Troy Baker's Perspective on The Last of Us Ending Changed After Having a Child

ign.com:

Troy Baker has revealed how the birth of his son helped him understand Joel’s controversial decision at the climax of The Last of Us Part 1, and talked about his ongoing wish to play Daredevil during an at times emotional appearance at the Milan Games Week in Italy.

In a recording of the interview, Baker — who voiced protagonist Joel Miller in The Last of Us Part 1 - explained that he was at a “disadvantage” to the game’s writer and creative directorNeil Druckmann when it came to relating to Joel’s decisions.

Warning: This section contains spoilers for The Last of Us Part 1

Upon being asked if Baker would have made the same decisions as Joel, the actor replied that, “When we were making part one I was at a disadvantage to Neil, because Neil was a father. I was acting. This was a very real possibility for him — what do I look like in the event that I lose my daughter.”

Specifically, Baker was referring to Joel’s decision to save Ellie at the climax of the game, by preventing Firefly scientists from performing a fatal operation on her that could have led to a cure for the cordyceps infection that was destroying mankind. In the time since making the game, Baker became a father.

“And I have a son, and I don’t know what I would look like if I lost him," explained Baker. "But I do know that if I had the opportunity to save him I would do anything. I would do anything to save him. So people have asked me, why would Joel do that when he could have saved the world, and my answer to them is always this — he did, he did save the world. It’s just that the world was that girl, and that’s it.”

In the same interview, the voice actor revealed that certain elements of the game, such as Joel’s wish to be a singer and Ellie’s longing to be an