HBO's The Last of Us television series co-creator Neil Druckmann revealed that the live-action adaptation will contain less violent content than the games. He also stated that the show's creators intend to remove every bit of non-essential violence for the show.
The Naughty Dog co-president recently spoke to SFX Magazine where he explained that a new medium requires a different approach to violence to enable viewers to better connect with the story, unlike a video game. He added that video game players need to have active control of the protagonist to form connections that will improve their chances of in-game success. He argued that the heightened violence level improves this connection with the avatars.
In Druckmann's words: We need a certain amount of action, or violence, that we could use for mechanics so you could connect with Joel and get into a flow state. Then you would really feel like you're connected with this on-screen avatar and you're seeing the world through his eyes. Druckmann then went on to state that the rules of active media like video games isn't the same as passive media like television. Hence, while high graphic violence helps a lot when it comes to video games, it has the opposite effect in television and movies.
Druckman then shared that he loved how co-creator, Craig Maizin, and HBO, was on the same page as he was as far as taking out "all the violence except for the very essential." He says that this low emphasis on violence allowed for "more impact than in the game" and it helps make the show "scarier". Druckmann describes the reveal of the infected and the Clickers as a pivotal moment that lets audiences see "what brought down humanity and why everyone is so scared."