Philosophy? In my Zelda?

Cole Stryker — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 16:00:00 GMT

If a Deku Tree falls in the forest and no one is there to hear it, does it make a sound?

Philosophy grad student Luke Cuddy has edited a philosophy book dedicated to The Legend of Zelda, published by an imprint who has previously dealt with philosophy in The Matrix and The Simpsons. From the publisher:

The book asks such questions as: What is the nature of the gamer's connection to Link? Does Link have a will, or do we project ours onto him? How does the gamer experience the game? Do the rules of logic apply in the gameworld? How is space created and distributed in Hyrule (the fictional land in which the game takes place)? How does time function? Is Zelda art? Can Hyrule be seen as an ideal society? What about the Triforce (one of the goals of the game is to reunite pieces of a relic called "The Triforce")? Is there anything symbolic about courage, wisdom, and power? Why do we want to win and defeat Ganon (the evil tyrant in command of Hyrule in many of the games of the franchise)? Can the game be enjoyable without winning? Why do fans create timeline theories in such detail? Can these theories adhere to scientific standards? How is death treated in Hyrule? How do repetitive tasks done in the game differ from repetitive tasks done in everyday life?

Mmm hmm. Don't expect any gee-whiz game theory, a recent post on Cuddy's blog contains the following shocker:

True gamers understand that graphics aren't everything and that great game design can be achieved even within the technological limitations of a given time.

Deep. We read on:

I don't know if you've heard of The Video Game Theory Reader but it's an excellent compilation edited by Bernard Perron and Mark Wolf. It's chalk [sic] full of philosophy, even if it's not specifically geared towards philosophers. Upon reading it one is amazed at the philosophical depth possible with the simplest of early games (e.g. Adventure, Pong, Space Invaders).

Ugh. If these musings are any indication as to the content of the upcoming book, count me out. It will sell thousands of copies while real philosophy languishes on the shelves of your library. I'm not saying video games aren't fertile ground for philosophic discussion, this one just seems...a bit surfacey. I can't wait to see Alex Kierkegaard's take on this.

In other news, I'm slogging through Thus Spake Zarathustra right now. Feelin' snarky.

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Philosophy? In my Zelda?