The Psychology of Zelda: Linking Our World to the Legend of Zelda Series

The Psychology of Zelda: Linking Our World to the Legend of Zelda Series

It's dangerous to go alone! Take this (book). For more than 30 years, The Legend of Zelda—which immerses players in a courageous struggle against the shadowy forces of evil in a world of high fantasy—has spanned more than 30 different installments, selling over 75 million copies. Today, it is one of the most beloved video game franchises around the globe. Video game sales as a whole have continued to grow, now raking in twice as much money per year as the entire film industry, and countless psychologists have turned their attention to the effects gaming has on us: our confidence, our identity, and our personal growth. The Psychology of Zelda applies the latest psychological findings, plus insights from classic psychology theory, to Link, Zelda, Hyrule, and the players who choose to wield the Master Sword. In The Psychology of Zelda , psychologists who love the games ask: How do Link's battles in Ocarina of Time against Dark Link, his monstrous doppelganger, mirror the difficulty of confronting our personal demons and the tendency to be our own worst enemies? - What lessons about pursuing life's greater meaning can we take away from Link's quests through Hyrule and beyond the stereotypical video game scenario of rescuing a Princess (Zelda)? - What do we experience as players when we hear that familiar royal lullaby on the ocarina, Saria's spirited melody in the Lost Woods, or the iconic main theme on the title screen? - How do the obstacles throughout Majora's Mask represent the Five Stages of Grief? - What can Link's journey to overcome the loss of the fairy Navi teach us about understanding our own grief and depression? - Why are we psychologically drawn to the game each and every time a new version becomes available even when they all have a similar storyline? Think you've completed the quest? The Psychology of Zelda gives you new, thrilling dungeons to explore and even more puzzles to solve. The Psychology of Zelda: Linking Our World to the Legend of Zelda Series is an anthology of essays by learned doctors, psychologists, and clinicians contemplating the ramifications of the popular and iconic "Legend of Zelda" video game series. Individual writings include "It's Dangerous to Go Alone: The Hero's Journey in the Legend of Zelda", "The Song of the Ritos: The Psychology of the Music within the Legend of Zelda Series", "The Legend Herself: From Damsel in Distress to Princess of Power", and much more. Psychologists and lay readers alike will enjoy this new medley of learned perspective on a popular video game and its reflections on the human condition. Highly recommended. - Midwest Book Review All in all this was a highly enjoyable and thought provoking read. It has opened my eyes up to not before seen depths of my favorite childhood series and now I want to go and replay them all with a fresh set of eyes and my broadened mind. - Esoteric Elixir Reads The essays are well-written and heavily researched. You'll learn about how players project themselves into their favorite video games. How grief plays out in Link's journey in Majora's Mask. These ten essays are exciting to read and compelling. Expect to deepen your understanding of the games and to potentially become a bigger fan. - Reviews and Robots In all, The Psychology of Zelda is a delightful read not just for video game fans, but also for anyone interested in the intersection between contemporary psychology and pop culture.- Hyperallergic You don't need to be a psychology major to appreciate this book as the analysis is laid out in a straight-forward and easy to understand manner. Overall this was a quality read and if you love Zelda and are interested in an academic analysis of the games and their themes this is a worthwhile little read. -The Pluviophile Writer Anthony M. Bean, PhD,  is a licensed psychologist and executive director at The Telos Project, a nonprofit mental health clinic in Fort Worth, Texas, and an adjunct professor at Framingham State University in Massachusetts. He specializes in the therapeutic implications of video games and gaming, working with children and adolescents, and the use of video-game character identification as a therapeutic technique.  He specializes in video games, children & adolescents, and the virtual worlds played in by all ages.  He is considered an expert in this growing field, has been published extensively in the discipline.  He works with children, adolescents, and adults who  play video games and their families to better understand the immersive psychological effects video games have upon the individual and resulting family dynamics. Dr. Bean utilizes video game character identification techniques and other archetypal experiences to understand and develop intrinsic motivations for playing, personal identity, and discovering conscious and unconscious conflicts, cognitions, and behaviors. He has