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ISBN 978-0-8126-9654-7

$18.95 $13.27
paper

288 pages

(Fall 08)

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The Legend of Zelda and Philosophy

Edited by Luke Cuddy

Popular Culture and Philosophy series

This is the first book in existence devoted to philosophy and a specific video game. It is also the first book that deals with the more general topic of philosophy and video games. 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?