The vast majority of us have played a video game at least once in our lives, whether it be the likes of Jetpack Joyride or a more technically demanding game like Tomb Raider. One thing’s for sure: science doesn’t really mean much to Nathan Drake from the Uncharted series.
In Uncharted 2: Among Thieves, Drake is shot while escaping a moving train, yet he continues climbing, fighting, and eventually escaping. While this may seem like another example of video game plot armour, it raises a much more interesting question: can a video game accurately simulate physical interactions without reproducing their biological consequences?
In action-adventure games, physics engines are designed to approximate the behaviour of physical systems through computational models. Havok Physics, for example, provides tools for simulating interactions such as collisions and rigid-body dynamics (Havok n.d.). Uncharted 2 demonstrates how complex these simulations can become. According to Richard Lemarchand, a lead designer at Naughty Dog, the video game development studio behind the Uncharted series, the train sequence contained 50 independently moving train cars rather than simply moving the background past a stationary train. The sequence was so technically demanding that it drove the development of new technology, including a dynamic object traversal system that allowed Drake to interact more freely with his environment without clipping or blocky movement(Lemarchand 2010).
This becomes more difficult to apply in the biological aspect, especially when Drake is injured. A gunshot wound is not simply an interaction between a projectile and a character model. Its consequences depend on the projectile’s location and trajectory, as well as the tissues, organs, blood vessels, and bones affected. Gunshot wounds can cause severe bleeding, tissue and organ damage, fractures, infection, and paralysis (MedlinePlus 2026). More specifically, bullet trauma produces both a permanent wound cavity from direct tissue destruction and a temporary cavity caused by the displacement of surrounding tissue. The resulting damage is influenced by the projectile’s velocity, mass, construction, and the physical characteristics of the tissue it strikes. (Maiden, 2009)
In the story at hand, the Train Scene in Uncharted 2, Nathan Drake, when in an altercation with the antagonist of the story, Harry, gets shot on the front left side of the abdomen whilst turning behind to the left. Assuming the bullet went at a 45-degree angle and into his left-side abdomen, he should have incurred some damage or one of the following injuries to his pancreas, small intestines and bladder, as well as caused significant bleeding. An abdominal gunshot wound is particularly concerning because the abdomen contains major blood vessels and organs that may be damaged, potentially causing internal bleeding and life-threatening complications (Cleveland Clinic, 2023).
In that manner, the location of Drake’s injury matters: a wound that damages a major blood vessel or abdominal organ could seriously compromise his ability to continue climbing and fighting, even if his movements were otherwise physically realistic. Making it all the more unlikely he could pull off his future stunts with climbing the train whilst it was hanging off a mountain barely 5 minutes later.
In the game, however, injury is communicated primarily through gameplay cues rather than a detailed simulation of physiological damage. The reddening of the screen signals that Drake has taken damage, but it does not reproduce any of the damage.
Drake’s survival, therefore, shows a stark distinction between physical simulation and biological simulation. Uncharted can realistically reproduce the motion of a train, the mechanics of climbing, and Drake’s interactions with his environment without modelling every physiological consequence of a gunshot. In other words, the game can simulate what happens to Drake without necessarily simulating what happens inside him or how he would more than likely react in that position. His body is, apparently, just a very durable tank for bullets and stab wounds.
References
Cleveland Clinic. 2024. “Organs in the Body: Definition & Anatomy.” https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/organs-in-the-body.
Cleveland Clinic. 2023. “Hemoperitoneum.” https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/hemoperitoneum.
Lemarchand, Richard. 2010. “Naughty Dog Dissects Uncharted 2.” GameSpot. GameSpot article
Maiden, Nicholas. 2009. “Ballistics Reviews: Mechanisms of Bullet Wound Trauma.” Forensic Science, Medicine and Pathology 5 (3): 204–209. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12024-009-9096-6.
MedlinePlus. 2026. “Gunshot Wounds—Aftercare.” U.S. National Library of Medicine. Reviewed April 13, 2026. MedlinePlus article
Naughty Dog. 2022. “Naughty Dog Breaks Down UNCHARTED 4’s Climbing .
Naughty Dog. “Uncharted™: Among Thieves – Nathan Drake Collection – Got Shot By Harry – Part 18” YouTube video, 14:59. March 16, 2016. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=paN6sQ0VUHc
Comments
28 Responses to “You Can’t Just Walk Off a Gunshot, Nathan (or climb)”
Hello, fellow iSci! This was sort of a little passion project of mine. It’s an ongoing joke in the Uncharted community that Nathan Drake has some serious plot armour when it comes to surviving gunshots, stabbings, and many other situations that probably should have ended him.
