8-Bit Philosophy makes you existential using retro games

Maybe you glossed over your philosophy homework in college, or some of the concepts were a bit too heavy to stick properly the first time around. Regardless, there's a better way to get your feet wet with all things existential and ponderous, and it's called 8-Bit Philosophy. Fans of 8-Bit Cinema will be familiar with the style and nature of the videos — each one is short and styled after a retro game, but rather than recreating popular movies, the series sets out to simplify philosophical concepts.

8-Bit Philosophy has been around for a while now, which is a good thing: there are 22 videos already up, with the newest having been posted over the weekend. In that video, The Legend of Zelda is used to introduce Plato's Allegory of the Cave in less than three minutes.

All sorts of games are used for the videos: Super Mario Bros., Donkey Kong, Mega Man, Metroid and more. They span a bunch of different authors and topics, including Nietzsche, Kierkegaard, Camus, Socrates, and others.

It's a wonderful complement to the 8-Bit Cinema videos, and likely also a good way to introduce kids to topics that might not otherwise catch their interest. You can see the full library of videos via the link below.

SOURCE: YouTube