17th February 2005, 1:44 AM
No number is "bad"? What, did you think I was being serious in the sense I meant it was a real world thing? I wasn't talking about the real world, I'm talking about the meanings assigned to numbers in a lot of mythology. They picked 7 for a VERY obvious reason, the same reason they pick 7 for a lot of things. Don't tell me you never noticed, or what, did you just pretend they weren't being all mystical about the numbers?
Here's the deal, lots of numbers have meanings assigned to them. Some people actually take these things seriously and ascribe them to their life, though I don't. What I do do however is take mild intrest in it in the same way I take interest in mythology in general. It's just interesting to study is all. So anyway, the thing is, 3 is a sacred number in a LOT of things. I don't know much outside of that, just that it is. That's why a lot of things use 3, or 3 groups of 3's. Like, the Triforce. 6 is the number of incompletion in some faiths, most notably, Christianity uses 6 symbolically (symbolically even within Christianity itself actually) to represent humanity, incompleteness, and evil, not at the same time mind you. 7 is considered, by that same token, to be the number of completeness, or perfection, or God's number. Combine 3 7's and you get where they got the jackpot lucky 7's from (they didn't just pick some random number there), and also it's the super number of God or something. 3 6's is the number of the antichrist, and evil, and also still humanity. Another interesting number is 8, which is apparently supposed to be the number of a new beginning. 4 is the number of greek elements, of the bodily humors, and lots of things like that. I dunno, maybe it's the number of basics? 1 is... um... the loneliest number there will ever be? :D 12 apparently also has some special significance... I really have no idea what. There were 12 apostles, that's something.
Look, the fact is, lots of story writers in games have used these numbers, and have used them all the time. For example, Zelda, which has a history of symbolism and sheer LEGEND power to the EXTREME (Hero of TIME, Sword of Destiny, Farmer... OF POWER), seems to love using these numbers. First off, the triforce, which has a certain 3-ness to it, obviously they would only pick a very number specific shape for it to be if that had some significance. In LTTP, you are finding first 3 pendants, then 7 maidens. In Zelda 1, you find 8 pieces of Wisdom. In Zelda 2, a personal quest to save only one person instead of the land, you find 6 palaces, and then a seventh one to complete the quest. In OOT, you find 3 gems, then 6 sages. Now here's the thing. Since I knew about the mythological symbolism behind some numbers back then, I figured out on my own there had to be a 7th sage long before she revealed herself. It just wasn't... complete until she showed up :D. Lots of Zelda games have 8 in them, though the new beginning aspect really isn't expressed... That's just Zelda...
Anyway, point is, they picked the number 7 in the topic game's name for a very symbolic, and obvious, reason, otherwise they wouldn't put that number right in the title. The only issue I have is if they picked that for that symbolism, they kinda got it wrong because 6 would fit better given it's meaning. I say it's obvious because they do this kind of stuff all the time, it's nothing new or even a stretch. It's barely an assumption on my part to think this.
Here's the deal, lots of numbers have meanings assigned to them. Some people actually take these things seriously and ascribe them to their life, though I don't. What I do do however is take mild intrest in it in the same way I take interest in mythology in general. It's just interesting to study is all. So anyway, the thing is, 3 is a sacred number in a LOT of things. I don't know much outside of that, just that it is. That's why a lot of things use 3, or 3 groups of 3's. Like, the Triforce. 6 is the number of incompletion in some faiths, most notably, Christianity uses 6 symbolically (symbolically even within Christianity itself actually) to represent humanity, incompleteness, and evil, not at the same time mind you. 7 is considered, by that same token, to be the number of completeness, or perfection, or God's number. Combine 3 7's and you get where they got the jackpot lucky 7's from (they didn't just pick some random number there), and also it's the super number of God or something. 3 6's is the number of the antichrist, and evil, and also still humanity. Another interesting number is 8, which is apparently supposed to be the number of a new beginning. 4 is the number of greek elements, of the bodily humors, and lots of things like that. I dunno, maybe it's the number of basics? 1 is... um... the loneliest number there will ever be? :D 12 apparently also has some special significance... I really have no idea what. There were 12 apostles, that's something.
Look, the fact is, lots of story writers in games have used these numbers, and have used them all the time. For example, Zelda, which has a history of symbolism and sheer LEGEND power to the EXTREME (Hero of TIME, Sword of Destiny, Farmer... OF POWER), seems to love using these numbers. First off, the triforce, which has a certain 3-ness to it, obviously they would only pick a very number specific shape for it to be if that had some significance. In LTTP, you are finding first 3 pendants, then 7 maidens. In Zelda 1, you find 8 pieces of Wisdom. In Zelda 2, a personal quest to save only one person instead of the land, you find 6 palaces, and then a seventh one to complete the quest. In OOT, you find 3 gems, then 6 sages. Now here's the thing. Since I knew about the mythological symbolism behind some numbers back then, I figured out on my own there had to be a 7th sage long before she revealed herself. It just wasn't... complete until she showed up :D. Lots of Zelda games have 8 in them, though the new beginning aspect really isn't expressed... That's just Zelda...
Anyway, point is, they picked the number 7 in the topic game's name for a very symbolic, and obvious, reason, otherwise they wouldn't put that number right in the title. The only issue I have is if they picked that for that symbolism, they kinda got it wrong because 6 would fit better given it's meaning. I say it's obvious because they do this kind of stuff all the time, it's nothing new or even a stretch. It's barely an assumption on my part to think this.
"On two occasions, I have been asked [by members of Parliament], 'Pray, Mr. Babbage, if you put into the machine wrong figures, will the right answers come out?' I am not able to rightly apprehend the kind of confusion of ideas that could provoke such a question." ~ Charles Babbage (1791-1871)