I wanted to look into how realistic these games can get on the biological side of things when they’re already doing so much on the physics side. The idea actually came from a conversation I had after physics class about projectile motion, where I started thinking about how Nathan Drake would probably somehow survive a 300 m fall under the acceleration of gravity. And, well, one question led to another, and I hope I can get some really constructive feedback on my work.
Hi Aliya!
I just want to start off with saying how much I loved your hook, like it seriously got me from the get go! I was determined to read your post!
The concept is interesting too I assume you like games ;p and this is a great way to look into something you like and add a scienctific aspect to it.
Some feedback I have is regarding you formatting. Bold your references and don’t have it centered, have them left justified. When you bold it and repost your blog they should show up as blue.
Also write your figure captions as ‘captions’ in synopsis there is usually an option when you click on the image. If not decrease the font size, center and italicize.
Great Job!
Alisha
Hi Aaliya,
Starting off, your title was likely one of the most compelling ones I’ve seen yet.
I have some minor grammar feedback on your post.
On P3S1, it looks like “Physics engines” is capitalized incorrectly.
Also, in your hook, you could restructure the last few words by italicizing Uncharted and lowercasing “Series.”
The last thing would be on the first sentence of your hook, using “vast majority” instead of “grand majority” would likely flow better.
Overall, this post is great, looking forward to seeing the final draft,
Teddy
Great blog Aaliya! This is a very cool topic to write about and one I’ve never seen done. I think your blog is well written so I don’t have much feedback. But here are some suggestions which you could consider implementing:
P1S2: Uncharted should be italicized
P3: If you have the word count, it would be cool if you could explain the new technology that was developed
Are there other games which simulate biology a bit better? If so I would talk about those more and maybe challenges in their implementation, since right now your blog is very physics focused.
Great work and happy editing!
Olivia
Hi Aaliya,
Awesome work with your blog post! I thought this topic choice was really interesting and I liked how you connected it back to the kinematics content you’re covering in physics. A few suggestions for your final blog post:
– Consider rephrasing P2S2 to exclude the use of personal pronouns, and frame the question more widely. This could look like “it raises a much more interesting question: can a video game [..]?”
– Consider citing a peer-edited journal article when discussing how gunshot wounds impact the body – if you go back to your MedLine article, they cite two other primary sources that you could include (Simon et al., 2023; Zych et al. 2020).
– If you have the word count, consider expanding on how projectile mass and construction can affect wound severity, as this is a super interesting point!
Overall great job – really looking forward to reading your final draft.
Happy editing!
Charlie
Hi, Aaliya
I found your topic really interesting! I liked the distinction between simulating what happens to Nathan Drake versus what happens inside his body. I have a few suggestions for edits:
– When discussing gunshot wounds, it might be interesting to relate the permanent and temporary wound cavities more specifically to Drake’s abdominal injury
– You could briefly mention why games may intentionally sacrifice biological realism, such as maintaining gameplay and keeping the character functional
Overall, great work and good luck on your final draft!
Veer
Hi Aaliya,
I found this very interesting how video games use kinematics to more accurately simulate movement and wounds.
Some suggestions include:
– expand on how the simulation technology work and the new technology could be used to more accurately model wounds if the word count allows.
– I would also suggest using more primary sources, in regards to the accuracy of the wounds.
– Also ensure that your captions for the figures are inserted as a caption below the figure on synopsis
Overall great work,
Ava
Hi Aaliya,
Great post! As someone who’s played a bit of uncharted myself, I found this post particularly interesting to read.
A few suggestions for your final draft:
– In your conclusion, you write “…shows a stark distinction between physical simulation and biological.” Consider rephrasing this sentence, as it is missing a noun. For example, “between both physical and biological simulation”.
– You mention Jetpack Joy Ride and Tomb Raider in your introduction, but never return to them. This isn’t super necessary, but you could tie them back in, or trim them to keep the focus on uncharted.
Happy editing!
Jahaan
Hi Aaliya,
Cool post! Seeing gaming connected to both physics and biology was interesting. Just have a couple of suggestions:
– P3S1: You could remove the capital letters from “Action-Adventure” and “Physics,” since these are general terms rather than proper nouns.
