Topic: What if Link is gender neutral?

You're wrong, though. It's not even my opinion that you are wrong. You are, in fact, wrong.

It's also what they say about religion

I won't knock anyone on their beliefs (as long as they're reasonable), but frankly as someone that doesn't feel homosexuality is wrong I'm getting really tired of the option of same-sex relationships being gutted or taken off the table altogether from the games I want to play to appease those who I don't share the same values with. I think guns don't belong on the street, don't see me wanting video games to take guns off their fictional streets just because I think it's wrong.

You can't just cherry pick what actually influences someone or "gives them the wrong idea". If guns, violence, and gore doesn't turn children in sociopaths, then portraying same sex relationships won't suddenly change their sexuality (and if it does, it's likely they were already leaning that way to begin with). //forever pressed I can't marry Witch Princess in Harvest Moon DS

I'm amused that camerica unintentionally united everyone.

I agree 100% but I think it's more about sales than anything else. Make a game that's ultra-violent or put scantily clad women in it and it'll create a controversy before disappearing off the shelves. Because guns a boobs sell across the spectrum. Have a same sex relationship in the game and it'll stir up a controversy in the same way sure. However it'll make the more progressive consumers go "meh, no big deal" and have the more conservative consumers getting out the pitchforks.

Same thing with religion in games or other media. At most it'll get some people not caring while another group rages about how horrible it is. I mean just look at the Fire Temple soundtrack from the original OoT. I doubt they even meant to make a statement and it still had to be removed because if offended both the Islamic and conservative Christian communities for entirely different reasons. So developers are better off just avoiding that sort of stuff entirely.

Jesus Christ lock this f***ing thread!

Also, it's nice to know that the "gay mafia" (Bill Maher's phrase, not mine) has overtaken NintendoLife.

I feel really bad for @camerica1618. Even though I don't personally agree with him, I applaud him for standing up and stating his beliefs when he knew this community would lash out at him, and frankly, no one should have to fear that. I understand why you were upset, but shame on you for lashing out. And if I get scolded for defending him, whatever. I did what I know is right.

I disagree, neither side being straight or gay should have representation in any form of media where they are implying that there way is the only a balance needs to be struct that shows a kid that whatever sexuality they are is fine if it makes them happy in life because whats the point of pretending to be something you aren't.

If the responses to that post were in your eyes "lashing out" then wow. Go back and read the responses to that post:
1. Me jokinging suggesting the poster was infact Cory Bernardi
2. kkslider5552000 saying the comment was a bit backwards
3. SCAR saying "It's not even my opinion that you are wrong. You are, in fact, wrong"
4. Squid saying people say same thing about violence in games
5. Me saying the same could be said of religion, then pointing to the infamous Islamic Chants in OoT.

So again.... where was the overly harsh response? Because I didn't see it. Please, point to the bit where people were lashing out. The rest of the world shouldn't be treading lightly as to not offend the more conservative. Especially given how happy they are to offend people who are actually marginalised. Go read some comments under a news article even remotely close to this topic before you claim that someone saying someone else sounded a bit like Cory Bernardi was below the belt.

I mean I've been called much worse than that in this debate elsewhere on the internet. And I'm not even gay. I don't even really care that much either way TBH because it doesn't really impact me personally. I've defended a guy on twitter for standing up for himself on the more progressive side of this debate and I got more than an earfull. I can only imagine what a gay person gets and unlike me it's about them personally so how could they brush it off? I'm glad you're living in fantasy land here but.... Wow.... just wow... come down from the clouds...

I'd also add that whenever anyone starts a thought with
"I'm gonna get a lot of hate for this....."

they shouldn't be shocked when they don't get a standing ovation

100 years from now, there's going to be Bill & Ted 3, where the two dudes travel back to the early 21st century and are utterly baffled that people would treat gays differently than they treat heterosexuals.

I'm glad I stayed away from this topic as I don't care to read any of the comments. Can't believe this topic has this many comments though. I wonder what they could all be about?

Although this is a community I highly doubt they would go into say a pub, cafe, shop etc stating they believe homosexuality is wrong and regardless if they would do it in person or not ignorance should be challenged even if it's to point how stupid the belief two fictional gay characters of a different species wlil make kids gay. Even the mentality of "being gay is fine as long as it’s behind closed doors" is very damaging to people having seen what my gay family and friends have gone through in the past.

