Final Fantasy Philosophy by Jason P. Blahuta

Final Fantasy Philosophy Reviews

• 
  Alexander Curran

  "Mr. 288 told me that I understand what it means to live and to die. . . . But it’s only because I thought stopping was different from dying . . . I don’t think I really understand what it means to live and to die. Where do we come from . . . ? Do we go back there when we die . . . ? If that’s what it means to live . . . I wonder where I came from . . . ? Where will I end up when I die? Why am I shaking? What is this that I’m feeling . . . ?"
  —Vivi Orunitia, Final Fantasy IX
  
  A massive fan of the Final Fantasy series and philosophy so was avidly excited about reading this. The beginning of Final Fantasy and philosophy: The Ultimate Walkthrough focuses on Final Fantasy 7 a major favourite and cult classic, a great story and RPG system, that exploded onto the gaming scene in 1997. (What with mastering material, breeding chocobos to get to the gold one, a compelling villain and detailed characters, secret bosses called weapons, most or all with their unique stories, and the sub-games within a game is still worth playing and experiencing today...)
  So the beginning part of the book explore FF7 and the world of Gaia... It talks us through signifiers, meanings and an adapt title A Malboro by Any Other Name: The Role of Identification in Interpreting Signifiers... So an example from this part: By “produce,” I don’t mean that players have to physically build the world of Gaia in FFVII; the game developers have already done that for them. As Henry Jenkins has noted, game designers become “narrative architects” who design and build game spaces in which players can experience narratives.4 “Produce” means that players experience the fictional world by investing preset aspects (limited sets of signifiers) with meanings of their own. These meanings are focused through the identification process. Signifiers are contained within places (Midgar, Wutai, the Northern Crater), objects (potions, materia, weapons), or other characters or monsters (Marlene, Sephiroth, Chocobos), but how players interpret the signifiers within these game elements and the sort of text they will produce through them are dependent on how players identify with the game’s playable characters. So just about how players may identify with things/people/places on the game and either relate to or think of them. A good opener and beginning for sure...
  So other things the collaborative authors write about are the spin offs such as Crisis Core and Dirge of Cerberus generally focusing on the backstory they provide and the mechanics.
  
  The next chapter KEFKA, NIETZSCHE, FOUCAULT: MADNESS AND NIHILISM IN FINAL FANTASY VI gets more interesting when it comes to philosophy and using those lenses to examine Final Fantasy 6... So first mentioned is Franz Kafka (1883-1924) who was and is known in his books for unusual views of people and the world. In other words somewhat warped but interesting. Ironically the main antagonist of FF6 is called Kefka Palazzo and his main drive/purpose in the game is to eradicate all life. Why? Well he shows sadistic enjoyment when resorting to killing and also magicite, he was used as a test subject, as had an effect on his personality.
  So they then explore is Kefka rational? Through the lens of Michel Foucault (1926-1984), a French philosopher who's first work appropriately fitting here, Madness and Civilization: A History of Insanity in the Age of Reason, explores medieval madness and its continual study, although I think the issue of rationality concerning Kefka is that he is rational, he is in control and has a choice, yet the magitite has given him some vision or knowledge regarding an apocalyptic goal regarding existence. Also his enjoyment and pleasure when it comes to things of a sadistic knowledge do not make him irrational. He is quite radical and extreme in his purpose (also thinks he is superior to others with narcissist and murderous tendencies) and objective while taking a great pleasure from doing so signifying no loss of control.
  "In the eighteenth century, the dawn of the Age of Enlightenment was heralded as the solution to all of humanity’s problems. Foucault contended that nothing was more of a threat to humanity at this time than those who refused to employ reason—madness became the very antithesis of reason. Philosophers such as Immanuel Kant (1724-1804) even went so far as to provide us with purely rational justifications for morality. So, naturally, those whose capacities for reason were flawed came to be viewed as morally corrupt..."
  The main motivations for Kefka is absolute power, knowledge and godhood, thus the writers accuse him of being arational - "not contrary to reason but outside the domain of reason entirely."
  Obviously Kefka later on adopts a nihilistic view of existence which the heroes of FF6 attempt to convince him life does have meaning and worth according to them.
  