– P6S2: The phrase “between physical simulation and biological” is missing a word. Changing it to “between physical and biological simulation” would make the comparison clearer and grammatically complete.
Nice work and good luck!
Hassan
Hi Aaliya,
This was such a good post, especially for someone who is an avid fan of Uncharted 4 and its design (I’ve played the prologue – chapter 10 section alone like 7 times just for the graphics)! Below, I have a few suggestions on how to take this blog post to the next level:
1. For both of your figures, make sure to refer to them somewhere in the paper. For Fig. 2 for example, you could refer to the PSBlog article and connect it to the figure of Nathan reaching, like this:
“… including a dynamic object traversal system that allowed Drake to interact more freely with his environment (Lemarchand 2010). This system was used extensively in Uncharted 4, where the player is able to direct how far and at what angle a character could reach out to another object (Figure 2), which made the game a lot more interactive and biomechanically-accurate (Dornbush 2022).”
Make sure to reference Figure 1 in the first 2-3 paragraphs of the blog too.
2. P3: When introducing Richard Lemarchand, though you mention he is working with Naughty Dog, make sure you introduce his title as well (reword: According to Richard Lemarchand, Naughty Dog’s lead designer for the Uncharted series…) just to provide readers some context.
3. When talking about the gunshot wounds and how Naughty Dog has represented them in-game, I think you should mention what happens to the characters as they are shot (the reddening of the screen, and how it can be interpreted as taking damage). Otherwise, the comparison you have (P6: Drake’s survival, therefore, shows a stark distinction between physical simulation and biological.) when you say “stark distinction”, is hard to follow.
Overall, this was a very enjoyable read, and I hope my comment is helpful to you as you edit your draft!
– Samiksha 🙂
Hi Aaliya!
Great Blog post and that is certainly one of the most eye-catching blog post titles I have seen! It immediately caught my attention, and I couldn’t drop the blog because of it!
I did want to talk about the Figure 2 however and I have a few suggestions:
– Firstly, the image looks fairly messy and still has some icons from what I’m assuming is a screen shot. I would look into if there are any other better depictions of the reach system or overall make the image clearer.
– Secondly, if you have the word count, I suggest implementing a few sentences within the text of the blog going more into depth of the image.
– Lastly I would clarify what Dornbush (2022) is. There is no citation for it in reference and I would make a note of what it is (I.e program/website) in the caption.
Other than those few suggestions, this is shaping up to be an amazing blog!
Keep up the good work!
– Kai Fusch
Hi Aaliya,
Great job on this blog post! Just a couple of suggestions below.
– great intro and hook
– the last sentence of P1 is a bit casual: “one thing’s for sure”, “our man”. Consider rewording to make this a bit more professional, such as: “As for the Uncharted series, science does not seem to mean much to the main character Nathan Drake”
– last sentence of P3: consider defining some jargon such as “object traversal system”.
– try to find another source for “Havok, n.d”. Since it’s one of your first in-text citations, having no date could look a bit unprofessional.
Other than these few suggestions, keep up the great work! I love the idea and I can tell you researched this really fully.
Janaya
Hello Aaliya,
Great job on your blog post! I just have a few suggestions to help with your final draft.
1. It would be beneficial to explain the meaning behind Figure 2 further. Specifically, I wonder what those blue icons on the screen mean, as well as what the character is doing in this frame.
2. What is the difference between a typical response to a gunshot wound versus in-game? It would be interesting if you provided more detail on what happens during the game when someone gets shot.
3. Make sure to centre your figure captions.
Overall, this was a very interesting read! I look forward to reading the final draft.
Happy editing,
Griffin Suk 🙂
Hi Aaliya,
This is a really interesting topic, and as someone who does not play a lot of video games, one I had not thought about before!
A couple of suggestions:
1. I would show the url or doi in your references, rather than just the hyperlink. When I clicked on your first link, it shows a chatgpt url and will not load, so I think you copied in the wrong link. I haven’t checked the rest of your links, but I would highly recommend making sure everything is linked correctly!
2. As someone who does not play video games, I had no idea what Naughty Dog meant and had to google it. I would mention that it is a video game company the first time you use the name.
3. You focus on biological consequences at the beginning and end of your post, but not really in the content part in the middle. I would add more about the biological stuff if you have the word count (like some previous comments have suggested). If you don’t have room, maybe shift the focus of your post slightly and choose to focus more on the physics, cutting out the biological stuff at the beginning and end?
