthias Schuch @ms24_TLOU]

IMHO the story ending of this Chapter has finally succeeded in establishing this father-daughter relationship after Ellie is being sexually (important in that context!) attacked by another man and Joel steps in as her fatherly protector. #PlayingWithTheEnd19

[Matthias Schuch @ms24_TLOU]

Interesting that - presumably - these non-infected "hardliners", including Joel, pose a far bigger threat to other healthy people in the apocalypse than the zombies themselves. “Killing to survive” is the guiding purpose here, no matter whom or what. #PlayingWithTheEnd19

[Matthias Schuch @ms24_TLOU]

Alluding to our in-class discussion about ludo-narrative dissonance, I conjecture that it’s somehow problematic that Ellie immediately dies after a runner or clicker attack implying that her immunity has no influence at all on these situations. #PlayingWithTheEnd19

[Matthias Schuch @ms24_TLOU]

IDK if this was intentional, but the university has a strikingly close resemblance with Harvard from my point of view. Maybe because some NaughtyDog employees studied there? Or just an unconscious choice and a “lucky coincidence”? (Problem with Copyright!) #PlayingWithTheEnd19

[Matthias Schuch @ms24_TLOU]

Really enjoyed the story ending of this chapter and its restricted gameplay design with Joel skills being severely curtailed. Attests once again for the game developers’ ability to surprise and impress with their remarkable attention to detail. #PlayingWithTheEnd19

[Matthias Schuch @ms24_TLOU]

Ellie acknowledges not knowing how a university system and its social context work. Somehow unrealistic IMHO as she’s acquainted with much more uncommon stuff from the pre-apocalyptic world in significant detail. #PlayingWithTheEnd19

[Matthias Schuch @ms24_TLOU]

Tommy complains about having to live in a self-sustained manner as they are thrown back hundreds of years in their development; however, somewhat unconvincing to me that f.e. all advanced agricultural techniques went astray with the zombie-apocalypse. #PlayingWithTheEnd19

[Matthias Schuch @ms24_TLOU]

Excellent rhetorical element when Ellie discusses on some sort of meta-level the privilege of being in an environment like we - as the players - currently live in: Showing the value of stability in our world by implying its collapse. #PlayingWithTheEnd19

[Matthias Schuch @ms24_TLOU]

At first, J&E's relationship appears to be better than ever, however, deteriorates significantly when Ellie steals the horse and mentions Sarah at the end. Did not see that coming as I assumed some sort of linearity in their bond throughout the game #PlayingWithTheEnd19

[Matthias Schuch @ms24_TLOU]

Nice gimmick I noticed while roaming around in a suburb home: When you get close to the safe, it says “need combination”. Although there is actually no possibility to try out code combinations, I particularly enjoyed the attention to detail once again. #PlayingWithTheEnd19

[Matthias Schuch @ms24_TLOU]

Appears paradoxical to me that – on the one hand – the one and only goal of these people was presumably to survive the day, but - on the other hand - they send their kids to school. Didn’t consider until now that Ellie could have possibly attended school. #PlayingWithTheEnd19

[Matthias Schuch @ms24_TLOU]

Extremely brutal paramilitary group reigning over Pittsburgh which was not so much of a problem back in Boston I guess. The random killing of two innocent, healthy people for their shoes as well as the interesting catch phrases on the walls attest for that. #PlayingWithTheEnd19

[Matthias Schuch @ms24_TLOU]

Appending to our discussion about racial stereotypes in media, it’s very striking that basically the first black people we encounter in the game so far betray Ellie and Joel at their first chance. Was this intentionally meant to be cynical or not? #PlayingWithTheEnd19