Well that's because by then, the powerful gay influence will have taken over us all.

Just reading this thread makes me wanna leave my girlfriend and hook up with a dude. Where all the sexy men at?

you are sooo right, alex. i have been happily married to my husband for 30 yrs but am starting to eye peach a wee bit differently now...ahOOOOOga!

I know what you mean. After reading that issue of X-Factor where Shatterstar and Rictor kiss, I immediately dropped everything I was doing and went out and had myself a gay marriage.

Last I checked, this topic was about Link's gender, not another sexuality debate. We can either get back on topic or i can lock the thread — or i can start banning people who refuse to respect Nintendo Life's decision regarding these tangents when they crop up. The choice is yours, guys.

As for the topic at hand:

Firstly, personality is not dependent on gender, and the role of the Hero of Time has never been officially stated to be gender specific. Secondly... what personality? This is Link we're talking about, he brings about as much personality to the table as a doorknob. He is intentionally written as a blank slate through which the player interacts with Hyrule. giving us the choice in how our Link looks and sounds on screen will only help us to identify with him or her more.

While that's awesome for your niece and I'm glad she's enjoying some quality games, forgive me for being blunt about it, bit why do I care? I'm talking about my experience and what i'd like to see in a Zelda game, not hers. Perhaps someday she, too, will wonder why Link has never been given the chance to be reborn as a girl to better serve her own playing experience (surely it must be boring for an endlessly reborn spirit to have no variety in ye olde mortal shell?), or why she can't choose to be a female character in classic gaming staples as the option grows more and more common in the future, who knows?

Also, i'm not sure who exactly started up the 'females aren't as physically strong biologically as males' argument, but for pete's sake, does any of the rest of the game follow real-life science as we know it? We've got elves, fish-people, magic and goddesses and spirits and great looming evils threatening to swallow the world, i'm pretty sure a bit of difference in hand-grip strength won't matter when you've got the same bracelets or whatever Link gets to pick up stones (remember, he can't do so without help!), the same bombs to blow up big rocks, the same tunic to help breathe underwater, and the same Iron Boots to keep you on the sumo platform. Link himself gets a lot of help in terms of special items. surely they'd help a female Hero of Time do the same in a future adventure.

and as for Zelda and Ganon being potentially all switched up gender-wise, bring it on! Wouldn't mind seeing a wicked female Ganon attempt to fool its enemies by presenting itself in female form for once, wouldn't that potentially throw the ol' king of hyrule for a loop? Though male Zelda has sorta been done before via Sheik, i wouldn't mind seeing more of that either — whether an actual change in gender or more dress-up, Sheik was pretty awesome :3

_{While i can appreciate the humor in this comment, please, the tangent is now over. Let's return to the topic at hand as outlined in the OP :3 — TBD}

Also, I'm sure once I played a game with a female Link, I would get used to it, but I would definitely be thrown off at the beginning. Kind of like when Ocarina of Time came out and everything was in polygons. It was different, but it was still good.

As I said before, I really don't like the idea of there being a choice of the gender of Link. That's too much character customization for the legend of Zelda. We aren't playing Mass Effect or Skyrim, we are playing Zelda.
And if Link is a female, Zelda doesn't have to be a male. Link and Zelda don't NEED to have a romantic relationship. That was shown in Link's Awakening, Majora's Mask, and heck, A Link to the Past wasn't that romantic either.

I'm serious, guys. Any further off-topicness will just be deleted, and if you're that offensive about it, it may be accompanied by a temp-ban. This is your warning.

Ganondorf's fairly set in stone, as he's the King of Gerudos who was seduced by the Triforce of Power and the spirit of Demise; as in he's a just a man (or a huge boar-thingy), often reawakened, but not a reincarnation like Link or Zelda. I see no reason why there couldn't be a new female vessel of Demise though.

Zelda? Sure – the series lore only says that (s)he must be of the of the goddess' bloodline. Maybe Sheik could be Zelda's alter ego: a mystical figure fighting for justice and freedom while the princess maneuvers through the storms of politics, though always oddly absent when something huge happens – these key figures are never seen at the same room

Good to see this thread back on track. Hunkering on trenches, throwing insults and oversimplifying others' comments to mere mockeries of what was actually said will only spiral a conversation to a flame war (and wake one very angry dragon )