Game Jam Tasks Developers With Creating A Zelda Title Starring A Female Link

Two words: "Ittle Dew!"

I just have to be honest, I don't care if every single other member in my party is female, but it takes away a little something from the game for me if the main character is a female.

It depends on the game of course. FF3 is an ensemble piece, so I didn't mind it at all, but in a game like Zelda, where it's all about one character, one hero, one you, it.. Just wouldn't do it for me.

Sorry to be "that guy"...

The story and games seem to be designed to allow for any story to really fit in the "universe" so I don't think it would be difficult for Nintendo to pull it off if the developers decided to go that route....as a game jam game though.......maybe? Who knows

Given that Link's gender is almost entirely irrelevant to everything that happens in the games. This really is just "game jam challenges developers to make a zelda game". I do like it when lazy people convince themselves they're doing good in the world though.

My words.
If the hype is big enough, Nintendo may actually want to consider this for the future. I don't expect anything official from Nintendo soon, but who knows what may be in 5 years or so. Nintendo needs to rely on its existing franchises, but it also needs to be original and infuse something new. Making Link female for an individual outing would certainly arouse interest, even in the non-gaming press. Naturally there would be haters, the obligator internet trolls with their obligatory blabla, their reactionary hate on gender, their cries for keeping the series true to the roots, though they miss no opportunity to criticise any outing of the series anyway. But apart from the fact that a female Link would arouse interest and lead to discussion of a series which, in spite of its enduring quality, isn't exactly "in the news" beyond the Nintendo community, I think that fans, both male and female (one should remember that the Zelda series in particular has a lot of female fans), would actually like the idea and would find something attractive and exciting in a female Link.
But like I also already said: If they choose a female Link for any game in the future, her gender should please not become the topic of the game. Link should simply be female, and that's it, as that's just the point: His gender doesn't really matter. And just BECAUSE it doesn't matter, he should finally for once be female.

"For years and years, women have been on the internet and video game magazines, dressing like Link and pulling it off way better than dudes. Seriously."

To be fair, he's dressing in a tunic that is borderline a dress. Plus, women can pull anything off.

Anyways, instead of making a Zelda game starring a female Link, why don't you have it starring Zelda? I'd be more interested in that.

Cue the arguments in 3...
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@StarDust4Ever

Came in here to write that.

Also, I wouldn't participate in that gamejam.

Firstly, I'd rather play a game as Zelda than a female Link.

Secondly, if Nintendo made a game with a female Link, you can just bet they'll get torn apart for it by some of the people demanding a female Link. Especially in the media. Something will be 'problematic', or someone will call female Link a Ms. Male character or a Man with Boobs or a Fighting duck*quack* Toy. Hell, they'd do it for Zelda too.

While people demand female characters in games, female characters come under a hell of a lot more scrutiny than male characters. Everything has to be 'right' and 'positive' and Hylia help you if you misstep, because you'll get flayed. Better to have people going "Why not make Link a girl!" than "YOU MADE LINK A GIRL AND THIS HAPPENED AND IT'S PROBLEMATIC AND YOU ARE AWFUL, NINTENDO."

Link gets captured at one point? Removing agency/damseling the player character if someone rescues them. Link gets hurt in a cutscene? Violent misogyny. Link doesn't speak? Dis-empowering women's voices. Link looks attractive? Objectification/male sexual fantasy character.

Or Nintendo should just make a Zelda game with Zelda as the player? Or a coop!

I would like to see a female Link in an official game, but the story could be centralised on the idea that (female) Link exits due to inheritance or reincarnation of a previous (male) Link.
For example, if Link had a daughter, she may become the new Link.
Or if (male) Link died or moved on, and a certain unknown amount of time passes, a (female) Link may become the hero for that world's story.
In this sense, Link is not a name per se, but a title for a hero.

Of course one thing that still troubles the gaming industry is same-sex relationships.
Either it is possible that a female Link and Zelda or another character could fall in love, or love in terms of friendship/family-wise, etc.