Good luck!
Laura
hi! Thank you for the reference check. I did not realize that the first link wouldn’t open. That’s what I get for not double-checking my reference list. I’m trying to find an alternative link because now I’m finding that the entire Havok Site is not opening for me, so I might find another source for that section and rewrite.
Hi Aaliya,
This was such an amazing blog post! I found it so interesting and captivating to read, and I’m really impressed with how you distilled a complicated topic into something readable for everyone!
I have a few small suggestions for you if you see fit!
– In your intro, I would remove the word “likely.” I think it’s not necessary, as it is already implied in the opening line when you state, “The vast majority…” This is a small note, and it’s totally up to you whether to change it.
– I was also wondering if Naughty Dog should be italicized when you are referencing it.
– I would consider making the “References” a heading title rather than the same body text. Similarly, I think the references list is a different colour than the rest of the text. This is just a formatting note, so up to you to decide how you would like to edit it!
Overall, great work. I found this post so interesting, and great work! Happy editing!
Leah
Hey Aaliya,
Your blog post was really interesting. I love whenever people try to apply real world science to fictional worlds, although personally I’m more of a Tomb Raider person over Uncharted. I do have a couple notes about your blog though.
Your opening paragraph flows a little weirdly, it feels like there is a sentence missing between where you talk about Jetpack Joyride and Tomb Raider, and where you talk about Uncharted.
This point may seem a bit nitpicky, but I may suggest going into a little bit more detail about where Nathan Drake was shot, and what specific effects that would have on the human body, as different locations would lead to different inhibitions or responses.
Overall you blog was really well written, and a very interesting read. I look forward to revisiting the final version.
Sincerely,
Zachary
Hi Aaliya,
I loved your post! It’s refreshing to read blog posts that tie science into the more fun aspects of life! Here are some suggestions that I think could benefit your post:
– I would recommend clarifying what Naughty Dog is, especially for people (such as myself) who are unaware that they are a game developer/studio. Just a few words clarifying this would be helpful, especially as you reference them frequently in your post.
Other than that, great post! I especially loved your title, and even though I don’t know who Nathan is, I still felt compelled to read and find out how he’s so invincible!
Good luck and happy editing!
Jessica
Hi Aaliya!
First off, fantastic blog post! This was a really unique topic and I’m really impressed with the way you managed to relate Uncharted to physics and biology. (Great taste in games, by the way.)
A couple things I’d like to note, however.
While the physics component of the blog post is really well implemented, I feel like the biological component is a little neglected. If your word count permits, I’d love to see a little more elaboration on that front.
I also think that, if your word count permits it, a little more elaboration in paragraph 5 would be nice. You explain what gunshot wounds do, but how does this tie into your greater idea? I feel like it’s a little vague. Perhaps specify how the location of the gunshot wound impacts the severity.
Laura already commented this, but I also agree with clarifying that Naughty Dog is a video game company, since it is a little vague without my own prior knowledge.
Regardless, this was such an interesting blog post!
Best,
Daniel
Hi Aaliya!
I really enjoyed reading your post! I thought the connection between video game physics and the biological effects of gunshot wounds was really interesting.
One suggestion I have is to expand a little more on how the location of Drake’s injury could affect his ability to keep moving, especially since abdominal wounds can damage internal organs and blood vessels. P.S, your concluding sentence is the best thing I have yet to read.
Overall, great job on creating a really enticing and funny blog post 🙂
– Hala
Hi Aaliya!
I really enjoyed reading your blog post! I thought it was cool how you connected a video game to real science, especially since it made me think about how unrealistic games actually are.
I have a few suggestions:
– In paragraph 5, you could explain more about how blood loss might affect Nathan’s strength and ability to climb the train. This could help readers better understand why his actions are so unrealistic.
– You can also maybe include if he would realistically be able to keep moving as the scene continues, or whether his condition gets worse.
– You could also explain why a character might appear almost unaffected by an injury in a game, even when the same injury could have serious consequences in real life.
Overall, I think your topic is really creative, and I liked how you used a familiar video game to discuss scientific ideas. Good luck with your final draft!
Hi Aaliya!
Your blog post caught my eye as someone who loves video games. This was a super interesting read as I don’t normally think about the realism behind the games I’m playing.
