Near the beginning of the story, Ellie is contrasted with Joel's counterpart: Tess. Tess is a cold woman who is all about business and can be seen as even more masculine than Joel. Ellie and Tess are together for about 15% of the game before Tess is bitten by zombies, but in that time Ellie develops a hardened personality like Tess and is able to mature at an alarming rate. Joel is established to be the opposite of the stereotypical male figure from the beginning of the game. When his daughter dies, Joel breaks down in tears, showing his vulnerability right from the opening sequence. As the game progresses, he begins to care for Ellie as if she were his own daughter: he protects her from danger, keeps her away from zombies, and ultimately offers himself for her safety. Joel's masculine image is laced with an emotional depth that isn't present in Chris in Resident Evil 5. Joel is the closest thing to a protagonist in the story, but ends up being co-protagonized through Ellie, even if the player doesn't check her out. The two develop emotionally as a couple. While Joel opens up about becoming more fatherly towards Ellie, Ellie also opens up about enjoying a rough and scarred childhood. And even though the age difference between the characters is about 30 years, their characters develop as friends so that they end up with a strong friendship relationship by the end of the narrative. At the beginning of the narrative, Ellie tries to talk to Joel by asking him many questions about the journey ahead, and Joel repeatedly tells her to go to sleep. They gradually open up as they trust each other, and Ellie is used as a device to find out more about Joel as she slowly opens him up throughout the story. No emotional connection is ever established... at the center of the paper... entertainment. Romero, G. A. (Director). (2005). Land of the Dead: Universal.Romero, GA (Director). (1968). Night of the Living Dead: Video Cassette Sales.Soukup, C. (2010) Mastering the Game: Gender and the Entelechial Motivational System of Video Games. Women's Studies in Communication, 30, 157-178.Starley, B. (Editor). (2013). The Last of Us USA: Naughty Dog. Takahashi, D. (2013, August 5). The Last of Us Creators React to Criticism of the Game's Female Characters (Exclusive Interview). VentureBeat. Retrieved May 23, 2014, from http://venturebeat.com/2013/08/05/the-last-of-us-female-characters/Ueda, K. (Editor). (2004). Resident Evil 5 Japan: Capcom.Weston, J. (2011). Gender roles and sexism in games: The players' perspective. VG Chartz. Retrieved May 28, 2014, from http://www.vgchartz.com/article/87014/gender-roles-and-sexism-in-gaming-the-gamers-perspective/