Researched Essay

The video game, The Legend of Zelda is a progressive visual content that was first produced in 1986. The video game is periodically released in more intricate versions and the current version of the video game was released on May 2018.  The game is an action-adventure which was first thought of by Japanese Designers, Shigeru Miyamoto, and Takashi Tezuka. The inspiration of the game arises from the ancient belief that was held by the Japanese people regarding the creation of the universe and the consequent existence of humans in the world. According to the old tales regarding creation, the universe was made by three goddesses. One of the goddesses was that of power, and she is the one that created the land. The other one was the goddess of wisdom, and she managed to bring the order of things into the world. The last one was the goddess of courage from where life came from. The creators of the film, therefore, made a depiction of life on earth and the power of the human being in a manner that involves a Triforce from where the video is written.

The composition of the video game shows the power of the trio that created the world to select a few people who must run the world as per their aspirations. Just like in the modern world where there are some people who believe that God chooses them and that they have some supernatural powers too just like God, the video was made with a belief that the trio has some chosen individuals whom they have gifted different individual powers and from where the chosen individuals should be able to execute the demands that the trio places on them (Nintendo, 2008). The chosen individual must, therefore, possess some extent of the individual power of each of the goddesses meaning that they must have a balance of power wisdom and courage.  

The games derived from the inspiration and which compose The Legend of Zelda make such an articulate use of the Hyrule Warriors. The Hyrule warriors are the chosen individuals who are gifted to execute the demands of the tri-force goddesses. Just like in the Christian belief, the enemy has always haunted God and his creation as it is believed. The same concept is used in the video game where the directors of the game think of an enemy who would come to hurt the creation of the goddesses (Nintendo, 2006). The trio, therefore, had to create individuals who had immense powers and whose actions would always be directed towards the protection of the low-estate human beings and also the execution of specific demands against the enemy.

The vast part of the video game composition The Legend of Zelda is merely a show of power in war. It is the explication of the spiritual views of people in on a technological ground. All people tend to be of the inclination that their existence in the world is about the power of God. However, not a single individual has ever seen God. People, therefore, believe that God has some chosen elements who are the religious leaders that guide the world and help fight in the spiritual wars.

In the same way, the villains in the video game are just representatives of the unseen goddesses (Cuddy, 2008). The villains are all eyes and are ready to be sent to any destination without complaining of the raging battles in the areas where they are sent. In any case, the game showcases various villains preparing themselves for the war and the personal choice of the villain is explicated as the villain whom the three goddesses too would have chosen.

Different versions of the game have their own exposition of the mind of the producers from their distinct view. Various parts of the game are guided by different motivations which showcase the immense thinking and logical capacities in the minds of the directors as they try to understand ancient tales. For instance, the production of the “Wind Waker” is a game where the villains are supported and cared for in war by some fairies that are chosen by God (Brown, 2012). The fairies are therefore an explication enough of how fighting for religious beliefs was an issue that was not taken as lightly as it is taken today and is still an explication that religious beliefs will always dictate the future of the world to some extent and people will have to suffer, experience loss of lives among other negative experiences for the case of religious beliefs.

A video game is a collection of thoughts of the creators regarding certain events that still happen or some that they never witnessed but were told to them or they learned with time. The Legend of Zelda reconnects the images of villains who are armed with swords. The villains are armed with swords as a depiction of their preparedness to fight for their people. In the ancient times, from where the game is extracted, the war space was not as developed as it is today (“The official home for The Legend of Zelda – About”, 2018). There was no use of gunfire and the new technological ammunition that is in place in the modern world. Therefore, the manufacturers of the video game would be lost if they manufactured the video game in light of the modern world. Consequently they must have showcased the villains using traditional weapons such as swords. The reason behind it is that the game is not just a game. It is also a depiction of the hard times that the human race has been through since time immemorial and hence the use of swords was an instrumental approach for the video game.

