Becoming A Hero: An Analysis of the Presentation Of Theme In Nintendo’s The Legend Of Zelda Franchise

Abstract

My work proposes using theme as a scope for video game analysis to generate a more wholistic understanding of how the parts of a game interact to generate meaning. When applied to video games as a purely narrative property, themes become relatively static. If we use theme as a scope for analyzing and understanding other elements of the text, however, then we come away with a more complex and dynamic understanding. Using Nintendo’s Legend of Zelda franchise as a case study, I propose that the gameplay expands upon themes put forward in the franchise’s narratives, with my primary focus being on the hero. In Zelda games’ narratives, the hero is discussed in static, traditional terms. But, if we use this theme as a scope for understanding the gameplay, the player has opportunities to both reinforce and play against this understanding, producing a more nuanced and dynamic understanding of the hero.