Tommy McCardle
Dr. Rod Metts
Comm 320
5 June 2017
Up Up Down Down Left Right Into Your Mind And Pants
During the 1980s, Konami was a company that excelled in the video game market. Perhaps their most known video game was Contra. Gamers figured out a special code to enter during the title screens of Konami games to unlock special-features to ease the challenge of gameplay. This code called for the gamer to input the following buttons in order: Up, Up, Down, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right, B, A, Start (Ashtar). This became known as the Konami code. In the 1997 documentary The Ad and the Ego, Umberto Eco, founder of media studies at the University of the Republic of San Marino, is quoted in saying, “a democratic civilization will save itself only if it makes the language of the image into a stimulus for critical reflection ” (Barlow). The Konami code and Eco’s quote could be in relation with each other. As gamers wanted alternatives to gameplay, they investigated several ways to bypassing the default frame created by the developers. Metaphorically speaking, a person could take the approach of the Konami code to unlock a specific message in the media through advertising, which would be creating a stimulus for critical reflection. The Ad and the Ego looks at advertising, and how it no longer appeals to the rational mind, but now threatens the subconscious. In this paper, I am going to discuss the influence with advertising in media, specifically with the medical field and erectile dysfunction, and how the video game The Legend of Zelda subconsciously advertises heart health in correlation with erectile dysfunction.
The media has had a hand in shaping and influencing the way we think. From bias in the news to advertising. Neil Postman wrote in his book Amusing Ourselves to Death, “for countless Americans, seeing, not reading, became the basis for believing” (Postman 74). John Koblin wrote an article for the New York Times in 2016 analyzing the latest information from the Nielsen company. In the article, Koblin noted “people over the age of 50 watch the most TV, somewhere in the range of 50 hours a week” (Koblin). Koblin went on to include that age range is increasing their TV watching habits each year. In the same article, it is noted “people 24 and under are watching, roughly, two fewer hours of live TV and DVR programming per week than last year” (Koblin). This is where the obsession with the advertising of erectile dysfunction comes in. If Postman is correct in saying that seeing is not the basis for believing, then that would create the perfect scenario for the push of advertising on television. Pietro Gareri, et al, claim erectile dysfunction is the “most frequently diagnosed sexual dysfunction in the older male population (Gareri). It would make perfect sense for a company such as Pfizer, creator of Viagra, to choose television to market their pill. Viagra is used to improve erectile dysfunction. According to a research published in the “Journal of the American Heart Association,” men with erectile dysfunction should be screened for cardiovascular diseases as erectile dysfunction can predict heart attack, heart failure, and stroke in men with cardiovascular disease (“ED”).
The Legend of Zelda is a video game released for Nintendo’s Famicon Disk system in Japan, and later the Nintendo Entertainment System in North America. The North American release of the game came in 1987 (“The Legend”). The plot for The Legend of Zelda revolves around the playable character named Link, as the player travels from dungeon to dungeon fighting beasts in hope to find and save Princess Zelda from the evil Ganon. One key feature of the game is Link’s use of a sword as his weapon. Link starts out in the game with three heart containers. Each time Link defeats a dungeon boss, he earns a new heart container, and peaks at a total of sixteen heart containers in the entire game. When Link is at a full set of hearts, he has the power to shoot electric currents from his sword toward his enemies. However, if Link is not at full hearts, he is unable to shoot anything and must combat enemies in melee attack instead of ranged attack. I think there is a hidden message in this video game regarding heart health and erectile dysfunction.
As noted before, people over the age of 50 in 2016 watched more television than anybody else in the United States (Koblin). The Legend of Zelda was released in the United States in 1987, 30 years ago (“The Legend”). Children and teenagers that played The Legend of Zelda when it was released would be categorized in those that watch more television than anybody else in the United States as of now. Subconsciously, those viewers could connect the video game, heart health, and erectile dysfunction. By not having perfect heart health, a male could potentially have erectile dysfunction. The game character of Link metaphorically shoots from his sword with full hearts, just as a man would “shoot his load” if he had great cardio conditioning. As Link progressed and matured in the game, he gained more hearts, which meant that it took longer to fill all the hearts to shoot his sword power. As a man gets older, it takes more exercise and diet in maintaining great cardio health.
In conclusion, Umberto Eco may have been on to something grand when he proposed that a civilization will save itself by making the language of an image into stimulus for critical reflection. Just as gamers of the 1980s sought out to find the Konami Code, people can find subliminal messages and codes in several media outlets. Comparing the video game Link and his ability to shoot a power from his sword with full hearts, and cardio conditioning with older men with erectile dysfunction, I believe I have found a unique “Konomi Code” unheard of before. A video game from the 1980s can deliver a message of importance. Just like it was important for Link to have a full set of hearts to shoot his sword power, it is important for older men to increase their cardio health to prevent erectile dysfunction. The timing of the two is impeccable. Those in the range that watch more TV than others are those same experiencing erectile dysfunction, and were at an impressionable age when The Legend of Zelda was released. The connection between the who is too uncanny to be a simple coincidence. The band System of a Down put it best in their song paying homage to The Legend of Zelda. “Now Link, fill up your hearts, so you can shoot your sword with power, and when you’re feeling all down, a fairy will come around, so you’ll be brave, and not a sissy coward” (“System of a Down”).
References
- Ashtar the Fox. “Konami Code.” Urban Dictionary. N.p., 22 Mar. 2003. Web. 05 June 2017. <http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Konami Code>.
- Barlow, Dudley. “How Things Become Invisible.” Education Digest, vol. 63, no. 5, Jan. 1998, p. 34. EBSCOhost. Web. 05 June 2017.
- “ED and Heart Health.” Diabetes Forecast, vol. 63, no. 7, July 2010, p. 31. EBSCOhost, libproxy.lib.csusb.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&AN=52419399&site=ehost-live.
- Gareri, Pietro, et al. “Erectile Dysfunction in the Elderly: An Old Widespread Issue with Novel Treatment Perspectives.” International Journal of Endocrinology, Jan. 2014, pp. 1-15. EBSCOhost, doi:10.1155/2014/878670.
- Koblin, John. “How Much Do We Love TV? Let Us Count the Ways.” The New York Times. The New York Times, 30 June 2016. Web. 05 June 2017. <https://www.nytimes.com/2016/07/01/business/media/nielsen-survey-media-viewing.html?_r=0>.
- Postman, Neil. Amusing ourselves to death: public discourse in the age of show business. N.p.: Penguin USA, 2005. Print.
- “System Of A Down.” System Of A Down – Legend Of Zelda Lyrics | MetroLyrics. N.p., n.d. Web. 05 June 2017. <http://www.metrolyrics.com/legend-of-zelda-lyrics-system-of-a-down.html>.
- “The Legend of Zelda (video game).” Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 28 May 2017. Web. 05 June 2017. <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Legend_of_Zelda_(video_game)>.
