Nick Offerman, the actor who portrayed survivalist Bill in the knockout third episode of HBOās post-apocalyptic drama The Last of Us, has revealed that not only has he not played the game the show is based on, he also hasnāt played any video game in a quarter century because he ālost a couple of weeksā to a particular one, all those years ago.
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Offerman sat down with talk show host Jimmy Kimmel last night to discuss the show, his performance on the latest episode, and how well some of his on-screen characters (such as Bill and Parks and Recreationās Ron Swanson) would survive in an apocalypse, among other things. Of course, since heās starring in a show based on a video game, Kimmel asked Offerman if heās played Naughty Dogās post-apocalyptic action-adventure The Last of Us. Well, he hasnāt. Not only that, the last game he played was Rareās 1998 Nintendo 64 platformer-collectathon Banjo-Kazooie
ā25 years ago, I played my last video game and Iām very indulgent. I lost a couple of weeks to a video game called Banjo-Kazooie,ā Offerman said to audience cheers. āTwo weeks went by and, you know, I was like, āOh my god, the slow dopamine drip is so delicious.ā Then itās over and youāre like, āYes, I won!ā And immediately, Iām like, āWhat have I done with my life?ā And so, I decided Iām never going to do that again. And so thankfully, because games have gotten so good, like The Last of Us, that I think Iād be in a basement and I wouldnāt even be going to audition for shows like this.ā
Banjo-Kazooie is Rareās Mario-like platformer starring the titular brown honey bear and red-crested breegull duo. Released in 1998 for the Nintendo 64, the game saw you running around a bevy of non-linear locations to collect stuff, beat enemies up, and solve a few puzzles. It spawned a direct sequel in 2000ās Banjo-Tooie, and the 2008 vehicle construction game Nuts & Bolts for Xbox 360. Thanks to 2015ās Xbox-exclusive classic compilation Rare Replay, all three games are playable on Xbox today, but whether the bear and bird will ever get another game of their own or are just relegated to appearances in series like Smash Bros. (where they are menaces to deal with) remains to be seen.
The clip has, inevitably, made its way to gaming Twitter, with some folks āfully [falling] in loveā with Offerman. Others seem to find his sentiment ārelatable.ā Thereās also an interesting discussion around the phrasing of ālost timeā when it comes to playing games for long stretches of time. My two cents is, as long as you find enjoyment in the time you spend, then thereās nothing wrong with devoting time to games. This can be tenuous, as some live-service games are practically designed to monopolize your time, and can function as de facto second jobs. But if you glean something helpful or meaningful, even if thatās simply joy from beating a game you like, then thatās all that matters at the end of the day.
Kotaku reached out to Offerman for comment.
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The Last of Us has been a pretty successful HBO show thus far, with Episode 3 (which aired last Sunday) reaching 6.4 million people. That seems to be, in part, because of the moving performance Offerman gave as Bill, a gruff survivalist who, in the show, shares a deeply moving love story with a man named Frank (played by Murray Bartlett of The White Lotus). Some fans are already advocating for an Emmy nomination for Offerman. If he does get one, at least heāll be able to attend the ceremony rather than being stuck at home playing video games.
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