As somewhat of an appropriate followup to my post on watching The Vision of Escaflowne, I can now happily relate that I've of late rediscovered that sweet escape known as The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. Of late, I have acquired a new controller (having long lost my old ones), and can again play the 1998 Nintendo 64 classic, regarded by some as the greatest video game of all time.

I don't really have time for such a moral critique as I did before, but suffice it to say that it saddens me that video games have a bad name in the Traditionalist community, thanks to 1st-person shooters, and also because one needs a TV to play. If only all games were like Zelda (or for that matter a Mario game) : chivalrous, heroic, no blood, and plenty of adorable characters! Heck, I wouldn't be surprised if many of my traditional [and romanticized] values stem or are reinforced by the world of Zelda: the warriors, rulers, and breadwinners are almost exclusively male; the damsels, though often operative and not helpless, always manage to need saving; the families are strong and intact; the setting recalls the glory of Medieval Christendom; finally, the greedy are always punished for their greed. The only thing missing, of course, is Christianity. In Zelda, religion vaguely resembles European paganism, but I have no problem with that. The chief gods of Zelda- Din, Farore, and Nayru- look identical, and left a three golden triangles called the Triforce. We accept all that is good in earthly false religions; this can't help but lead the confused kids that play video games these days in the right direction.

The direct influence of Catholicism in Ocarina of Time is strongest in the design of the Temple of Time, which is clearly Romanesque. On the negative side, the dungeons themed after death, graveyards, etc. seem to have Black Legend influence in their designs; the ghosts are even called Poes. To be fair, Edgar Allen Poe is among this blogger's favorites, from what he's read.

Essentially, the Zelda series has an air of holiness and righteousness that I find in few other places, especially insofar as within pop culture. Now, this may be a coincidence, but the two biggest Zelda fans I've yet known are one each Catholic and Lutheran, and (relatively speaking, of course) unusually devout. As to why this game, which sold about 7,000,000 copies in its time, has not more noticeably contributed to the public morality is that I'm the only one who takes all its minutiae seriously. Instead of just playing through the game, I always talk to everyone, do all the unneeded extras, and try to understand the game's influences and message. As I said to my mother yesterday, I'm probably the only person who can say a video game has influenced my political views!