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Hyrule. Along the way he encounters the likes of Oktoroks, Gohmas, Ganondorfs, and weird old men who charge him for door repair. Of course, that the storyline, enemies, characters, and even music change slightly with each game is part of the fun. In case your studiously-arranged Zelda collection isn’t at hand, here is a list of the games of the franchise in chronological order based on release date, complete with the console they were released on:

• The Legend of Zelda (1986)—Nintendo Entertainment System

• The Adventure of Link (1987)—Nintendo Entertainment System

• A Link to the Past (1991)—Super Nintendo Entertainment System

• Link’s Awakening (1993)—Game Boy

• Ocarina of Time (1998)—Nintendo 64

• Majora’s Mask (2000)—Nintendo 64

• Oracle of Seasons (2001)—Game Boy Color

• Oracle of Ages (2001)—Game Boy Color

• Four Swords (2002)—Game Boy Advance

• The Wind Waker (2002)—Gamecube

• Four Swords Adventures (2004)—Gamecube

• The Minish Cap (2004)—Game Boy Advance

• Twilight Princess (2006)—Nintendo Wii

• The Phantom Hourglass (2007)—Nintendo Developer’s System (or Dual Screen)1

Zelda Culture

The release of the movie Grandma’s Boy gave gamers a reason to be proud. Grandma’s Boy does for gamers what Half Baked does for stoners—both films legitimize the plight of a group often perceived as dead weight on society. Not only does Grandma’s Boy give a behind-the-scenes look at what goes into making a videogame, but it accurately portrays gamer archetypes, from the pot-smoking cool guy who gets the girl to the arrogant super-nerd who proudly proclaims, “I did beat The Legend of Zelda before I could walk.”

The Zelda franchise itself has become a cultural wellspring—forget about just videogames. Zelda is not big but huge. From spin-off cartoons in the 1980s to present day comedic skits on YouTube, the franchise is prolific. Zelda has spread through the videogame world like De Niro through the film world. Calling yourself a gamer entails at least a knowledge of Zelda. There are websites devoted to Zelda and nothing but (if you don’t believe me, google Zelda). Many of these sites have sections for timeline theories, not to mention item listings, walkthroughs, forums, ringtones, game art, and more. There are Zelda comic books. And the Zelda music—that memorable little tune beginning as computer-generated notes on the NES has been reproduced and rearranged by guitarists, pianists, and orchestras. Need to know anything about the Zelda franchise, anything at all? Just look it up on zeldawiki.org—an online Zelda encyclopedia.

There’s a program called “ZeldaClassic”—a tribute to the original Zelda which allows users to create their own Zelda games. Think about that for a second: Zelda is so well respected by the gaming community that a program was created allowing the layman fan to make games like it. If that doesn’t cement Zelda’s status as one of the greatest game franchises of all time, I don’t know what does.

But beyond all that the original gold-plated Nintendo cartridge has sentimental value for many of us. It marked the beginning of a saga, or maybe our childhood. While your love for Zelda may not have landed you a date for the prom—depending, I suppose, on whom you wanted to take to the prom—it gave you a chance to guide Link through the fantastic world of Hyrule. That the gamer can guide Link is one of the reasons why Zelda is so ripe for philosophical speculation. A moviegoer cannot guide Luke Skywalker; she can only sit back and hope Luke doesn’t give in to Vader and hate and the Darkside. Despite having some fixed elements, a Zelda game is not entirely out of the gamer’s control; the gamer plays the game as Link and is not a passive observer.

A Philosophy Book about a Videogame!

While social theorists, critical theorists, and others have been writing about videogames for over a decade, the vast majority of philosophers have yet to jump aboard. If nothing else, philosophers should contribute to the conversation lest non-philosophers do their