I've always envisaged a scenario where (male) Link marries or is with Princess Zelda (new IP or continuation of Skyward Sword perhaps?), and they both have daughters.
Link and Zelda are titles in themselves, so they name their children as they wish.
Both daughters are fighters but also of nobility who both take after their parents with traits from each parent mixed and passed to each daughter. Furthermore each daughter has unique traits and abilities neither parent's ever had (combination of innate powers Link and Zelda had mixed to form new traits?).
One daughter might be more of a mage and long range combat/defence but due to royal duties doesn't enter the fray unless necessary.
The other is more traditional Link but has innate, more CQC, magic abilities.
Both daughter's are resilient and courageous, but display such traits differently.
As part of the story neither Link or Zelda can fight a new evil (or bad event) due to something happening to them (sealed, death, etc. I think death should be introduced into Nintendo games but not always in negative ways, more of the idea that of positive change).
So the daughter's take their place and do so in their own ways to combat whatever ails their world.
Maybe a dual character gameplay could exist too to see how each daughter defends their world and collaborate (or, as part of story, confront) each other.

Well, that's my idea anyway.

If Nintendo did pursue a female Link, or a female strong lead character that takes centre stage, I think it could have a greater affect on the gaming industry.
We have the wonderful Crystal Dynamics reboot of Tomb Raider, and Anya Stroud from Gears of War 3 was very well done (though she should have had a much greater role than she was given, or true character/story driven playtime) as two of many examples. But these are big console game examples.
The portable world, and Nintendo games, don't have much in the way of strong female character's in main games.

So I for one would like to see a female Link, but done tastefully and respectively to both the TLoZ series and female's in general.
I also hope this is done sans all clichés and stigmas too.

^^

I guess this is the gaming equivalent of fanfiction. I'd love to take part, but I've never played any Zelda games (plus I just don't have the time). Whilst I'm not against female link, maybe Nintendo should create more new IP and have female leads in those? It might even attract a new audience to Wii U. This is what I was hoping they'd do with mobile but seems it's all going to be existing IP.

There are plenty of strong female characters in the zelda universe such as Impa, Midna, Medli who are partially playable. But their are also many strong female character npcs also. So it depends why people would be voting for this, for me personally it would be as bad as putting mario in a dress. But a lot of people are bringing up womens rights over this kind of thing. Which if it is just so that the main character can be a girl so nintendo can't be called 'sexist'; then I think its downright silly tbh. If another main playable character such as in Midnas case is female then thats absolutely fine. But why go messing around with the main character?

• oh and just to add, I'm pretty sure in wind waker it was 12/13 year old boys who had to wear the green clothes as tradition. So as far as that timeline goes I'm pretty sure Link was meant to be male. Whether this could change on another timeline (Links death etc) I'm not sure.

i agree with some of the comments i just dont see the point in turning link as a female even if there is fan art it will just ruins things and many of us least me probably would drop seeing the legend of zelda games as they are now while that sounds stupid its just what will naturally happen....it also doesnt really do anything changing his gender its like him having regular shoes in the new game rather than boots

in the other hand i rather see zelda have her own part of the game were you are able to control her and take her side of the adventure... anyway i know haters going to hate but just imagine samus now being a guy like how everyone thought originally weird if that were to randomly change right?

Okay...I'm not against the idea of a female Link. I mean, with how many iterations there have been of him, I find it unlikely that every single one would just so happen to be a dude. With that said...what's the point of this?

@DarkNinja9

Yeah I agree, of samus was male or lara croft was male people would be like what the hell why did they mess with the main character lol.

If Nintendo DOES decide to make the lead character a female in a future Zelda game, honestly, I'm sure it would be fine. As long as they pull it off tactfully, without pouring truckloads of feminism down our throats, and succumbing to the dark wishes of Tumblr fan artists.
I'm sure Nintendo could pull it off, if they REALLY wanted to... But honestly, I prefer Link to be a guy, because that's just what Link is... A man/boy with a adventurous heart, and and a sense of chivalry and heroism. I have tons of Sisters who all play Zelda, and not one of them has ever complained that "Link is always a guy", or that "women are being left out". In fact, they I'm sure would also prefer Link to be a guy.

Zelda has always been the age-old tale of a young man, rescuing a beautiful princess from the clutches of evil. And I think its important to keep that tale intact. No matter how PC our world gets.

Just my two cents.

@JellySplat Do you even know what feminism means?

Make it like pokemon then and have this "Are you a boy or a girl?" question at the beginning and have avatars for them ready it's as easy as that.

Or, since the game is all about, you know, ZELDA, why not make HER playable?

The pic of those two people look great as Link. I liked the look of Link in "A Link to the past" game. But I've been less keen on his look as time goes by. With the exception of Wind Waker.

I think its a good idea to have him played as a female.

