Why You Should Teach With The Legend of Zelda Franchise

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You can find the lesson plan for The Legend of Zelda Here

The Legend of Zelda is my favorite video game franchise. I credit The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time as the game that made gaming a passion of mine rather than just a hobby. I can still visualize myself in my parents' basement the first time I booted the game up with my brother. The familiar ocarina tune still rings in my ears as I think about the opening title screen. Before Ocarina of Time, I had never even heard of the Zelda franchise so I didn't really know what to expect- I certainly didn't realize that I was about to start one of the greatest games ever made. Aside from the casual Mario or GoldenEye 007 round , I had never attempted to divulge into a full on fantasy/adventure game- and it is now my favorite genre. Ocarina of Time is even the namesake for Hey Listen Games.

The Legend of Zelda is one of the most popular and well renowned video game franchises of all time. Through countless iterations, the protagonist Link has been the embodiment of The Hero’s Journey. For over 35 years he has remained as one of Nintendo’s flagship characters, and he has done so without ever saying a word. Link is a silent protagonist. Yes he will grunt and scream at different times in the game, but he never actually talks. He has no dialogue in any of his games. This was a very intentional choice so that players can more easily insert themselves on Link. It can help the player feel more like the hero of time himself.

What’s special about Link as a character is that he still has a very distinct personality. He has never needed to actually speak for players to get a sense of who he is at his core. This is something that really only happens in video games. Link is not the only silent protagonist. There’s also every Pokemon game protagonist, Chell from the Portal series, Gordon Freeman from Half Life and even Jack from the first Bioshock game. The way characterization is accomplished in video games is unique and allows for the personal development of fully silent characters.

For those who don't know The Legend of Zelda series well, it centers on the various incarnations of Link, a courageous young man and Princess Zelda, a magical princess, as they fight to save the magical land of Hyrule from Ganon, an evil warlord turned demon king.

Although their personalities and backstory differ from game to game, the reincarnations of Link and Zelda often have many traits in common; such as Link usually wielding the Master Sword and often being associated with the color green while Princess Zelda is often a member of the royal family. While the conflict with Ganon serves as a backbone for the series, some games have featured other settings and antagonists, with Link traveling or being sent to these other lands in their time of need.

There are many incarnations of Link, each possessing the spirit of the hero, with some of them being blood-related as well.They are chosen to protect the land from evil whenever deemed necessary.They often need to complete a series of trials to mature into the chosen hero. Throughout most of the games in the The Legend of Zelda series, their adventures take place within kingdom of Hyrule. Link travels throughout the land, collecting important items, and defeating a wide variety of enemies while trying to save both Princess Zelda and the kingdom from the clutches of Ganon or other villains.

In this lesson students will play the introduction sections to three Legend of Zelda games. The games chosen are completely up to the discretion of the teacher, although I do have a couple of recommendations myself. Students will play these portions of the games and detail what they learn about Link as a character. They will explain how each game uses indirect characterization to teach us about Link without him ever needing to speak a word. Characterization is the creation or construction of a fictional character. A description of the distinctive nature or features of someone or something. Direct Characterization tells the audience what the personality of the character is. Indirect Characterization shows things that reveal the personality of a character.

I recommend using three of the 3D Zelda games. The Legend of Zelda franchise consists of both top down (the camera rests from above) and 3rd person (the camera rests behind and over the shoulder of the playable character. The 3rd person adventure games are the 3D entries of the franchise. The lesson could be done with some of the top down games, but I have always found it easier for characters to show personality in a 3D environment. With that in mind, the games I would personally use for this lesson are as follows. . .

• Ocarina of Time

• Wind Waker

• Twilight Princess

• Skyward Sword

• Breath of the Wild

I will personally be using Ocarina of Time, Skyward Sword, and Breath of the Wild because these three games are all available on the Nintendo Switch. You will need access to the Nintendo Online service, however, to access Ocarina of Time. This makes logistics a bit easier on my end. If you do have the means to play Wind Waker or Twilight Princess, definitely do so because both games have introduction sections that would fit this lesson perfectly.

Thanks for reading,

Zack

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