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Read up on your Hyrulian: Legend of Zelda Philosophy book now available photo

Ok, so while the new book The Legend of Zelda and Philosophy may not be as serious as young Nietzsche once was, it does actually pose some thought-provoking questions about one of the most beloved videogame series of all time. From the Amazon.com description:

With both young and adult gamers as loyal fans, The Legend of Zelda is one of the most beloved video game series ever created. The contributors to this volume consider the following questions and more: What is the nature of the gamer’s connection to Link? Does Link have a will, or do gamers project their wills onto him? How does the gamer experience the game? Do the rules of logic apply in the game world? 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? Can the game be enjoyable without winning? The Legend of Zelda and Philosophy not only appeals to Zelda fans and philosophers but also puts video games on the philosophical map as a serious area of study. 

Neat. I'm sure this will be relevant to the interests of some of you, and it makes a hell of a coffee table book besides. You can snag your own copy at Amazon for $12.89, which is less than I spend on a single meal, and perhaps prep yourself or some brain-bending discussion about the deeper meaning of the Triforce next time you see your friends. (Hint: If you think it symbolizes a vagina, you've been reading too much Freud.)

[Thanks, Adam]


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23 comments | showing # 1 to 23

Aerox's Avatar - Comment posted on 08/13/2008 12:01
Aerox
Aww, it's not coming out until November 28th :(
NobodysDream's Avatar - Comment posted on 08/13/2008 12:02
NobodysDream
I've always loved the "...and Philosophy" series of books. They got me into the heavier stuff back in middle school. They are like the gateway drug of pretension.
mistic's Avatar - Comment posted on 08/13/2008 12:09
mistic
I'll be picking that up when it comes out :-)
DryvBy's Avatar - Comment posted on 08/13/2008 12:12
DryvBy
Lame and then some.
taterchimp's Avatar - Comment posted on 08/13/2008 12:20
taterchimp
Seems like it could be really interesting...I should start getting into the series.
Prince Ghidorah's Avatar - Comment posted on 08/13/2008 12:21
Prince Ghidorah
Save your money for my forthcoming opus The Zen of Mario.
perri's Avatar - Comment posted on 08/13/2008 12:21
perri
I'm interested in this! Would make perfect christmas gift...for myself...
giraffywaffy's Avatar - Comment posted on 08/13/2008 12:21
giraffywaffy
I'm pretty sure the ... and Philosophy series also put out a Family Guy and Philosophy book. That should say enough.
pendelton21's Avatar - Comment posted on 08/13/2008 12:22
pendelton21
Fasinating...
Irvine_frost's Avatar - Comment posted on 08/13/2008 12:23
Irvine_frost
mmmmmmmm, i dont know....
notdryad's Avatar - Comment posted on 08/13/2008 12:36
notdryad
"Legend of Zelda" "Philosophy"

Are you fucking kidding me? Philosophy for a kiddy game?
kadosho's Avatar - Comment posted on 08/13/2008 12:38
kadosho
Well this is something I always had a feeling would happen.
Actually I'm wondering if we might even meet the author sometime.
In a way, maybe it was intended to be written. Not as a novel thought, but more of a period piece. History, theoretical, and philosophy (who knew).
Holyetheline's Avatar - Comment posted on 08/13/2008 12:39
Holyetheline
Dude that's pretty sweet. I might have to give this a read some day.
DanlHaas's Avatar - Comment posted on 08/13/2008 12:44
DanlHaas
Sounds like it has potential. I'll probably look into it once it's got some reviews.
MechaMonkey's Avatar - Comment posted on 08/13/2008 12:44
MechaMonkey
I'd like to see how Navi fits into the philosophical picture.
welkstar's Avatar - Comment posted on 08/13/2008 12:59
welkstar
I'm interested.
randombullseye's Avatar - Comment posted on 08/13/2008 13:03
randombullseye
I'll wait for Jim Sterling to record an audio book version.
NobodysDream's Avatar - Comment posted on 08/13/2008 13:11
NobodysDream
@giraffywaffy

They put out a Simpsons book, not Family Guy. Although, they have produced a shit ton of books since I last checked up on them. The last I read was "The Lord of the Rings and Philosophy" freshmen (or was it sophmore?) year of high school.

Here is their website for those of you interested.

http://www.opencourtbooks.com/categories/pcp.htm

Looks like a bunch of great nerd books coming up, including World of Warcraft, Stephen Colbert, Radiohead, and the Transformers. The only one on the upcoming list I don't get is Jimmy Buffet.

I can't imagine writing more than a paragraph on the topic of Buffet, and that paragraph would contain little more than variations on the phrase, "shit sandwich."
Acefowl's Avatar - Comment posted on 08/13/2008 15:39
Acefowl
So all these topics, and nothing about why Link is one of the few left-handed heroes in the industry? I'm disappointed now.
Acefowl's Avatar - Comment posted on 08/13/2008 15:39
Acefowl
So all these topics, and nothing about why Link is one of the few left-handed heroes in the industry? I'm disappointed now.
SWE3tMadness's Avatar - Comment posted on 08/13/2008 16:05
SWE3tMadness
Nice. I'd like to get it just to see how my opinions stack up to a more "expert" view on the subject, particularly on the split-timeline theory.

It'd be really awesome if they starting doing this for other game series as well.
naia-the-gamer's Avatar - Comment posted on 08/13/2008 18:33
naia-the-gamer
It sounds kind of interesting. Does Miyamoto know about this? I'd like to know what he thinks.
atastysammich's Avatar - Comment posted on 08/14/2008 09:17
atastysammich
"You can snag your own copy at Amazon for $12.89, which is less than I spend on a single meal..."

Jesus Tapdancing Christ, where do you eat?!
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