@TingLz

Yes. Do you have a problem with my comment? Or are you just questioning my knowledge of the English Language?

seeing as link's gender plays little to no role in the game or its story, there is no sequence where link must impregnate a female guard, no sequence where is makes a rope using only beard hair and he has no personality outside of courage. So switching his gender will do nothing to ADD to the game. Other than be a cheap ploy for headlines which will then kick of more gamer gate crap. Making a Zelda/shiek or impa a lead in a game would be better seeing as they do have a personality and won't feel like an artificial change to long running franchise. I've said for years there should be a Zelda game set before the hero of legend turns up

@starman292

Well said. I whole-heartedly agree!

very little instances where links gender actually matters though

Although Link is a blank character so you, the player, can fit in everything you need to, he was always portrait as a male character and was established that way. The whole Zelda Universe is formed around Link being a male character and Zelda being the Princess.
So why not make a game starring Zelda as the lead character? ...

Making Link female dosn't bother me that much, but I really don't understand, why a male character has to be made a woman instead of either creating a new character that just is a woman or using Zelda instead .... Changing the gender of a character is a bad move in generell imo and we all saw how fans can react to it when Thor was made a femal (an insanely dumb move imho) just to appease to some fans ...

All in all I seem to hope, that Link remains a male character .... I have nothing against female leads, but I want them to be original, understandable and mostly fitting ... nut just a male character made into a female one, this is just sad and shows that not much though/creativity went into the character itself, so that IT'S GENDER is the most important part of it, this should NEVER be the case in ANY character in videogame/films/books in generell ...
But that's just my opinion I guess ....

@MrMario02

Aw, that's adorable. You think there isn't already a bunch out there already.

I'm kinda wary of the "genderbending Link" idea. Not because it's bad on itself, but the reason why its done: the people who are making the most noise with that idea its because they want to earn some "progressive points", and that's bad because they think the intention will make up for shoddy execution.

@Kyloctopus I agree.. Why change the gender for link when we could play as Zelda. It is called the Legend of "Zelda".

Only if we get a male Zelda.

And now I know why the SMT developers never considered making their protagonists female. What's interesting is the comparisons to Samus and Link. Before, Samus was just like Link; she didn't talk or have much of a personality, just got the work done. It wasn't until you beat the game that you realized she was female. It ultimately didn't matter in the game's story, that part was specifically for the players. Seeing the uproar over female Links is hilarious, since it wouldn't matter for the stories there, either. It would only affect the players.

hmm interesting ^^ Im not against it really

Why don't they just make a new Metroid game starring the best female lead ever?!?! In the same way I don't want a girl Link I wouldn't want a boy Samus. Think about it.

I wonder.... if Link was a girl from the beginning...and then they changed her (him) to a guy for something would people make a big deal about it? Either saying it is great or... say it is now sexist against women? I know people often complain about him always being a dude and that there is never enough female main roles making it sexist so I'm curious. .

Kotaku/SJW's would still complain it's sexist somehow.

a female Link and a Prince Zelda. Is this really how we want Nintendo to shake up the Zelda series? Come on. I'm a life time Zelda fan, and despite seeing the argument for this and why I could make sense in the timeline aspect. NO. Do not do this. I would still play this get over it, but I just don't want to.

@TingLz
There are about 3 different versions. That's the problem with labels.

I would never buy a zelda game where link is female. It is ridiculous we are even having this conversation.

This would be like making princess peach male.

Is it so odd to have the option to choose between male and female in the next game?

@JellySplat

I believe they were referring to this:. 'As long as they pull it off tactfully, without pouring truckloads of feminism down our throats, and succumbing to the dark wishes of Tumblr fan artists. '

It was a legitimate question imho.

@Kyloctopus I'd certainly be more interested in that. Why make Link a female character when there's already an interesting female character in the series they could make us play as? Hell, she's in the freaking title of the franchise.

Well, at least no one's used 'feminazi' yet...things are looking up!

I feel like genderbending Link might be considered transphobic and is probably something Nintendo would never do. I have high hopes for a playable zelda in Zelda U though, Aonuma has been talking about the many requests he's gotten for a playable zelda since 2013 and he's always looking to innovate.

I don't see this as a big deal. Get back to me when we're talking about Transgendered Link. Progressive TO THE EXTREME.

And since no one else has done the obvious yet:

To me is a big deal. Play as girl isn't a problem, I playeed the first Kotor as a girl and I have no problem with that, but Link is a CLASSIC character and always a boy/man, so to me is a real problem.

