u/IrrelevantBlackPanda

I'm replaying Part I, and one thing that consistently happens in the game is making me question the survivability of the fungus, and the universe as a whole. When Joel or anyone that isn't Ellie enters an area that is completely polluted with spores, they obviously put on their mask. That's fine. It makes sense to do so. What bugs me is what they do immediately leaving the spore ridden area - they just take off the mask.

In the game, the devs wanted to really make it clear how the air is completely saturated with spores. I actually appreciate the particle effects for the spores in polluted areas. It really makes you feel suffocated and stuffy. The visibility in those rooms is completely reduced. However, with the mask on, you're not breathing spores, sure - they are now completely covering your body and clothes head to toe. Hair. Shirts. Backpack. Pants. Shoes. All of it. I'm assuming all it takes is one or even a few spores for someone to become infected. If you were to take off your mask at any time from when you first are covered in spores to when you decontaminate, you should absolutely become infected. You can imagine how easy it is to accidentally dust off a few spores from your hair, shirt, etc. When you play as Joel and he kills the bloater in the University basement in Colorado, right after leaving the spored basement he immediately takes off his mask. Like literally on the other side of a shoddy door with broken glass is a room with decades of fungal growth. This also says nothing about how you need to be extra careful to not even receive any small open cuts or wounds. You have a minor paper cut in a spore filled room? Goner.

One other gripe I have is how the masks are treated with swimming. There's one area where Joel has a mask on and he has to swim in water to navigate. As soon as you dive with the mask on, you just render your filters completely useless until they dry. He basically waterboarded himself.

I know that these details may not have been considered for gameplay and story driving purposes. To add an extra layer of universe building in the treatment of spores and navigating would actually make the universe more deep and grounded in my opinion. Treating a main plot point in the universe so frivolously takes away the seriousness of it. The fungus itself is just as dangerous as the infected they turn into.

Also fuck swimming in gross as algae ridden, stale fucking swampy water. I'm glad I'm not Joel. Shoot me I'm not swimming in that shit

OK to PA with a motorcycle in a 12' box truck

How the characters treat spores in the games suspends my disbelief for the universe

I've had a mustache and goatee for years now. I never liked being fully shaved. Should I be?