Game Theory: Is Link's Quest in Majora's Mask Pointless? - Summary

Summary

The narrator analyzes the moon from the video game Majora's Mask, specifically its size and potential damage if it were to crash into the planet of Termina. Using calculations and comparisons, the narrator determines that the moon is relatively small, about 208 feet in diameter, and its mass is approximately 450 million kilograms. However, when calculating its kinetic energy, the narrator finds it to be extremely low, equivalent to the energy released by the human body in the form of heat in one second.

The narrator concludes that the moon's impact would not be catastrophic, and it would likely be stopped by the Clock Tower in Clock Town. Instead, the real threat to Termina is the moon's gravitational pull, which would cause extreme tidal bulges, flooding, and climate shifts, leading to natural disasters and making the planet uninhabitable long before the moon actually crashes.

Facts

Here are the key facts extracted from the text:

1. The moon in Majora's Mask is 208 feet (60.35 meters) wide.
2. The moon in Majora's Mask is 50 times the height of Link.
3. The moon in Majora's Mask is about 134,000 cubic meters in volume.
4. The moon in Majora's Mask has a mass of approximately 450 million kilograms.
5. The moon in Majora's Mask is traveling at a speed of 1.6 meters per hour.
6. The kinetic energy of the moon in Majora's Mask is approximately 36 joules.
7. It would take 2.25 x 10^32 joules of energy to destroy a planet like Earth.
8. The moon in Majora's Mask would be stopped by Clock Town's clock tower if it could handle the weight.
9. The gravitational pull of a moon increases as it gets closer to a planet.
10. A moon's gravity can cause extreme consequences, including tidal bulges, flooding, and changes in planetary orbits.
11. If a moon were to get 20 times closer to a planet, it would exert a gravitational force 400 times greater than normal.
12. The delicate balance between a planet and its moon can be thrown off by changes in gravity, leading to changes in climate and natural disasters.
13. The largest threat posed by the moon in Majora's Mask is not its impact, but the effects of its gravitational pull on the planet.
14. Our moon is 1.6 quadrillion times more massive than the moon in Majora's Mask.
15. Ganondorf is 230 centimeters (7 feet 6 inches) tall, and Link is 4 feet 2 inches (1.27 meters) tall.