Next time, and if Samus was a Man???? Or if Peach was a Prince? And even, and if Marth was a man??(Just kidding Marth rocks)

Why not create a new game that stars a female character? What is the reason to change an already succesful franchise for no reason?

@Octane

They're literally constantly changing the already succesful franchise, in skyward sword they added motion controls and a hub whereas in a link between worlds you rented items and could do the dungeons in any order, etc. Change happens all the time, or did you just want them to make the first game over and over?

The closed mindedness in here is disturbing. Link can look like a chick but it would be terrible if the character had boobs? It would be great for the series and the video game industry as a whole if there was a femlink.

@BieberBlows

Sounds to me like you're the close minded one here. Link can be female without boobs, ever heard of transgender people?

I guess I'll just never understand the desire for a female Link. It doesn't make a lot of sense to me.
-If Link's gender "doesn't matter" to the point where he can be female, then how does it add anything if he is female?
-In today's world, where everyone is all about being PC and respecting people's gender identities and all that, how does it make sense to say, "Well, your maleness doesn't matter, we'd rather have you be a girl this time."?
-I feel that Link being male is part of the lore. Is it so weird to think that in the Zelda universe, souls always reincarnate as the same gender?
-Furthermore, not only is Link always male, he's always Hylian (at least I'm pretty sure he is). As a black man, I guess I ought to want to play as a character that better represents me. Where are all the people campaigning to have him reincarnated as a Shiekah or a Gerudo? That totally wouldn't change the story at all.
-How is "female cosplayers look more like this fictional character that doesn't look like any real person does" an actual argument? Or, worse, "I drew Link with breasts one time and it looked really good"?
-Finally, I don't understand the reasoning that female Link is a good idea because he already looks feminine. What, because he's not all big and manly, it doesn't matter that he's male? Is he not a REAL man?

Ewww cooties!!!

@DarthNocturnal That was Linkle, a little sister for Link according to the concept art notes in the strategy guide.

Considering that female Thor has looked more and more like saying "Look how progressive we are!!" with inclusion of -ewww- memes. I'd say no.

Just make a new character and/or franchise and build it up, it's not that hard. Switching the gender just because is worse than having no character at all.

Um, no... There should never be a game that stars a female Link. And what's next, should we make Zelda a prince perhaps? Donkey Kong is silent too right, let's make him female in his (sorry her) next sequel too. Stupid, stupid idea. If you want a female to have a starring role in a game set in the Zelda universe... just use Zelda and make it a spinoff. If they wanna go Mass Effect or Dragon Age and offer a female Link as a option, go ahead. I could care less but it shouldn't be done just to appease gender righteous fans that believe there should always be a male and female protagonist option in most published games. Hyrule Warriors has a wide variety of female protagonists that dominate the playable cast (and they're all pretty darn cool too). Series main character staples that have traditionally been the same sex don't need a sex change. Same goes for those wishing to play as a male Samus.

If you love to play Zelda games you're most likely going to be always playing as a dude, now get over it and keep it moving.

@Mijzelffan I have no problem that Link looks like a chick or actual Transgender people. I was pointing out how dumb I think the argument to keep Link male is when he is becoming increasingly effeminate.

Here's my take i could care less about a female Link,but i will admit if they went that way one day.Some fans will despise and not even get near game because of it like @nesvc. But what am i saying,Zelda fans hate everything that changes the franchise in a small or big way.

I'm not a fan of specifically changing established characters' gender just for the sake of it. However, since Link is a blank canvas, I wouldn't object in this case.

Instead, I would prefer there was more encouragement for developers to use a female lead when creating a new IP.

"The Legend of Zelda" and therefore, also the legend of Link are a prophecy about a female princess and a male boy united by the triforce.

Switching around the gender of a character that has been established 29 years ago just for the sake of switching genders would be ridiculous.
Not to mention that the gender of most Nintendo characters is completely irrelevant.
The only persons gender that is actually plot relevant in Zelda is ganondorf, being the first male Gerudo in centuries.

I also love the circla arguments when it comes to videogame character genders. "The gender is irrelevant, so why not make him a girl"
If the gender is irrelevant, its also irrelevant that he has been a boy for 30 years now, so theres no point in changing that now.