  What a character. Kefka seems to personify exactly the sort of nihilistic, cynical, life-is-meaningless attitude that people might associate with, well, with philosophers! Existentialist philosophers, to be precise. This, however, would be a gross oversimplification. The existentialist movement represented by writers such as Fyodor Dostoyevsky (1821-1881), Friedrich Nietzsche (1844-1900), and Jean-Paul Sartre (1905-1980) more accurately expresses a belief that while life may lack an objective purpose, we are each born into the world with the ability to decide for ourselves what is meaningful. Nietzsche, in fact, recognized the potential dangers of a nihilistic outlook, particularly in a world that rejects God. Yet he also saw in this the potential for an even greater justification for existence than philosophers had given before.
  
  I think the closing part sums it up quite well for FF6 and exploring the motivations driving the characters:
  Was Kefka truly mad? Or did he cause a change for the better in the world? At the conclusion of the game, amid the various happily-ever-afters and credits, we find a party of characters who have learned a great deal about themselves and how to live in the world. Although they may have lived satisfactory lives before, they were unenlightened and questioned nothing. The struggle against Kefka brought them face-to-face with the negative influence of magic—of religion, control, and authority—and tasked them with learning to live without it. Perhaps some may think that an ideal world is one in which the gods of magic remained frozen, or where a benevolent ruler usurped their power and handed down a new meaning that would bring us peace, prosperity, and purpose. If what Nietzsche said has the ring of truth, however, then Kefka’s rise and fall represent the best possible situation. In the end, a world without magic is not entirely blissful, it is not utopian, but neither should we expect it to be. Our Heroes will struggle in this new world, but their biggest struggle will also be the most rewarding, for it is the banner under which philosophers have always served: the struggle to find meaning itself when none is given.
  
  So anyway briefly other chapters JUDGING THE ART OF VIDEO GAMES: HUME AND THE STANDARD OF TASTE, PART TWO: PLAYING THE GAME-BUT WHAT IF IT’S NOT A GAME? and environmentalism in real life learning a lesson from FF7 (Mako similar to fossil fuels?), further explored in GAIA AND ENVIRONMENTAL ETHICS IN THE SPIRITS WITHIN regarding the sci-fi FF film based on the game series....
  Enjoyed the Virtue Ethics: Aristotle, Aeris, and Sephiroth and from my quote at the beginning enjoyed the later parts about Vivi from FF9: Stopping’s Effect on Subjective Values: Morality, Knowledge, and the Value of Life explores his character and how he determines what is good or evil: Vivi focuses on a sort of moral life and existence while asking many deep questions concerning life in a very philosophical way.
  
  Worth a read whether they are looking at ancient philosophers like Epicurus (and his pursuit of happiness + view of death not being a negative.) or game characters like the issue of Cloud's identity (his quest to validate his existence, define himself and prove himself or find out who he really is.) the book at times makes very thought provoking comparisons and examinations from either an existentialist lens or environmental or ethical ones. A very good introduction to the world of philosophy and how it can be used to view the world of Final Fantasy.
  
  "While “going green” is certainly all the rage these days, why would Sakaguchi Hironobu and Kitase Yoshinori, the game’s designers, create characters who rage against the energy infrastructure on which a video game depends? Though the game’s imagined world ultimately reflects ecological concerns in the real world, it does not simply reject all notions of technological development. Instead, it evokes Shinto spirituality in the digital landscape of the game in order to encourage a symbiotic relationship between real-world human technology and the natural world."
• 
  Aaron

