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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Contest:
11:58 AM on 08.13.2008
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Are you fucking kidding me? Philosophy for a kiddy game?
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).
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."
It'd be really awesome if they starting doing this for other game series as well.
Jesus Tapdancing Christ, where do you eat?!