The video game is made of various instances where the villains are just normal people. Though they have their superpowers, the villains rarely showcase their powers unless they are sent or provoked. The theme of responsibility while making media presentations can, therefore, be seen from the fact that the villains are more than responsible. The theme of owning up and expediting responsibility with utmost honor is such a great theme in media studies. The purpose behind it is that it teaches not only cases of people who were responsible in the past but also teaches the modern generations to be more careful with the responsibilities that are placed upon them (Sun, Lin & Ho, 2006). The villains in the video games are responsible as they also understand that their lives are also dependent on how they execute their duties. If they are reluctant to execute their duties, the villains could suffer attacks from the enemies that they face. The enemies could also interfere with the general creation which would mean that the goddesses could punish them. The theme of responsibility is therefore profoundly clarified in the video game.

Critics of the video game, however, argue that the very inception of the game was poorly informed. According to the ancient beliefs of the people of Japan, sorcery was a common practice that many people believed in. However, the video game shows a complete disregard for sorcerers and while they are in the process of clearing the mess, the villain has to kill any sorcerer lest they be killed. Critics, therefore, argue against the film claiming that it was developed from the traditional setting of the Japanese people yet, outlined a complete disregard of their ancient traditions where sorcery was accepted as a way of worshipping the goddesses (Nintendo, 2008). The critics are however wrong in their view of the video game. They lack the understanding of just like in the contemporary religious societies, the people who had been issued responsibilities by the religious people turned out to be work against the same power that had issued them the ability. In that essential case, therefore, the video game proves the trail of religion, the prowess of certain individuals to stand by their beliefs and fight for them without fear.

Video games are always intended to show some connection between some existent world or some world that was existent in the past. They are meant to showcase the various issues that used to be experienced by people and inculcate multiple themes. The theme of religion and persistence are some of the themes that are often included in video games. They seek to show that there are various instances that human beings go through and how they impact on their lives (Squire, 2011). In that case, some of the issues that the producers of video games need to show are the exact details of how things happened. In that view, the video game The Legend of Zelda has beliefs that seem not to come to reality. The video game is made as an opposition to some of the issues that faced people in the past. The people in the past were faced with different issues such as religious fights, injustices, and even religious fights. The tri-force, for instance, shows unity while creating the world. They also show the same solidarity when they are working with the villains and protecting the world against evil plans. It is however rhetorical that the video game has reconnected to the theme’s concept of rejoining reality to the modern technological space.

The video game The Legend of Zelda is a visual media content that illustrates the religious beliefs of the ancient Japanese people inspired by the tales of the creation of the tri-force goddesses. It is a video game that is deeply grounded in the powers of the goddesses that were inclusive of wisdom, and courage. It is a video game that is deeply engrossed in the religious concepts which is one of the ideas that guide current media content. It is a classic video game that alongside showcasing the religious beliefs of the ancient people. It is a depiction of responsibility and the inheritance of beliefs and powers. The theme of the spiritual protection of human life and the protection of the whole of the creation is also intricately showed in the video game. Regardless of the opposition of the video game by critics, it is one that creates the elusiveness of spirituality of the ancient people which teaches the players of the video game some aspect of a religious touch too.

References

Brown, P. (2012). The Legend of Zelda and Abraham Maslow’s Theory of Needs: A Social-Psychological Study of the Computer Game and its Players (Doctoral dissertation, University of Manchester).

Cuddy, L. (Ed.). (2008). The Legend of Zelda and Philosophy: I Link Therefore I Am (Vol. 36). Open Court Publishing.

Nintendo, E. A. D. (2006). The legend of Zelda: Twilight princess. Computer game]. Japan.

Nintendo. (2008). The legend of Zelda.

Squire, K. (2011). Video Games and Learning: Teaching and Participatory Culture in the Digital Age. Technology, Education–Connections (the TEC Series). Teachers College Press. 1234 Amsterdam Avenue, New York, NY 10027.

Sun, C. T., Lin, H., & Ho, C. H. (2006). Sharing tips with strangers: Exploiting gift culture in computer gaming. CyberPsychology & Behavior, 9(5), 560-570.

The official home for The Legend of Zelda – About. (2018). Retrieved from https://www.zelda.com/about/