  Discusses a lot of interesting things, and there are several essays to sink your teeth into as a means of getting a new perspective on Final Fantasy. I'd have asked for more essays on games that AREN'T Final Fantasy VII, though I understand that if there's a game the general audience would have played it would have been FFVII. Kind of a bummer for someone like me whose favorite Final Fantasy isn't VII, but it was still kind of cool to get a new perspective on the series, even if the book is basically Final Fantasy VII and Philosophy: Featuring A Few Essays About The Other Games. I'd still say pick it up if you're a fan of the series.
• 
  Irena

  "After all, a great quest is always a long and difficult affair. But you knew that."
• 
  Lara Richardson

  The authors seemed to have forgotten there were more titles in Final Fantasy than just Final Fantasy 7...and most of the rhetoric was defining specific philosopher's principles through Final Fantasy, rather than exploring the rhetoric of various Final Fantasy's in different ways, perhaps using each philosopher as a particular lens.
• 
  Erin O'Roark

  Wat?
• 
  Stiltzkin Vanserine

  One of the most famous video game franchises of all time, Final Fantasy is known for its breathtaking visuals, artistic style, immersive gameplay, emotional storytelling, lovable characters, wit and humor, and so much more. Filled with rich worlds and complex characters, ‘tis no wonder that Final Fantasy games can be explored through philosophical lens.
  
  For fans of the games who are also interested in philosophy, Final Fantasy and Philosophy: The Ultimate Walkthrough is a great starting point. It’s a collection of essays that covers topics such as identity, existentialism, memory, morality, insanity, nature, referencing the works of Nietzsche, Heidegger, Sartre, Foucault, and so on. It’s often light-hearted and not too dense, so the average reader should have no problem understanding it.
  
  I do hope it didn’t focus so much on Final Fantasy VII—though FFVII being as famous as it is, can we really blame the authors? I was hoping to read essays discussing the struggles of Kain (FFIV), Garnet (FFIX), Locke (FFVI), Auron (FFX), and such. Although this book left a few things to be desired, I guess I could always play the games themselves.
  
  Philosophy and fantasy—what goes better than that?
  
• 
  Untimely Gamer

  Any person who has studied pop culture has had the unfortunate experience of encountering one of the "And Philosophy" series. Every one of them I have read is poorly edited and contains essays that barely rise above a freshman term paper slammed out minutes before the deadline. They are full of factual errors, and they only engage with philosophy and popular culture in the most superficial manner possible. But, unfortunately, the "And Philosophy" are a necessary starting point for studying a piece of pop culture, especially when you are studying something with a dearth of actual print books about. These books, after all, have a bibliography, and there might be something there.
  
  Final Fantasy and Philosophy is no different from other books. Most of the essays are lazy, half-ass, and crap. The only essays worth a damn is an interesting essay placing Final Fantasy VII in a Shinto context called "Shinto and Alien Influences in Final Fantasy VII" by Jonah Mitropoulos and a decent one exploring existentialist themes in the same game called "Human, All Too Human: Cloud's Existential Quest for Authenticity" by Christopher Wood. Everything else is drivel.
• 
  Nathan Albright

  As a fond reader of books relating to philosophy and video games [1], and a fan of the Final Fantasy series of roleplaying games by SquareEnix, I thought this would be a lighthearted and enjoyable read, that even if it offered a great deal of foolishness would be at least somewhat entertaining. It is clear from reading the fourteen essays in this book by various contributors that the people who wrote these essays are genuinely fond of the game and also of considering every aspect of culture to be worthy of analysis and philosophical reflection, which, as far as it goes, is a tendency I personally share. It is also clear that the authors of the essays greatly enjoy an aspect of their generally unprofitable profession that earns them money and helps to pay off the college loans, and earn a line in one’s curriculum vitae, all of which is to be appreciated. All of these help make this book more enjoyable to read.
  
