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Does Zelda Deserve to Be More Well-known/popular/"mainstream"?

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Nov 25, 2012
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"The Legend of Zelda" is still one of the most respected franchises within the gaming community. However, among the general population, it's a bit more obscure. If you walk up to a random person on the street, at school, or at work, chances are they know vaguely what Link looks like, but chances are they've never played a Zelda game and think Link's name is Zelda (lol), whereas pretty much any 1st/2nd-world country citizen knows what Mario looks like and has played a Mario game. Granted, the Mario series is much more accessible to non-gamers than Zelda, but even within the gaming community, Zelda isn't as big as I think it deserves to be. Skyward Sword has sold around 3.5 million copies so far (which isn't at all bad) but the New Super Mario Bros for Wii, a much lesser project, has sold almost 30 million.
In a lot of instances, whether it be artists or movies or games, I feel like the most popular things, i.e. Justin Bieber, aren't always the best things the world has to offer. In fact I think most of the best things are hidden gems. I don't think Zelda is a cult sensation, it's not that obscure, but it certainly isn't something everyone knows/talks about.

So what do you think? Do you think Zelda is not as popular as it deserves to be? I mean, should it get more sales, more attention, and be more well-known to the general population like Mario, Pokemon, and Call of Duty? Do you like that Zelda isn't so well-known? Or do you disagree with me and think that it is a pretty popular and iconic brand, even outside the gaming world?
 

Igos du Ikana

Maldorok
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Well, I believe it does to an extent. Mainly for Ocarina of Time because it made the blueprint for pretty much all 3D games, but I'm sure other's would argue A Link to the Past did that, so I will leave it at that.
 

Chameleon

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more than it already is? Everybody knows what Zelda is. Or know of the name, at least.
 

Chameleon

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it is still on the subconscious of everybody. Everybody relates "Zelda" to the video game, even if they dont know a thing about it.
 
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it is still on the subconscious of everybody. Everybody relates "Zelda" to the video game, even if they dont know a thing about it.

Only because nothing else is named Zelda. If Mario was as popular as Zelda, and you asked someone about Mario, they'd probably think of some italian resteraunt before they thought of the video game.

If they don't know anything about what it's like, then they don't add to the popularity.
 

Chameleon

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Probably, but Mario does not go too far from that. People probably know of the character, but never actually played mario games (except Super Mario Bros. perhaps) but that's off-topic here. Anyway, I like Zelda just as it is. If Zelda became that popular, it could probably end up boring me.
 

Castle

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IDK why it would need to or should become more mainstream. For that matter I didn't know that it wasn't. It's popular enough. I've seen it referenced time and again. It gets plenty of respect and recognition, why does it need any more? Gamers know about it, they care about it, anyone who doesn't know or care probably isn't interested in video games. Little Sally's dad might have heard about Justin Beiber (how could you not?) but that doesn't mean he likes him.

Anything that is "mainstream" is advertised to death. That means you know about it even if you didn't necessarily want to. This is usually reserved for those things that wouldn't have otherwise garnered any recognition. Back in the day Sonic the Hedgehog was advertised to death to the point that it became obnoxious. I can have fun enough with a Zelda game without having to see Link's face plastered on every billboard, television ad and bumper sticker.

Main stream stuff are usually sellouts as well, since you can sell it on its name alone. As such, they tend not to last very long once the "next best thing" rolls around.
 

Igos du Ikana

Maldorok
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I believe the question was does Zelda deserve more respect. I agree it doesn't need anymore, but does it deserve more? Yes, of course it does. Zelda is one of the most revolutionary games ever created and truly has stood the test against time.
 

DarkestLink

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Oct 28, 2012
"The Legend of Zelda" is still one of the most respected franchises within the gaming community. However, among the general population, it's a bit more obscure. If you walk up to a random person on the street, at school,

Stop. There's your answer right there. Zelda isn't popular among gore-loving teenagers. the Zelda fanbase is made of children(like my cousin) and man-children (like me).

And those few teenagers who do like Zelda are typically far too immature to admit it.

Lastly, gamers fall into the nerd category most of the time. Not the mainstream category.
 
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Castle

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What? nerds and nerd culture has become mainstream. Technology has become so prevalent practically everyone's a nerd now. Video games have hit the mainstream, and even comic book superheroes have become summer blockbusters.

and fwiw I think you're more or less spot on in your generalization of teens :P. But it's still generalizing. I knew a number of kids in HS who were fans of Zelda or at least enjoyed playing it regularly, but for the most part I think your right. At that age Zelda isn't necessarily the type of game most teens would play or admit to having played and liked.

If that is the case then what is Zelda's playerbase? You say kids and "man kids" (lol) which is to say anyone who has actually stuck with the series since childhood. There must be more than that, but might explain why it isn't mentioned in public to the extent of other media experiences (star wars, twilight, beiber, various superheros). Its impact is still regarded though and not just recognized in video games either.
 
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snakeoiltanker

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hmm, for my generation, Zelda is already well known and popular, if they havent played it, they know the name, and they know if has been around since before i even started grade K. does it deserve to be mainstream..... yes, and would probably do some good for these kids who think they are playing good games. but do fans like us want it to be mainstream, i say no. cuz with mainstream come annual entries, that will tire the series for all of us, and most like spawn spinoff games that just run the name of the franchise into the ground.

so my short answer is, Zelda is just fine where it is at. not everyone needs to play it, its name alone, and the SNES and first 64 versions of the game cemented it as an iconic face of the gameing industry. as for as those who are saying there are kids who play it and dont want too admit it, i have never ran in to such an instance. everyone i know who plays zelda, will gladly admit it and a couple of them guys are Fathers now and still play zelda, and are holding on to everyone of the games to show to their children. so in the end the question is just not important, cuz i think Hatred Hazard is completly underestimateing the series. either that or just has a group of friends who missed out on zelda, or dont play video games at all!
 

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