The Legend of Zelda: The Next Generation — Passing Down Our Passion to Younger Fans

In just a couple of years, The Legend of Zelda for the Famicom and Nintendo Entertainment System — the game that started it all — will be 40 years old! In that time, fans of multiple generations have been able to share with their peers the secrets they’ve found, the best strategies for tricky bosses, and the lore that ties the games together. And as the rivers of time flow on, those who grew up with The Legend of Zelda — or any subsequent Zelda game — can now share their love of the series with nieces, nephews, younger in-laws, and even their own children!

Some of us at Zelda Dungeon recently wrote about our experiences sharing our passion with the next generation of fans. And we’d like to share those experiences with you, as well as give you an opportunity to share any of your own experiences, with this feature we’re calling The Legend of Zelda: The Next Generation!

---

Let’s begin by looking at the ways Zelda Dungeon staffers are sharing The Legend of Zelda with their families. There are actually quite a few parents on the Zelda Dungeon staff, and you can bet that they’re all finding ways to introduce their children to the magic of the series.

Some of these ZD kiddos were exposed to The Legend of Zelda before they were even born, as Associate Editor Leslie Jacobson can attest. “My first son tended to wiggle around more when I played Hyrule Warriors while pregnant,” she recounts, “probably because he heard the music coming from the Wii U Gamepad. I cannot believe that was nearly nine years ago now. Since then, he’s watched me play the Zelda games that are available on the Switch, and he’s even watched the notorious cartoon from the early ’90s.

“He has also picked up and played Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity on his own, and he has a higher completion percentage than I do!”

“My youngest is actually named after the hero,” Leslie continues, “and at just shy of five years old, he is now aware of where his name comes from. He tries to play the games, but he’s still a little young and often needs help. He’ll watch me play, and he’ll cheer when I defeat a big monster or get a major item. He was also encouraging in the first few days of my Tears of the Kingdom playthrough. When he would hear the ‘Game Over’ music, he’d say, ‘S’Okay, Mommy. Try again!’

“Both of my sons were cheering me on from home as they watched me play during this past year’s Zelda Dungeon Marathon. In fact, my file name for Ocarina of Time was my oldest son’s screen name.”

“I have a son who is eight years old who loves video games and is also an avid Zelda fan,” Associate Editor Jared Eubanks tells us. “One of my favorite things is sharing our mutual love for video games by playing together, Zelda in particular. He has been my companion on many Zelda playthroughs by sitting and watching me. He loves to commentate, read along from guide books, ask questions, make suggestions, and point things out for me. And in many of the games that I’ve completed, he’s hopped into my save file to explore the world and learn the controls.

“He has also played many of the games in the series himself,” Jared continues, “even though he has not completed one all the way through yet. There are a few titles in which he’s made considerable progress all by himself though. Recently, he’s been working on his own save file in The Wind Waker and has reached The Tower of the Gods all on his own, except for the occasional hint from me. We’ve also played together in multiplayer games like Four Swords Adventures and completed large chunks of the game side by side.”

Jared has even introduced to his son to some of the more retro titles of the Zelda franchise. “I’ve pushed him to at least try things from the Nintendo Entertainment System and Super Nintendo, and he hasn’t been put off by the pixelated art style. Even though the Switch is what he is most used to, he has a fondness for the Wii and Wii U console and the DS and 3DS handheld generations; he will pick up and play those just as quickly.”

And then there are the new parents in the ZD family, like Associate Editor John Lortie, who can’t wait to share their love of Zelda with their youngins when the time is right. “I have my own kid who just turned two,” John shares. “He’s still a bit too young to play Zelda (or, really, any game), but I’m eagerly anticipating getting him going on his first quest with our favorite green-clad hero! My wife and I have talked about it, and we’ve come to the conclusion that Link’s Awakening will make the perfect first Zelda for him. This will most likely be followed closely by Echoes of Wisdom.”

It’s so heartwarming to hear about how fans like Leslie, Jared, and John are passing on a love for Zelda with their children. But as we all know, one can also share that love with members of one’s extended family.

Take Associate Editor Chakell Herbert for instance: “I am the youngest in my immediate family, so my nephews and nieces have been more like little siblings to me! Ever since they were little, they have loved watching me play so many different Zelda games, and now they play them on their own! Most of them are just as big of fans as I am, and I love being able to pass the torch and see them explore the magic of Hyrule!”

Speaking of Hyrule’s magic, Editor-In-Chief Rod Lloyd recently witnessed Zelda‘s magical appeal in his family. “It just so happens that my wife’s family visited recently,” he recounts, “and our two nephews (ages eight and nine) spotted my Switch sitting next to the TV. I permitted them turn it on and play some games, to which they scrolled through my game collection on the Switch’s home screen to find something that caught their eye. The younger wanted to play some Mario Kart 8 (and they did), but the older immediately gravitated toward Tears of the Kingdom (even though he had never heard of Zelda before).