  In terms of its content and structure, this is a game that explores several of the entries in the Final Fantasy series, focusing on those games that were released in the United States and generally disregarding related series. There are a couple of essays that reference Final Fantasy Tactics slightly, and none that deal with the Final Fantasy Legend series [2]. The fourteen essays are divided into several parts. The first three essays look at basic controls, dealing with Final Fantasy VII as a writerly text, where the player controls certain aspects of how the story progresses, looking at Final Fantasy VI’s antagonist Kefka as an example of the discourse of madness from Nietzsche and Foucault, and looking at the series as a whole as an example of good art using Hume’s writings about taste. The second part looks at the series as a reflection upon reality, comparing the lifestream to Lovelock’s Gaia theory, looking at environmental ethics, and examining the objectification of conscious life forms. Two essays look at abilities we never knew we had, like the relationship of Final Fantasy to the purpose of life and examining the question of responsibility and praise and the light warriors of Final Fantasy I. Three essays examine side quests of the enlightened, providing a discussion of Shinto and alien (read: Judeo-Christian) influences in Final Fantasy VII, then a plug for Marx’s views of materialism and Communism, and Final Fantasy X’s view of sin and a criticism of Christianity’s view of otherworldliness. The last three essays examine ways to make sure the game never ends, in looking at Cloud’s existential quest for authenticity in Final Fantasy VII, Vivi’s fear of death in Final Fantasy IX, and the question of identity and the referent aspects of naming with Cloud and Cid throughout the series.
  
  Each of the essays when taken individually exhibit coherence, if not necessarily excellence. It is clear that these philosophers do not view the Final Fantasy universe as a source of wisdom or enlightenment, but rather they consider themselves to be fit judges for evaluating the series and seek to mine the series for elements that support their own particular worldviews, which are diverse but all humanistic in nature. What is particularly striking in reading this series is seeing the immense hostility that these various philosophers have towards biblical religion. In fact, more than half of the essays in the volume show immense criticism of some aspect of Christianity, and although they make wildly contradictory arguments against Christianity, they are unified by their hostility to God’s ways and to our Lord and Creator. It is worthwhile at least to note the immense scope of their discontent with God. Some of the essays decry the fact that Christianity exhibits a supposed slave mentality that is hostile to the domination and legitimacy of elites, which these philosophers see themselves as, even as they urge people to be a slave to their own drives and resistant to anything that would oppose those urges. Some essays oppose Christianity for its use of charity and kindness as a way of opening a society to domination and exploitation while promoting in its stead views of pseudoscientific pantheism or syncretistic Shintoism. Other essays view Christianity as entirely otherworldly and thus failing to support those who are called upon to create heaven on earth and to create their own meaning. Still other essays criticize the Bible for holding mankind responsible for our actions in the face of predestination and genetic programming. The end result is that while each author writes in defense of his or her own worldview, the resulting collection is a mishmash of contradictory incoherence. About the only thing these authors agree on is their hostility to God’s ways and their desire to be the captain of their own ship of folly. Ultimately, this book is more about the futile fantasies of philosophers to escape God’s rule than about the beauty and depth of the Final Fantasy series as a whole.
  
  [1] See, for example:
  
  
  https://edgeinducedcohesion.wordpress...
  
  
  https://edgeinducedcohesion.wordpress...
  
  [2] See, for example:
  
  
  https://edgeinducedcohesion.wordpress...
  
  
  https://edgeinducedcohesion.wordpress...
  
  
  https://edgeinducedcohesion.wordpress...
• 
  David Rodolfo

  I like the Blackwell Philosophy and Pop Culture Series. Normally, you get to learn new and interesting concepts while experiencing a cultural product you love from a wide range of unique perspectives. That’s not quite the case here. The reason I’m rating this entry 3 stars is because some of the essays are wonderful but others don’t manage to do both things successfully.
  
