Zelda

I’m not as obsessed with video games as some people I know. Most don’t hold my attention for very long. But there is one series of games that I can play for hours without even realizing any time has passed. The Legend of Zelda captures my imagination.

There is a series of dungeons with difficult bosses that must be defeated. Each room in each dungeon is a puzzle that must be solved, which appeals to my mind. I love entering the rooms and trying to figure out (1) what the puzzle in that particular room is and (2) how to solve it.

On top of the problem solving aspect of the game, the premise appeals to me. Each of the fourteen or fifteen games in the Zelda series centers on a teenage boy who is told that he must save the world. He doesn’t have superpowers or any other special abilities. I like the idea that heroes can be ordinary people.

I sit entranced for hours while I make me way through the dungeons, defeat the bosses, and try to save the imaginary world of Hyrule.