Overall your blog post was written very well with great detail. However, one suggestion I have is revising your last sentence to maintain the tone of your writing. You have a strong, informative tone throughout the post, but end with a more comedic line. Although, this is an engaging way to conclude, adjusting the ending to fit the tone of the essay might make your finish stronger.
Amazing writing regardless and I’m looking forward to your edits!
– Zahra
Hi Aaliya!
This is such an interesting topic to write about! It connects physics-based video game simulation to human biology in a cohesive way. It is also very well written and easy to follow.
A couple of suggestions:
– I believe your word count is slightly over (at ~637 words). It might be worth double-checking against the rubric; the word count ballpark is around 400-500 words. There are some sentences you could shorten; for example: “Making it all the more unlikely he could pull off his future stunts with climbing the train whilst it was hanging off a mountain barely 5 minutes later,” (28 words) could be condensed to “This makes his climbing and fighting minutes later highly implausible” (10 words).
– You repeat the point about abdominal injury in P5S3 and P6S1. You can try stating this point in the introduction, building evidence, and then restating it in your conclusion. (This may also help with the word count).
Overall, this was a great read. It definitely changed my perspective on biological and physical aspects of video games!
Have a great reading week and Thanksgiving,
Amelia Nolan
Hi Aaliya!
I want to start off by mentioning how interesting your blog post was! As someone who rarely plays video games, I was unaware of the complexities involved in creating physical simulations. As a result, I found it very interesting to learn about the different “engines” used in this process.
However, as many people have noted, it may be useful to touch more deeply on the biological aspect as well. I’d suggest using more concise phrasing in order to make room for this. For example:
P5S1- You could cut out “in the story at hand” as you reference the game title later in the sentence.
P6S1 – The fragment “even if his movements were otherwise physically realistic” could be removed to shorten and better connect this sentence to the following one.
Overall, I really enjoyed your blog post! I feel you have a very dramatic writing style that grabs the reader’s attention (it grabbed mine at least!) and a great mix of formal and playful commentary which lends well to this subject.
Looking forward to your next post!
-Brianna
Hi Aaliya,
I loved your blog post! The title is super captivating and your target audience is very clear. I especially loved how you wrote about something that relates to your hobbies too!
I have just a couple of suggestions to improve readability:
P3S2: I believe you can take out the in text citation of Havoc Physics, since you begin the sentence by mentioning them as the providers of the tools you mentioned.
P3S5: The sentence in which you introduce Richard Lemarchand and Naughty Dog is quite long. Consider breaking it up or simply rewording it to make your delivery more concise.
For example, you could say, “Richard Lemarchand, lead designer at the Uncharted series’ development studio, Naughty Dog, revealed that…”.
P5S1: Same as the last tip, but the sentence where you explain how Nathan Drake got shot is also a little long. This time, I’d definitely recommend breaking it up. For example, you could say, “In the Train Scene that was mentioned previously, Nathan Drake gets shot during an altercation with Harry, the antagonist of the story”. After this sentence you can go on to explain the location of his wound.
P5S3: This one is a little picky of me, but why assume 45 degrees as the angle he was wounded at? Obviously there is no expectation of having an exact angle, but maybe mention how his opponent’s stance influenced your assumption–word count permitting of course.
Overall, great job! I can’t wait to read your final draft.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Zara
Hi Aaliya,
I really like how your title is catchy and pulls the audience right in! Also the way you moved from a funny gaming moment real questions about physical vs biological stimulation was really interesting.
here are some suggestions!
1. adding an explanation on how you estimated the trajectory would make your analysis a lot more clear.
2. your in text citations are a mix of using commas and not ( For example:(MedlinePlus 2026) and (Cleveland clinic, 2023)) so pick one style.
3. “Gets shot on the front left side of the abdomen whilst turning behind to the left” is confusing and could become “is shot in the left abdomen as he turns away from Harry.”
overall I really enjoyed reading your post, looking forward to the final draft!
Have a great reading week!
Asyah
Hello Aaliya,
I really appreciate the passion you have for this character in the Unchartered world, it was a super engaging read. The main thing I would say as you finish editing this blog post is to ensure that your in-text citations and your references are in Chicago style. For instance, the citation (Cleveland Clinic, 2023) appears to be in APA rather Chicago author date style. In addition to this, try to avoid contractions if unnecessary, as it reads as unprofessional.
Best of luck and enjoy the rest of your reading week!
Yasmin
**Uncharted whoops typo