  However, if you love FF VII and are ready to play the remake, do read this book. The essays concerning that game, especially at the beginning of the book are a must.
• 
  Arif Abdurahman

  Beberapa bulan ini aing maraton maen final fantasy, jrpg tampaknya alprazolam paling murah. Kebanyakan esai di buku ini cuma permukaan doang, cuma ngejelasin konsep dasar seorang filsuf, sementara final fantasy cuma dijadiin semacam tempelan. Beberapa esai ada yg bagus, yg paling suka yg ngebahas shinto di ff vii sama yg konsep seni (apakah game ff ini termasuk seni). Beberapa esai yg tersebar di internet jauh lebih bagus, meski mereka yg nulis bukan lulusan doktoral.
• 
  Paul J

  Although some essays were a miss for me (particularly the final one on naming conventions) and the collection skews towards Final Fantasy VII - understandable given the themes of the story but a little tiresome to have Cloud, Sephiroth, etc reintroduced constantly - overall an enjoyable collection and a first step for fans of Final Fantasy to explore philosophy.
• 
  Matt Person

  Don't judge me for reading this.
• 
  Tina

  How do you really review these "Philosophy" collections? It was interesting, that's for sure, and reminded me a lot of the philosophy courses I took in university, as, except for Critical Literary Thought, the courses were mainly introductions to philosophy, providing the same overview of the theories as this collection did!
  
  I guess that means this collection is great if you have brief initial knowledge of the major philosophers (Nietzsche, Hume, Barthes, Heidegger, Mill, Hobbes, etc.) and a VAST knowledge of Final Fantasy. I recognize the basic theories of the aforementioned philosophers and I do know a lot about FF, but a lot of these arguments were very specific game-wise. I didn't play FF7, really, because I didn't have a system when it came out, but I watched friends play it and know the basic story, though I don't remember the details. This collection focuses a lot on FF7, so if you don't know that game too well, you will likely have to skip a couple chapters. There were several articles about games post-FF7, but there are a couple that talked about the very early games, which I did not play. I tried to read them, but it was hard to get as much out of them as the others.
  
  My favorite essays were "Kefka, Nietzsche, Foucault: Madness and Nihilism in FFVI", "Judging the Art of Video Games: Hume and the Standard of Taste", and "Objectification of Conscious Lifeforms". These three I simply found the most interesting - I'm not going to critique the arguments or anything of the writers, because, seriously, who am I to do so?
  
  I love these "and philosophy" collections, actually. Star Wars and Philosophy is great - there is a really pervasive argument for clone armies that I still remember despite reading it over five years ago.
  
  Anyway, if you like Final Fantasy and have an interest in philosophy you'd probably find that this collection raises interesting questions.
• 
  Nicky

  This series of philosophy books about popular culture seems quite fun in general. They seem reasonably light-hearted, with questions like, "Are Moogles part of a socialist conspiracy?" on the back. The essays themselves are reasonably serious, and surprisingly do cover a range of the games -- not just Final Fantasy VII, though I think that one was probably mentioned the most. Interestingly, they even include reference to the relative flop of a film, The Spirits Within (which is a film I nonetheless like). The essays mostly cover serious bits of philosophy explained using examples from Final Fantasy, or characters in the games -- Kefka Palazzo from FFVI, most notably -- explained in terms of philosophy. A couple of essays talk about how issues raised in the fictional worlds are applicable to our world.
  
  The essays aren't bad, mostly informative and accurate, but there are a lot of stupid mistakes that could easily have been weeded out with proper proofreading. I haven't got page references for all of them, but I'm thinking of looking it up and sending a list of corrections that should be made, if it's ever reprinted... Such mistakes as "Advent's Children", rather than "Advent Children"; a mix-up between Cloud and Squall -- Cloud and Seifer have never met, to my knowledge, not even in the Kingdom Hearts world, so he can't be Seifer's nemesis; a typo which puts Cloud in Final Fantasy VI, on page 145; Terra Branford being described as "human-Elf", when I believe they mean "human-Esper", on page 149; a reference to "supreme Maester Kinoc" when I assume they mean Maester Mika on page 159; and the apparent invention of the word "factical" when I'm pretty sure the word "factual" would have done just as well, on page 178.
  
