The Legend of Zelda and Philosophy: I Link Therefore I Am (Popular Culture and Philosophy) [Paperback]

Luke Cuddy (Editor)

Book Description

Series: Popular Culture and Philosophy | Publication Date: November 25, 2008

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.

Editorial Reviews

Review

If you're a Zelda theorist, chances are you already have this book or plan to run out and buy it. If you're just dipping your feet into Zelda at a higher level of thought, The Legend of Zelda and Philosophy offers a great starting point with interesting insights into both Zelda and gaming as a whole.... A true Zelda fan shouldn't be without it. - ZeldaUniverse.net, March 27, 2009

Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Open Court (November 25, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0812696549
• ISBN-13: 978-0812696547
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.9 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #227,508 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

60 of 69 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Let's Play Money-Making Game, February 19, 2009

By 

John Grusd (Hyrule) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Legend of Zelda and Philosophy: I Link Therefore I Am (Popular Culture and Philosophy) (Paperback)

This book is lame and embarrassing. It's a collection of banal undergraduate-quality essays that shoehorns entry-level philosophy into the Legend of Zelda universe, often with no justification. Worse, many of the essays take concepts of video games in general and make their points, using only the Legend of Zelda as a tangential example, which makes them irrelevant in this book, i.e. a whole essay devoted to basic logical fallacies (ch. 3). Gee thanks for that. I didn't know what a slippery slope was and decided to consult this very book in order to learn about it.

The typographical errors that saturate this book are just appalling, and deserve no further remark. Well, some are hilarious though, like "Zeldac universe" (p. 76).

I'm paging through this looking for egregious examples of what makes this book such a disappointment; there are so many. Here's the opening to one of the essays: "I have a confession to make. I don't finish what I start. Specifically, the Zelda games I start" (p. 45). I'm sorry? What then exactly makes you qualified to write about them?!

There's a section on the "controversial" chronology of the Zelda games that I found particularly ridiculous. Sorry, I did not pay to read some 13-year-old's half-baked theory lifted straight from a random online forum, every mangled word faithfully replicated.

There's a lot to complain about here, but ultimately there's no real need even to consider this forgettable volume. All I wanted in this book was a collection of essays written by die hard Zelda fans first, philosophy enthusiasts second. There's more than enough compelling material in the games themselves to warrant valid philosophical topics; forcing inapplicable Western philosophy into this universe just comes across as pretentious and frustrating. The writers simply do not appear to have a transcendent passion for The Legend of Zelda any more than they do for video games in general, which begs the question: why were they chosen to contribute to this volume? To be fair, there are a few grains of ideas here that are fascinating, but ask yourself this question: is it worth opening your wallet to read in a book what you can find for free in the 'essay' section of any Zelda fansite?

22 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Unique and accessible, though at times lacking in presentation, February 12, 2009

By 

raficus - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Legend of Zelda and Philosophy: I Link Therefore I Am (Popular Culture and Philosophy) (Paperback)

Seeing as how I like to read in my spare time, I thought I'd post some short reviews of the books I complete.

Just last night I finally got around to finishing Luke Cuddy's The Legend of Zelda and Philosophy. This was my first foray into the "Popular Culture and Philosophy" series, which also includes the likes of The Simpsons, Star Trek, Star Wars, Buffy, House, and plenty others.

The general format of these books are sections organized by topic. The authors explore basic ideas such as the general mythology, timeline, and free will, while tackling some more complex ones including the link between reality and Hyrule, Zelda's feminism, and the existence of God & evil. Within each section are chapters, each consisting of an essay published by a professor at an American university (so you can presume they're not just BSing you). The essays themselves are well-organized, and the content of certain ones were more appealing than others.

In general, the concepts were accessible and well-explained. Yes, there were ideas that seemed a bit far-fetched, as if the authors were looking too much into it, but that's to be expected when you philosophize about playing video games. However, as a whole it does make a valid case about the presence and prevalence of role-playing games in modern society, and I did get something out of it.

In terms of representation of the series, I'd say most of them were addressed, especially in the chapter that focuses on the timeline. I'm not sure I agree with focusing on The Wind Waker so much in the opening chapter was the right decision, since the author made it seem like the quintessential Zelda game (when A Link to the Past and The Ocarina of Time have set more of a precedent and are more widely known). You'll probably find some gaming discussion appeals more to you than others, and it might be worth reading sections out of order rather than cover-to-cover as I did. Or you could use the handy index as a starting point.

Given my familiarity and background with many of the topics (both the philosophy and the games), I found it a comfortable read. But for those who are unfamiliar or simply not interested in philosophy (but at least interested in the franchise or gaming in general), the book still presents some thought-provoking questions. The inclusion of great philosophers and their ideas was a nice touch, and the discussion won't go over your head. I'd say the book takes itself seriously but not too seriously.

That said, as it is a collection of essays, I found it lacking flow since the dynamic varied between authors. Also, the is a forceful open-endedness, since conclusions were never really reached (though I suppose that's to be expected when you're discussing philosophy). In going back and forth between ideas (playing devil's advocate with itself) and not really favoring a side, it can leave you hanging, should you look for any real "answer".

But maybe that's not the purpose of the book. It makes you think and gives supporting arguments for and against an idea. Overall, it presents an intellectual discussion about topics most people wouldn't dare to approach (either diminishing the credibility of video games or exaggerating the complexity behind philosophy). If you're a fan of the series or role-playing games, it's a definite must-read. But even as a gamer, if the idea of philosophizing about a game doesn't strike your fancy, then this might be worth passing over.

11 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Incorrect names, February 8, 2010

By 

R. Taggart "Wynd Mynstrel" (Green Bank, WV) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Legend of Zelda and Philosophy: I Link Therefore I Am (Popular Culture and Philosophy) (Paperback)

I was considering buying this book, but when I read the "Look Inside" preview, I became a little wary of it. In the very first chapter, the author incorrectly calls "Outset Island" by the name "Outcast Island". And since it's used repeatedly, I know it's not a typo. If you're going to write a book on the philosophical aspects of a well-loved video game series, you should at least get the names correct. I gave it two stars for poor fact checking and editing, but I'm a huge Zelda fan, so I still may end up buying it anyway, if only to see how many more errors the authors make!