Thread by @MarkMulvey

"The Psychology of Zelda: Linking Our World to the Legend of Zelda Series" edited by Anthony M. Bean, PhD

Threading my favorite excerpts below:

"Power. Courage. Wisdom. These three tenets comprise the foundation of Hyrule's lore and history, but they resonate just as strongly in our own society;

these concepts are qualities that, at some level, each of us aspires to as we journey through life."

"Have you ever noticed that Link doesn't speak in his own story? This book explains why that's so important. Did playing 'Majora's Mask' help you deal with your own grief or depression? This book explains that experience too."

"It has been a consistent feature across the thirty year Legend of Zelda games that Link is a decidedly silent protagonist. [...] In essence, without a voice, Link becomes a semiblank slate that the player can psychologically project onto.""

"Incidentally, this bridge between worlds is also implied in the name 'Link': he exists as a connecting bridge, a link between the players' inner world and the imaginal Kingdom of Hyrule."

"When all is said and done—when the hero is victorious and the player puts down the controller and walks away—the player has the opportunity to take a little piece of that heroic journey back out into the world."

"By withdrawing the projection when the story ends, the player reclaims the hero as a part of the self, by remembering what it feels like to embody heroism, agency, and victory."

"This means a virtual trip to Hyrule can provide players with growth opportunities that the physical world might not."

"Zunshine writes, 'On some level our evolved cognitive architecture indeed does not fully distinguish between real and fictional people.'"

"transrational experience: an experience where weighty concepts, which would be difficult to explore in their raw form, are easier to understand through myths...

"... Weightier concepts that might require significant scholarship, self-reflection, and the shift of personal paradigms, are easier to unpackage when we experience them through a playable fantasy hero like Link."

"Venturing into one's innermost heart is like descending into a dungeon. Buried beneath the surface, there is a perilous place teeming with terrors, trials, and treasures."

“In the Legend of Zelda games, Link is always an embodiment of the Orphan archetype.

[...] Throughout gameplay, he is labeled an outcast and even a scapegoat for the world’s problems at times—even though he is the destined hero.”

“Link’s experience as an orphan resonates with anyone who’s ever felt ostracized or isolated.”

“The hero is defined not only by their noble aims, but by their sacrifice of who and what they were before in order to become a greater version of themselves.”

“Many fans themselves have struggled with ‘Majora’s Mask,’ leading to backlash when it was first released. Without the protective forces of destiny, responsibility, and community validation, players and Link must face the traumatic aspects of heroism.”

“Such an experience speaks not only to the power of reauthoring one’s own narrative but gets to the heart of posttraumatic growth: in order to transform, the victim must make meaning from their trauma or pain.”

“The monomyth proves so resonant in part because it is strengthened by repetition. With each act of play, gamers deepen their understanding of both Hyrule and their own capacities for growth and change.”

“However, as every adventurer should remember, a sword alone does not grant one true power. For Link, his true strength is found through the meaningful connections he creates with others while adventuring.”

“Along the way, Link and the player both find that the journey to find oneself is also a journey to connect with others.”

“But the strength of Princess Zelda’s ego protects her conscious mind from becoming overwhelmed. She ‘re-members’ parts of herself—her identity as the reincarnation of the goddess Hylia—in order to become more herself.”

“With wisdom, power can be efficiently wielded, but without wisdom it tends to corrupt.”

“Power is the assertion of one’s will on the outside world; wisdom is the ability to connect with one’s inner world.”

“The evolution of Zelda’s character demonstrates how women can defy benevolent sexism by incorporating characteristics from both sides of the gender continuum.”

“Through Zelda, we are introduced to the idea that a princess must sometimes be a commander, sometimes a researcher, and sometimes a benefactor from the shadows.”

/thread

Consider giving some of its contributors a follow, their essays were 👌

@VideoGameDoc
@ZeldaUniverse
@Stevagorn
@ladytaochi
@FusRoDoc
@mindbodyfandom
@silnan
@WindGoodfriend

@VideoGameDoc @ZeldaUniverse @Stevagorn @ladytaochi @FusRoDoc @mindbodyfandom @silnan @WindGoodfriend Realizing I forgot to link the book for anyone interested in giving it a spin!

🧠 amazon.com/Psychology-Zel… ⚔️

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