Mark Hoppus Shares His “Emo” Approach to Playing ‘The Last of Us’

Blink-182’s Mark Hoppus has opened up about his rather unconventional and deeply emo way of playing the acclaimed video game The Last of Us. Originally released in 2013, the game is set in a post-apocalyptic world overrun by the Cordyceps brain infection, which turns humans into monstrous, zombie-like creatures. Players follow Joel, a hardened smuggler, as he escorts a teenage girl named Ellie across the ravaged landscape in hopes of finding a cure.

Throughout the game, Joel and Ellie face terrifying infected enemies like Bloaters, Clickers, and Runners. The sequel, The Last of Us Part II, launched in 2020, expanding the world with new enemies and characters.

In a recent rare appearance on social media, Hoppus revealed that he enjoys the game, though his playing style is a bit unusual. He shared that he sometimes loads the game and navigates to a point where his character is safe but can still hear the distant cries and eerie atmosphere of the infected world. Instead of continuing the gameplay, he sets the controller down and simply takes in the “vibe” of the unsettling soundscape.

Fans responded enthusiastically to Hoppus’ post, saying that his approach was “on brand” and delightfully chaotic. Some remarked that his unpredictable monthly posts on social media were among their favorite things online.

Back in 2020, Hoppus also engaged with The Last of Us Part II in another creative way—by using Ellie’s in-game acoustic guitar to perform a rendition of Blink-182’s Dammit. That same year, he gave The Washington Post a virtual tour of his Animal Crossing: New Horizons island. He said that the game offered a calming and meditative escape, explaining that while he also enjoys action-heavy or violent games, Animal Crossing provided a relaxing balance. He noted that he had even played the mobile Pocket Camp version before the full game’s release.

More recently, Hoppus spoke with NME about Blink-182’s long-standing rivalry with Green Day, which stemmed from their joint 2002 Pop Disaster Tour. During the conversation, he also joked that he “wishes” he had kissed The Cure’s Robert Smith.

Meanwhile, Neil Druckmann, co-creator of The Last of Us and head of Naughty Dog, has stirred new discussion around the game’s storyline by revisiting the topic of whether a cure is truly possible in the game’s universe.