  Not without its flaws, then, but interesting and worth a read if you want to think more deeply about the worlds of Final Fantasy.
• 
  Matthew

  Any self-respecting Final Fantasy fan is going to eat this book up, as well they should. Final Fantasy and philosophy mix very well, and there are troves of untouched matters that only need a recasting of Libra to find; maybe there will be a second book for them.
  
  As for "The Ultimate Walkthrough," there are a lot of good reasons to pick it up. Most notably are "Gaia and Environmental Ethics in The Spirits Within," all of Part IV (Side Quests of the Enlightened), and "What's in a Name? Cid, Cloud, and How Names Refer." These essays highlighted were amazing, and definitely written by Final Fantasy fans who are also philosophically-minded individuals.
  
  There are, unfortunately, reasons why this book is a bit like a Crystal Chronicles entry in the series. There is a severely lop-sided feel to the book, with much emphasis on Final Fantasy VII. I understand that it is the most popular, but so much was left out because of it. Also, there were factual errors when it came to the games, which definitely threw off my reading. Multiple times was Cloud confused with Squall in one essay. I wondered why these essayists couldn't have even found a friend or colleague that was an FF fan to glance over the work. Or maybe the editors could have had a group of dedicated fans check the work. These glaring errors had me question the integrity of the whole work.
  
  However, as I said before ... fans of Final Fantasy are going to pick this up regardless. That is not a bad thing at all. Important philosophical issues are brought up within the text, and they use an easy-to-access method for people to grasp the concepts.
• 
  Melissa Kidd

  I’ve been meaning to read this book for years. Don’t know why I didn’t, other than there were always other books I was reading. But I went south for spring break and decided I was going to read it sometime soon. It helps that I’ve been playing Final Fantasy VII for the past month or so on the weekends because I was able to get into the book really quickly. I’ve only played half of the Final Fantasy games so far in my life time but it didn’t really hurt my reading this. I’ve played the big ones which is what most of the book focused on. I loved how the authors combined philosophy with these games as I like both topics. There were things in here that I had never thought of before, or even noticed in some cases. It makes me want to go back and replay some of these games. Ha. Maybe in a few years once I’m out of school. But it did bring it all back for me and added to my understanding of what really happened in these games. It was fun and quick. I can’t say for sure how much of it is or isn’t accurate but it seemed solid to me. And while sometimes it seemed that some of the authors where grasping for straws on what to write about next I thought overall the book was great and entertaining. It was a good book to read at night in the hotels.
• 
  Andy

  This was definitely a fun read as a Final Fantasy nerd and someone who enjoys reading different philosophies. Amusing comparisons of Hobbes, Marx, and Nietzsche to the heroes, villains, and worlds of Final Fantasy games. I enjoyed specifically the essay on Kefka (Final Fantasy VI's main villain and the series' version of DC's Joker) and their take on Kefka's insanity and debating whether Kefka is insane or not using Nietzche's philosophical views.
  
  
  
  
  Definitely worth a read if you are a Final Fantasy fan or someone who is curious about the games and philosophical views. Also, I would recommend this book for someone who believes that video games have no artistic or philosophical meaning. As this will show you a bit differently.. or at least give you a different perspective on things.
  
  
  I have to admit, there were a few glaring mistakes that I couldn't let go. Well, one that really made my teeth grind a bit. The mistaking of Squall for Cloud when one of the authors tried to talk about Final Fantasy 8! Cloud and Squall! Two different protagonist from two different Final Fantasies!
• 
  Tara

  I doubt this review will contain anything revolutionary. Philosophers are known.... irritants. I respect their opinions and their views on everyday living, to be sure, but there are certain times when one can just flat out admit that the thought processes toward the chosen subject is way more deeply considered than what is warranted. Honestly, regardless of a want for more, things are what they are, no viable dimensions existing no matter how hard one digs for otherwise. As a writer myself, I can verify this.
  
