Summary

  • The University of Maryland is offering a mechanical engineering course that teaches machine design using The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom.
  • Players of Tears of the Kingdom can use the game's building mechanics to create various machines, from practical to absurd.
  • The course is divided into sections where students learn the basics of machine elements, study one element in depth, and undertake machine design challenges within the game.

It might just be time to get a mechanical engineering degree, as the University of Maryland, College Park, is offering a course that teaches the basics of machine design using The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. The acclaimed follow-up to Breath of the Wild expanded upon the original in so many ways, but what helped The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom become one of the highest-rated games of all time is its emphasis on physics-based challenges, typically revolving around the construction of tools and vehicles.

The groundbreaking building mechanics in Tears of the Kingdom have allowed players to create all sorts of machines, ranging from practical to absurd. Players have recreated Star Wars' AT-AT or the USS Enterprise from Star Trek. One Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom player built a flying mech. Of course, none of these machines are required to complete the game itself, but the seemingly endless possibilities within Tears of the Kingdom have resulted in quite a few players losing countless hours workshopping different ideas. It's not just fun and games, however, as now one university is offering college credit for playing the game.

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Professor Ryan. D Sochol, PH.D. Constructed a pilot course for second-year mechanical engineering undergraduates at the University of Maryland, College Park, that teaches students design and engineering through playing The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. The class, aptly named "The Legend of Zelda: A Link to Machine Design," gives students a Nintendo Switch console, a Pro Controller, and a copy of Tears of the Kingdom to take home for the semester. The professor and longtime Zelda fan even created a short video detailing the first semester of the course, which was first discovered by GoNintendo.

According to Professor Sochol, the course is broken up into three sections. First, the students learn the basics of each machine element by playing through the game's various shrines in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. After this, students are required to study one of the elements in depth and even provide information about technical aspects such as horsepower and thrust. Lastly, Professor Sochol details one of the course's machine design challenges, which tests the class' knowledge of construction within the game. One example is a race within the class that requires students to build a machine that can travel across land and water.

What is remarkable about Tears of the Kingdom is that these building mechanics are just one aspect of a much larger game. Many believe The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is a master class in open-world design, and this comes after Breath of the Wild already revolutionized both the series and the genre.

Not to mention, many fans consider Tears of the Kingdom an improvement over Breath of the Wild in other aspects such as storytelling. With all these elements beautifully blending seamlessly together, it should come as no surprise that Tears of the Kingdom is one of The Game Awards' Game of the Year candidates for 2023.

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The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
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Adventure
Action
Open-World
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Systems
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Top Critic Avg: 95 /100 Critics Rec: 97%
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Released
May 12, 2023
ESRB
Rated E for Everyone 10+ for Fantasy Violence and Mild Suggestive Themes
Developer(s)
Nintendo
Publisher(s)
Nintendo
Engine
Havok
Cross-Platform Play
N/A
Cross Save
N/A
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WHERE TO PLAY

DIGITAL
PHYSICAL
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The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is the sequel to the beloved open-world adventure, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. This installment once again sees Link and Zelda battling to protect Hyrule from falling to Ganondorf. This new adventure takes place in the same land of Hyrule as Breath of the Wild but sees something called the Upheaval, which allows link to travel to Sky Islands, as well as deep into the Depths beneath Hyrule. Players can use special abilities to fuse together weapons, and build items to help them progress through the release.