10 Terrifying Video Game Truths You Never Noticed

6. The Real Zombie Fungus - The Last of Us

Last Of Us Joel Bloater
Sony

This is arguably the most terrifying video game truth on this list because it’s the only one where the video game horror in question actually exists in real life.

If you aren’t already across this one, it’s absolutely fascinating. Essentially, the Cordyceps virus which is the basis of the apocalyptic zombie plague from The Last of Us is a real virus. While the parasitic virus doesn’t affect humans, the parasites do make their homes in the bodies of insects and other fungi and some variants are essentially body snatchers, turning the creatures into zombies.

In one particular case the virus zombifies ants and controls their minds in order to survive, wherein the ants’ tissue is eaten alive from the inside and replaced until it’s only a husk overtaken by the fungus.

They call these "fruiting bodies", which sounds much yummier and less disgusting than it is but imagine what happens to the Clickers but to insects and spiders and you got it.

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Jess has been a journalist and content creator in the games industry for over 15 years and has been WhatCulture's resident Australian import and sorry cop since 2020, upping the quotient of swearing and apologising in WhatCulture Gaming's annual blooper videos considerably. She previously worked at GameSpot for 10 years, most notably hosting GameSpot News in addition to E3 live shows, and PAX panels. She regularly livestreams a variety of games on her 'jessmcdonell' YouTube and Twitch channels and hosts the 'Do It On The Day' podcast. She has won awards for her news and feature work in gaming as well as an accolade for her comedic writing (likely an admin error). She can be found on X at @jessmcdonell and Instagram at @jessicamcdonell sharing her current videogame fixations, industry insights, and videos of her cat, Karma.