\n\tAs he told Rolling Stone recently<\/a>, \u201cThe best way I can honor both is to just do the best version possible of the story, and to make sure that our destinations are the same.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tDruckmann is no stranger to manufacturing big moments, as the Head of Studio and Head\u00a0of\u00a0Creative at video game developer Naughty Dog. Best known for his work on the Uncharted franchise<\/a> and on The Last of Us<\/a> games<\/a>, Druckmann was tapped to bring the latter to the small screen, co-creating The Last of Us on HBO with Craig Mazin, and serving as executive producer, writer and director on the award-winning first season and second season (Druckmann has been confirmed to work on the third season too). <\/p>\n \n\tDruckmann\u2019s work has no doubt influenced an entire generation of fans, but what books and games inspired his own life and career? Here, the writer and creator shares some of his favorite pieces of media that have shaped his work over the years.<\/p>\n \n\tWhat are video games<\/a> that you personally play in your spare time? Or games that have also inspired you?<\/strong><\/p>\n \n\tThese days I\u2019m playing Balatro<\/a> way too much. And I\u2019m really enjoying playing through Split Fiction<\/a> with my son \u2013 it\u2019s staggering in its creativity and is one\u00a0of\u00a0the best co-op games I\u2019ve ever played.<\/p>\n \t\t\t<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\tBalatro Special Edition \u2013 PlayStation 5\t\t<\/p>\n \t\t\t<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\tSplit Fiction Playstation 5 (PS5)\t\t<\/p>\n \n\tAs far as inspiring games: Ico, Half Life 2, and Monkey Island 2 are narrative games I keep coming back to.<\/p>\n \n\tWhat about print? What are some books that have inspired you personally or creatively over the years?<\/strong><\/p>\n \n\tFor books, I would say, \u201cStory\u201d by Robert McKee, \u201cUnderstand Comics\u201d by Scott McCloud, and \u201cOn Directing Film\u201d by David Mamet.<\/p>\n \t\t\t<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\tStory: Substance, Structure, Style and the Principles of Screenwriting\t\t<\/p>\n \t\t\t<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\tUnderstanding Comics: The Invisible Art\t\t<\/p>\n \t\t\t<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n \n\tMusic plays such a big role in The Last of Us \u2014 how do you find the songs or artists you want to use for the show?<\/strong><\/p>\n \n\tAs far as how I find songs for shows and games I\u2019m working on, there\u2019s usually an intellectual theme or a feeling I\u2019m after. I\u2019ll start with songs that I know that are in the ballpark, and then I\u2019ll start going down the rabbit hole\u00a0of\u00a0related songs and artists. As an example, I knew I wanted an Eighties hit that dealt with faith for\u00a0Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet\u2019s<\/a> trailer. It took a bit\u00a0of\u00a0digging and searching before landing on The Pet Shop Boys\u2019\u00a0\u201cIt\u2019s a Sin.\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n \n\tWhat artists or genres do you personally like listening to?<\/strong><\/p>\n \n\tWhen I\u2019m not listening to Nineties bands, I\u2019m\u00a0usually listening to film and game scores<\/a>. Some\u00a0of\u00a0my favorites composers are Gustavo Santaolalla, Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, John Williams, Thomas Newman, and Hildur Gu\u00f0nad\u00f3ttir.<\/p>\n![\"Neil](\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/themes\/vip\/pmc-rollingstone-2022\/assets\/public\/lazyload-fallback.gif\")
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