Daily Debate: What Is Your Favorite Way to Engage in the Zelda Community?

The Legend of Zelda community has had the rare privilege of being a thriving fandom for almost four decades. It flourished in Nintendo Entertainment Systems in private family households and now takes the biggest stages on the planet. People celebrate Zelda with a persistence and jubilation not many other IPs have experienced this long and this consistently.

Participation in a fandom’s culture manifests in many forms. You might write fanfiction, diving deep into stories you wished Nintendo would make a reality. You may make fan art, adding your unique spin on a series with so many aesthetics (shoutout to Linktober!) Daily, someone is learning how to play a song from the series on their favorite instrument, highlighting the musical legacy Zelda is known for. Others choose to be a Zelda historian of sorts, crafting together completionist game guides or Wiki databases, helping every gamer in the world traverse Hyrule thoroughly and accurately. Writers and academics pore through media and lore, becoming print and digital video game journalists or longform professionals, considering everything from Zelda philosophy to cooking like a Hylian.

Speedrunners are an even more mind-boggling way the community has ascended. Back in the day, speedrunners recorded their attempts on VHS tapes, and now Discord communities in the thousands support budding Twitch streamers with capture cards to shave seconds off personal best times. There are events worldwide for speedrunners to gather and show off the most wild ways to play the games, with randomizers and Bingo Boards entering the fray to add more replayability.

And let’s not forget the deceptive places on- and offline people gather to talk, think, and create, all in the name of Zelda — cosplayers at conventions, zine creators on Discord, Echoes of Wisdom theorizers in Reddit forums, podcasters on Twitch, and even our own Zelda Dungeon comments section!

Before I joined the Zelda Dungeon team earlier this year, my experience with the fandom community was limited. However, gamers live in a truly unprecedented time where it only takes a second to share the love of these games with hundreds of people, where a new friend awaits just around the corner. I’m grateful to be here, listen to opinions, witness the creativity, and preserve the best video game series in history with a wonderful team and community.

What are your favorite ways to participate in the greater Zelda fandom? Share the love in the comments below!

Comments
Sorted Under: Daily Debate, Echoes of Wisdom, Games, Original Content
Tagged With: No tags were found for this entry.