Fan Video Analyzes Workforce Economy of Majora’s Mask’s Clock Town
Posted on September 01 2023 by Josh Wittmershaus
One of my favorite genres of fan content is analysis of Zelda games in the light of the real world. I recently reviewed an analysis of the effectiveness of Lookout Landing from Tears of the Kingdom, and the depths of which the creator dives into every nook and cranny of the “fort” to show how poorly it would protect and defend the people inside it. In the article I bring up the concept of “willful suspension of disbelief”, a practice necessary when playing virtually any video game, as a video game that didn’t bend the rules of our bland reality would be, in my opinion, bland at best.
After a friend of mine read my article, he directed me to another analysis video highlighting my favorite game of all time: Majora’s Mask. This video, which was released about a year ago, takes a look at the economy of Clock Town, the main hub of the game and a bustling area with many shops and residents. As a public servant and Political Science major, I was all-the-more intrigued to watch the video, where creator Any Austin surveys the employment rate of the local economy and produces a report detailing his findings in “Clock Town has a 17.5% unemployment rate.”
In the video, Any Austin goes from one region of Clock Town to the next, showing each NPC and what they’re doing. He takes real-life demographics into account, keeping children, the elderly, and animals out of the survey. He also leaves out people in Clock Town who may not be permanent residents, and even takes into account people who utilize the municipal systems of Clock Town, such as Professor Shikashi in the Astral Observatory. (Side note: I didn’t realize until looking up his name for this article that this is the same NPC who moves to Kakariko Village in the second half of Ocarina of Time. I would love to see him return as an Easter egg in an upcoming game!)
As the name of the video implies, Clock Town might benefit from some new industry, and might have to rely on welfare programs to keep its citizens healthy and happy. What do you think? What is Clock Town lacking that can help with employment rates? What would be your job if you worked there? Is the Moon affecting the economy in a way other than its impending crash into Earth?
I really enjoyed this video, and look forward to more like it on Any Austin’s YouTube channel. You can check out the creator’s Patreon here too! What sort of analyses like this do you enjoy or want to see? Looking forward to hearing your thoughts in the comments!
Source: Any Austin
Josh Wittmershaus is a writer at Zelda Dungeon. Originally from Erie, Pennsylvania, he now resides in Northern California. Aside from Zelda, Josh enjoys playing music, seeing live music, music history, and all other things music. He also enjoys skating, hockey, and the occasional political or philosophical thought exercise.
