Once upon a time there was this magical place in history.  People called it “the Eighties.”  What made it magical you ask?  Colors were bright, hair was big, and games were 8-bit.

At the time, I didn’t know that I was living in what would become the golden age of videogames.  I don’t think any of us knew, it just sort of happened around us.  Here’s a trip back to that plaid couch in my basement; stomping on Goomba’s, drawing out maps, and eating pizza rolls all while listening to the wonderful bleeps and bloops of chiptune music.

It was a simpler time.

Controller Perfection.

I know I risk sounding like the old codger here who “gamed uphill both ways barefoot in 5 feet of snow,” but I still think simple, linear games on the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) were superior.  You had a clear purpose (that generally involved running from left to right), and limited attempts to accomplish that purpose.  The message that the games were sending was clear.  Either adapt and improve, or die trying.  No fluff, just your skill, two buttons, and a D-pad.  Which brings me to my next point…

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This year marked the 25th anniversary of The Legend of Zelda, my absolute favorite game series as a child.  It feels weird to me that Zelda is now a veteran in the relatively young medium of video games, and children are still discovering it for the first time 25 years later.  Here is my story of my time with Zelda, and what it taught me.

It was 1988 in a Wal-Mart in the middle of midwestern nowhere that I first saw it, and was hooked at the title screen (in my defense, it had a sword on it and I was six years old).  Standing at the demo kiosk, I heard to the now classic theme music (click here to listen while you read) and could only wonder what adventure awaited when I pushed start.  Little did I know how the series and I would grow together and the many lessons it would teach me along the way.  I know we all remember this one, as it was in the first cave on the first screen.

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