A pixel died and i cried:

emotional hyper-reality in Logan (2017) and The Last of Us Part II (2020)

Abstract

This study aims to explore how certain elements of cinematic language are appropriated by video games and enhance an emotionally engaging experience for the spectator or player. For this purpose, two key moments from two works will be analyzed: the death of Logan in the film Logan (James Mangold, 2017) and the death of Joel in the video game The Last of Us Part II (Naughty Dog, 2020). The formal aspects of cinematic language that sustain this emotional engagement in both works will be examined in dialogue with three theoretical concepts, namely: 1) the concept of the illusion of reality, based on Siegfried Kracauer’s interpretation in Andrew Tudor’s work (1985), a crucial element for engaging the spectator; 2) Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s (2014) concept of the "suspension of disbelief," a phenomenon that facilitates the acceptance of events and characters by disregarding their fictional nature; 3) and finally, from Jean Baudrillard’s perspective (1991), the concept of hyperreality, which serves as a useful framework to examine how the formal elements of these works lead to a hyperreal immersion that enhances emotional engagement through a more genuine experience.