  At times, the reader finds meaning that isn't necessarily considered during the brainstorm process, being that life experience varies for all. Perception and perspective are therefore inevitably going to be different for all. I did enjoy this book. It was entertaining to see how much of the final fantasy world fit into the theories of the more famous philosophers. The favorite game of discussion is - not terribly shocking - Final Fantasy seven, due to the "Lifestream" storyline. This is a book that digs in deep to pick apart the more subtle details of the final fantasy world.
• 
  Mj

  I love Final Fantasy. I love philosophy. This book was supposed to be a beautiful and winning combination of both. Unfortunately, some of the essayists weren't the biggest Final Fantasy fans to begin with (I distinctly remember one confused Cloud with Squall -- awkward). There are some great essays that redeem some blights in the Final Fantasy canon though. Particularly the one about religion and Final Fantasy X-2 and the one about environmentalism in The Spirits Within were fantastic. And, as always in Final Fantasy, an awkward amount of time is spent on fan favorites. I understand that VII is your favorite, but there are dozens of other ones! I believe this book would have been stronger to limit the essays included to one per game, and this might have eliminated some of the writing that was confused on the topic.
• 
  Kat

  Overall, I enjoyed this book's discussion of philosophy in the "Final Fantasy" universe. I have only played Final Fantasy VII, Dirge of Cerberus, and watched Advent Children and Spirits Within, so I was unfamiliar with some of the characters or games that were mentioned. Usually the book's context allowed me to follow what the writer's were saying with being too confused. My only real complaint about the book is that the articles touch on some really interesting ideas but don't take it far enough. The articles are, for the most part, fairly light reading, which seems odd for a book about philosophy. "Final Fantasy and Philosophy" is definitely worth reading and brings up some good points, but if you are looking for deep philosophical discourse, this might not be the book for you.
• 
  Megan Anderson

  An excellent blend of pop culture and philosophy. The essays explain the beliefs of each philosopher they mention, so you don't need to be familiar with Sartre or Marx before reading the book (though, I'm sure knowing their ideas could only make reading the essays better). While I disagree what many of the authors say (I don't care; Kefka is still insane), it is definitely food for thought. Some of the authors are definitely better writers than others, which is why I had to knock off a star. However, I highly recommend this to fans of the series.
  
  4/5 on here, 8/10 for myself
• 
  Will

  Extremely niche book, but that said, one that I actually learned from and made me think.
  
  As with any set of separate author essays, these can be a bit disjointed and some of the writers were definitely more interesting than others, but the 2-3 best essays in here were incredibly thought-provoking & allowed me to reflect some of the dorky video games I played as a kid back through a lens of How We Think (or whatever philosophy is supposed to teach us). They made me want to replay all of these, and it's not going to do much for you unless you too were a dorky kid, but I enjoyed it.
• 
  Melody

  As a lover of Final Fantasy, I quite enjoyed this book. Yes, there are a ton of FFVII discussions- almost to an irritating fault- but the vast majority of the essays still hold merit and delve deeper into the worlds and minds of our favorite heroes and villains.
  
  Oh, in addition to the Squall/Cloud confusion listed by some others, let me point out a tiny (glaring) mistake: page 199, right near the end, the contributor lists Cid (FFX) as Rikku's brother. Uhm. Cid is her father. Just saying.
• 
  Anders Franklin

  I enjoyed it overall. Some of the theories did feel farfetched, but they also managed to keep the discussion on a not too advanced level. If one hasn't played a large part of the Final Fantasy-games I would not recommend it, partly due to spoiling and partly due to problems with following some arguments. However, if one has played a large part of the Final Fantasy-games, READ IT.
• 
  Lattisha Fox

  I enjoyed it an feel like I have a better understanding of certain philosophers and games. However, the collection is skewed towards a few of both and a few essays collections to FF were a little weak. A mixed bag, some were excellent others not so much. Worth picking up and reading the excellent ones.