Is There Life After Zelda?

Synopsis

The talk explores the concept of "life after Zelda" as a metaphor for learning beyond gaming and winning. It contrasts playing to win with playing to learn, using video games, art, business, and various cultural references as examples. The speaker warns against the seduction of success, emphasizing that learning requires sacrificing winning. The discussion touches on history, economics, cultural shifts, and personal anecdotes to illustrate these points.

Summary

The discussion begins with an analysis of Zelda as a problem-solving game, beyond brute survival. It introduces the idea of subgames and supergames, emphasizing exploration and mapping as integral parts of understanding a game—or any learning process. The discussion then evolves into a broader philosophical reflection on learning versus winning.

The speaker critiques the tendency of individuals and organizations to become locked into winning formulas, forsaking genuine growth and exploration. He references examples in video games, art, literature, music, film, and business to illustrate the divergence between learning and winning. Renowned artists, musicians, and institutions—including painters like Matisse and Pollock, musicians like Harry Nilsson and Randy Newman, organizations like Scientology, and even large-scale social trends—are examined through this lens.

The financial cost of learning and development in creative fields is discussed, particularly in relation to the costs of game design. The talk also humorously speculates on the future of society, pondering an era where money, power, and technology dictate cultural norms.

Ultimately, the message advocates for the pursuit of learning even at the cost of success. The speaker urges listeners to resist the allure of financial or reputational gain and instead focus on continuous personal and intellectual growth.

Keywords & Key Phrases

• Life after Zelda
• Subgame and supergame
• Hacking and hewing
• Mapping as learning
• Winning formula trap
• Kill and convert
• Slash-and-burn mentality
• Attention vs. action
• Mechanical attention
• Stimulus-response machine
• Esoteric learning game
• Video games as training tools
• Annotated labyrinth maps
• Society for Creative Anachronism (SCA)
• Cultural language slur
• Teaching game vs. winning game
• Postgraduate breakthrough
• Jazz as learning vs. pop as winning
• Improvisational arts vs. formulaic repetition
• Art sales as life game
• Selling failures, keeping masterpieces
• Unholy trinity of success (money, sex, cocaine)
• Commercialized mysticism
• Network formula in television
• Giant leap syndrome
• Learning to win vs. learning to learn
• Dumbing down discovery
• Public indifference to true artistry
• Historical fate of innovative thinkers
• Lost intellectual property in mass culture
• Dissemination barriers in creative fields
• Society’s addiction to spectacle

Graphic Prompt

A surreal landscape where an adventurer stands at the edge of a vast labyrinth made of ancient computer circuits and pixelated stone. The sky swirls with symbols of wisdom, glowing ruins, and looming shadowy figures representing the illusions of success. The adventurer, clad in explorer’s gear, debates between a path marked "The Way to Win" and another path marked "The Path to Learn," with the path to win shimmering with gold and the path to learn glowing with mysterious ethereal light. High above, a faded Triforce symbol flickers, echoing Zelda’s legacy as a metaphor for deeper exploration beyond mere gaming.