7 Lessons Learned From The Legend of Zelda

This is a guest article written by Agri of the Zelda Informer Forums. If you’d like to write your own guest article, we encourage you to send us your work here.

The Legend of Zelda is more than just a game. It’s a way of life. Sure, at its surface it’s an adventure fantasy about a guy in a skirt following the archetype hero story. But that’s just one aspect of the multifaceted series. To complete a Zelda game is to take an advanced class in awesomeness. Upon doing so you’ll be ready to roll into any obstacle easily and hack away all problems life tosses in your way. So grab a bottle of refreshing milk and use it to wash down just a few of the sage-like life lessons learned from The Legend of Zelda.

7: Someone Will Always Want Your Girl

The series may primarily focus on saving a princess, but these lessons aren’t gender specific. If you’re dating someone, that means that they have something worth having to offer. Even if that something isn’t immediately obvious and hidden by the fact that they’re 400 pounds and have hard rocky scales protruding out of their back. If you’re interested in them that means something about them is interesting enough to make someone else want them too.

“Girl, I’m going to get all up in that butt.”

Getting jealous won’t do anything but cause more problems. Just because someone else might be giving your special someone unwanted attention is not a reason to freak out. It isn’t worth ruining a perfectly healthy relationship if some jerk on Facebook likes all their photos and is always blowing up their wall. As long as you and your other are cool and comfortable with each other then you shouldn’t have anything to worry about. It’s not like that other person is going to unwillingly whisk your guy/girl away to their castle hideout. And if they do, keep calm and do what Link would do: go there, break everything they own, rip out their heart, and eat it to add their power to your own. Because you can never be too sure, right?

6: Don’t Be Afraid To Try New Things

Almost every

Zelda game starts with Link trying to pull his fat ass out of bed and escape the backwoods hick town he lives in so he can start his journey. And when he does, he discovers a whole world (sometimes more than one) that he would have never known about if he just decided to sleep in again that day.

“You want to discover new worlds? I have just what you need.”

Everyone needs a little down time to relax, and there’s nothing wrong with that, but getting out and exploring is healthy and fun too. Doing the same thing every day isn’t only boring but can, and most likely will, lead you to losing your mind. You don’t have to hop on your horse and travel to far and exotic lands, though if you could, why wouldn’t you? Sometimes just getting out of bed and out of the house is enough to start an adventure.

5: Being Nice Pays Off

“I’m sure we can find a way to repay you.”

Fetch quests: whether you love them or hate them you need them. They may not be necessary to the story but they’re integral if you want upgrade your gear to the max and kick the most ass. The same basic principal applies to real life too. There’s no guarantee that helping someone will lead to a reward, but sometimes kindness is its own reward. That being said, a wallet full of rupees never hurt either. Which leads to the next point . . .

4: Everyone Needs A Little Help Sometimes

“Hey buddy, spare a rupee?”

The world sometimes sucks. A lot. And life isn’t always a walk in Hyrule Field. Especially lately when it feels like the moon is just days away from crashing down on us. A lot of people find themselves in situations where they may need a little help for any number of frustrating reasons. Unexpectedly losing a job that was thought to be secure, getting into an accident, or having the entrance to your cave being sealed off while you were sleeping are all unfortunate events that could spring up on you out of the blue. So if someone needs help and you’re in a position to do something, then do it without hesitation. You never know what might become of it. Conversely, don’t feel too proud if you’re down on your luck and need an extra boost to get through.

3: There’s No Problem A Sharp Sword Mind Can’t Solve

In

Zelda games, you spend a lot of time running around solving puzzles so you can advance to the next level. Some are so easy that they’re the equivalent of simply turning on a few lights. Others can be so

mind bogglingly difficult that you’re ready to just say “screw it” and let the bad guys win. There’s a lot of this in real life too. Standardized tests have to be taken to get into good schools, and large couches have to be squeezed in through impossibly small doorways. It gets frustrating at times, but having quick wits can help you be more successful in your career, be better in social situations and figuring out how the hell to get out of the water temple. It could even save your life, which is important considering all the blood thirsty birds out there in both Hyrule and the real world.

“Kill all humans.”

2: Clothes Make The Hero

About to dive into a volcano? Goron Tunic time. Need to sink to the bottom of the ocean? Kick on those Iron Boots. Need to smooth jazz the panties off your hot date on Friday? Probably not the best occasion to wear your raggedy sweatpants and a t-shirt stained with Mountain Dew and nacho cheese. Dress accordingly.

“Uh, where are the pants?”

What you wear not only affects how unbelievably good you look, but it also changes your perception of yourself. If you dress to succeed, you are marginally more likely to do so. So whether you’re fighting a boss in the sixth dungeon or being interviewed by a boss for that new position, always dress for victory.

1: Use All The Tools In Your Arsenal

If you’re living with someone who finds it funny to hide the cookies on the top shelf because you’re short, then a Clawshot will definitely come in handy. Use it. Link is certainly a bit of a pack-rat, but at least he uses everything he squirrels away.

“We’re going to need a bigger chest . . .”

Having a Swiss army knife on your person at all times certainly couldn’t hurt, but that isn’t the only tool you should have equipped. Draw from everything you know and have at your disposal to do whatever it is you need to do. If something you’ve learned hasn’t helped you out in some way or another then find a way to make it useful because otherwise it’s just taking up space in your inventory.

Of course, there are plenty of other things that can be extracted from

The Legend of Zelda, but who has time to list it all? Use what you read here to apply to your life, and you’ll be a better person and hopefully a happier one too. Learn from the Hero of Time, and when in doubt just ask “What Would Link Do?”