Over the years the popularity of video games has definitely influenced Hollywood. Movie adaptations of popular titles have been made although most are poorly adapted and fail to meet expectation. Sometimes video games leave such an impression on some people that influences are subtly conveyed on screen during some films or TV shows.

Last Sunday, viewers across the globe tuned in to watch the first episode of "Game of Thrones" season seven. While the episode in itself was evidently exciting and received plenty of accolades from critics and fans alike, a few viewers actually noticed a small reference to the critically acclaimed post-apocalyptic title "The Last Of Us".

'The Last of Us'

Back in 2013 video game developer Naughty Dog released "The Last of Us" for the Sony PlayStation 3. The third-person survival horror game instantly turned out to be a critical and commercial success. The game was remastered for the PlayStation 4, which included the DLC "Left Behind".

Naughty Dog has already announced a sequel currently called "The Last of Us: Part 2" for now. The franchise’s impact on the entertainment sector reportedly got it a nod on HBO’s "Game of Thrones" last weekend. This article might contain spoilers for readers who have not seen the first episode of season seven. The reference came up around 22 minutes into the show when Jamie Lannister says “We’re the last of us” to Cersei.

Joel and Jaime

According to reports, the quote was not taken directly from the game but rather from a popular meme about one the protagonist Joel. Based on the meme, the gruff main character said: “you know, Ellie, we really are the last of us”. Furthermore, David Benioff, "Game of Thrones" producer and writer, confirmed during a behind-the-scenes video that the reference to "The Last of Us" was intentional.

Benioff claimed that the visual similarities between Nikolaj Coster-Waldau (playing Jamie Lannister in the show) and Joel resulted in the inclusion of the line.

Proof unseen

Although it was reported that the David Benioff made the comment during a behind-the-scenes video clip, there are no links available to the purported footage of the "Game of Thrones" director as he confirmed the line’s intended reference.

On the other hand, the writer for "The Last of US", Neil Druckmann, confirmed that he caught the scene reference via Twitter. There have been talks of a film adaptation of the video game, but it seems to be currently in limbo as of the moment. On a side note, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau seems to fit the bill to play Joel if ever the film gets greenlit for production.
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