The Legend of Zelda and Philosophy_ I Link Therefore I Am - Luke Cuddy [2]
The Grateful Dead and Philosophy: Getting High
Minded about Love and Haight (2007) Edited by Steven Gimbel
VOLUME 29
Quentin Tarantino and Philosophy: How to Philosophize with a Pair of Pliers and a Blowtorch (2007) Edited by Richard Greene and K. Silem Mohammad
VOLUME 30
Pink Floyd and Philosophy: Careful with that Axiom, Eugene! (2007) Edited by George A. Reisch
VOLUME 31
Johnny Cash and Philosophy: The Burning Ring of Truth (2008) Edited by John Huss and David Werther
VOLUME 32
Bruce Springsteen and Philosophy: Darkness on the Edge of Truth (2008) Edited by Randall E. Auxier and Doug Anderson
VOLUME 33
Battlestar Galactica and Philosophy: Mission Accomplished or Mission Frakked Up? (2008) Edited by Josef Steiff and Tristan D. Tamplin
VOLUME 34
iPod and Philosophy: iCon of Our ePoch (2008) Edited by D.E. Wittkower
VOLUME 35
Star Trek and Philosophy: The Wrath of Kant (2008)
Edited by Jason T. Eberl and Kevin S. Decker
VOLUME 36
The Legend of Zelda and Philosophy: I Link Therefore I Am (2008) Edited by Luke Cuddy
IN PREPARATION:
The Wizard of Oz and Philosophy (2008) Edited by Randall E. Auxier and Phillip S. Seng
Jimmy Buffett and Philosophy (2009) Edited by Erin McKenna and Scott L. Pratt
Stephen Colbert and Philosophy (2009) Edited by Aaron Allen Schiller
Radiohead and Philosophy (2009) Edited by Brandon Forbes and George A. Reisch
The Golden Compass and Philosophy (2009) Edited by Richard Greene and Rachel Robison
This one goes out to the Livermore and Chico gamers, and the Cuddys east and west, all of whom made this book possible through their direct, and in some cases indirect, support. Oh yeah, and Shigeru Miyamoto—can’t forget about him.
Acknowledgments
First, of course, I owe the authors a debt of gratitude for supporting this project from the beginning. A work like this doesn’t get off the ground without capable and willing writers. If it wasn’t for George Reisch, this book—at least in its current form—wouldn’t exist, so my debt to him and the other folks at Open Court is immeasurable, including Eric Reitz and David Ramsay Steele. I’m also thankful for the support of the philosophy department at San Diego State University. In particular, Steve Barbone provided very valuable comments, criticisms, and advice from day one. I’m grateful, too, to Robert Arp for his advice early on and to Richard Greene for his advice in the later stages.
Setting Up the Game
LUKE CUDDY
A waterfall cascades down a rocky mountain range in the opening screen for the original Zelda (The Legend of Zelda, Nintendo, 1986).
The criticisms leveled at videogames are familiar to us all, whether we’re criticizing them ourselves or defending our favorite titles against the Luddites. Images of pubescent kids with Super Mario Brothers shirts fiercely wielding Nintendo controllers abound. At one point it might have been appropriate to call videogames a social outcast, analogous to the proverbial high school loner quietly consuming the thin ham slices in his lunchable, watching the popular kids enviously from afar.
And yet, despite being cast aside by some, videogames have settled into their own cultural niche—a niche that, since its inception some three decades past, has leaked through and corroded pop culture like a divine solvent, inciting the admiration and devotion of a generation. This profound cultural movement has resulted in subcultures of die-hard, ultra-devoted fans of specific games.
One of the most popular and pervasive subcultural divisions is the one owing its allegiance to the Legend of Zelda franchise and its creator, Shigeru Miyamoto. Beginning with the original Legend of Zelda game on the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) and continuing through to the current Phantom Hourglass on the Nintendo DS (see below), the tale of Link is familiar to any gamer: the little elf-looking kid (or adult, depending on the game) named “Link” is on a quest to rescue Princess Zelda and reunite the once-united Triforce to save the land of