“Following a few rounds of Mario Kart,” Rod continues, “I booted up Tears of the Kingdom so that they could take turns running around Hyrule on my save file. While they both enjoyed swinging their sword and shooting their bow like any young boy would, the features that most excited them (once I showed them how they work) were Ultrahand and Autobuild. Just picking objects up and moving them around filled my nephews with awe. ‘Why doesn’t Fortnite have this?’ the younger asked. The older, meanwhile, enjoyed soaring around on an auto-built flying machine. It seems like, for a generation that grew up playing Minecraft, Fortnite, and Roblox, Tears of the Kingdom‘s building mechanics could be what most draws them into Zelda.”

And as he waits for his son to be old enough to pick up a controller himself, John Lortie has been sharing Zelda with other members of his family. “My brother-in-law’s a teenager who’s been into video games for just about as long as I’ve known him (since he was three!), John explains. “When he got a 3DS, I gifted him a copy of Ocarina of Time 3D, and we attempted a race through it that ultimately fizzled out before Link could pull the Master Sword. I’ve also gifted him Breath of the Wild (which he loved) and Tears of the Kingdom (which is mired in his backlog).

“A few years ago, I got him a copy of the Switch Link’s Awakening, and we spent a weekend racing through it. It was a ton of fun!”

As we all know, Zelda fandom extends beyond the games themselves. The global Zelda community encompasses collectors, creators, and congoers, just to name a few. And you can bet that our staffers are introducing the younger generation to these other corners of the fan experience as well.

Jared, for example, has inspired a love of collecting in his son. “My son also shares my love of video game collecting and regularly accompanies me to a couple of our favorite retro game shops,” he says. “Over the last several years, I’ve collected retro Nintendo consoles and handhelds in order to play Zelda classics and hits from other Nintendo franchises. He has enjoyed learning about the original hardware from my childhood and seeing what things were like when I grew up through Virtual Console games and Nintendo Switch Online. He also loves collecting amiibo and adding to the array we have on display in our home.

“One of the things my son loves most is reading, and video game guides and fan books are among his favorites. We’ve picked up several different Zelda walkthrough guides and the Hyrule Historia trilogy. He often takes them with him on long car rides and gets lost in fun facts or lore about the series whether he’s actively trying to play through that game or not.”

Speaking of Hyrule Historia, it sounds like Leslie has even used Zelda books in the classroom to pass knowledge down to the next generation. “As a teacher,” she explains, “I let students borrow my Creating a Champion book, and in return, I get many sketches of characters, especially the Light Dragon.”

Leslies goes on to describe the other ways she incorporates The Legend of Zelda into her classroom. “I sometimes talk about my interest in the Zelda series with students,” she writes, “I have some decorations around my classroom that are Zelda-related, and I’m always dressed up for Halloween in my cosplay. Some students talk to me about their experiences with the series, and I’ve made great connections with them as a result. Even after one student has left my classroom to go on to high school, they still come back to my room and chat with me about new Zelda discoveries they’ve made.

“I cannot wait to meet my new students this Fall, and hopefully there will be a couple of Zelda fans in my class so that we can chat when everyone else talks about football.”

Attending a convention and participating in the living, breathing gamer community can create some of the most lasting and impacting memories for a fan. And Jared has made sure that his son has had a chance to create those memories himself. “My son and I have also had the opportunity to do fun things like conventions together,” he adds. “Last year, we traveled to Seattle for the PAX West conference and the Nintendo Live event, where we got to meet some of our favorite video game YouTubers like Kit & Krysta, Zion Grassl from Nintendo Life, and some of the guys from Good Vibes Gaming. We even got to tour the Zelda-themed area at Nintendo Live, which was dedicated to Tears of the Kingdom.

“We’ve also had fun dressing up for Halloween,” Jared concludes, “And one year we were both Link with our green tunics, Master Swords, and Hylian Shields.” How adorable!

Jared’s family isn’t the only one to dress up as Zelda characters; just ask Leslie. “My oldest son especially liked Master Kohga’s silly, not-quite-so-bad-guy antics,” Leslie says regarding her son’s experiences with Age of Calamity. “So, this past Halloween, he even wanted to be Master Kohga, which was certainly a cosplay challenge, but we pulled it off together!”

---

We can share our love of the Zelda series with the next generation of gamers in many different ways. We can play along with or guide new players, we can share fandom activities like cosplay and conventions, and we can make sure that fans who have started on the newer games can have fun with classic titles as well. I cannot wait to see how this series changes and grows with its youngest fans.

Are you passing on your love of the series to the next generation? Did you learn about the Zelda series from someone older who mentored you through a game? Let us know in the comments below!

This article contains contributions by Rod Lloyd.

Featured Image: Zelda Dungeon Art Director Heather Beard