As for a female lead in general, why not ? There are plenty characters to go with here, Give Impa a spot in the limelight ? Shes already an established warrior, weve seen very little of the shiekah tribe so far, she would be a gread addition for some sort of prequel setting.
Or a Gerudo warrior, trying to stop Ganon herself to lessen the shame of her tribe thats caused by him.

And the list goes on. The Zelda universe is so rich and coloful, why change things established 30 years ago when you could just expand another characters story ?

Also, why do people want to settle with such "workarounds" ?
Whats so "progressive" about that ? Why not demand a proper female character that portraits the demographic, why take away an existing one instead ?
Thats the point where i start to think "youre not trying to push for a more inclusive cast, youre trying to conquer it for your own"

Also, to those poeple mumbling "but he already looks feminin".
Dingdong, wakeup call. Looks have nothing to do with gender.
A feminin look has always been a staple of beaty in asian countries.
Fot whatever gender there is. Feminin = beatiful. Gender didnt matter.
Take Zhao Yu form the Three Kingdoms. A man so beatiful, that plenty of men fell for him. HIs descrion could fit a woman pretty well.
His orientation ? Hes married to a woman.

When it comes down to it, I really don't care if Nintendo were to make a game with a female Link or as others stated with the better idea, a game with Zelda as the main character.

However, I'm kind of getting tired of established characters in all types of media changing race/gender/whatever in an attempt to make one portion of the community happy. Not once have I asked if Samus could be a man or any other character to switch gender, race, sexuality, whatever. For me it's not the about Link being a man or women but more about the act of changing a character that someone created to appease someone else.

I'm sick of people saying everyone should be represented in every game/franchise. Link has always been male. There's no reason to change that. The whole argument that a character needs to be female to be relatable to females is ridiculous. If that was true, the Zelda games, which have always starred a male Link, wouldn't have so many female fans. Rather than demand Nintendo force female characters into male roles, people should celebrate the female characters Nintendo already has, and ask for future female characters, and/or more games starring the existing female characters.

@k8sMum
I know what he was referring to.
You mean it was legitimate question to ask if I knew what feminism means? No it wasn't. It was snarky, and condescending. The guy obviously either assumed i was an idiot, or dissagreed with me and had an obnoxious way of showing it. So I replied with a hint of sarcasm.

@Einherjar

Wonderful post! I see we think very much alike.

@Mijzelffan You could do the dungeons in any order you'd like in the original Legend of Zelda and in Zelda II, it was a feature that has been lost over the years.

Still, motion controls (which were added in TP), or choice in dungeon order change the game in a different way. There are certain things we can expect from a Zelda game, certain features that define a Zelda game. Nobody wants Zelda to turn into a military shooter, just because ''change happens all the time''.

Besides, why not change his race? Why not change Zelda's gender? Or Ganon's gender? I don't care what gender the character is I play as, but I don't want change for the sake of changing, because that's rarely a good thing. Especially if they're just trying to cater to a vocal minority.

@SanderEvers lol, that's a good one.

I actually think it's an interesting idea. but why not put zelda in the protagonist role and have her kick some Gluteus maximus? I mean Tetra was already a pirate queen! why not do something in that context?

Changing Link to a female to appease fans or critics is like Ian Anderson changing his name to Jethro Tull for the same reason. Let's just start fresh and make a new spinoff of Zelda games with her as the lead, shall we?

@MussakkuLaden "His gender doesn't really matter. And just BECAUSE it doesn't matter, he should finally for once be female."
Exactly! Other than SS, link haven't had (unambiguously) romantic subplots.

I don't really care about the main characters sex unless it conflicts with the games story although I think I'd much rather a sheik spin off game to see what happened during those 7 years link was gone in OOT. A comic fan explain to me why the female thor doesn't currently make any sense as it goes against established plot elements which is probably why it has the fastest readership decline of any thor comic series produced...

@Octane

People who have a problem with Link's gender being changed are the vocal minority, I don't see why they should stick with Link being male all the time just because a few neckbeards get their panties in a twist at the idea of Link being female. Aonuma loves to shake things up just to see what happens (see a link between worlds, I personally hated the gimmicks but he did it anyway) so being able to customize your Link's race or gender is nothing out of line with that philosophy.

How about we have a Zelda game starring his sister Aryll or maybe create a new female character, who could be Link's Niece. Link could play a mentor role if they decided to make his niece the main protagonist. Anyways Link should be male, making him female wouldn't add anything.

I don't see what the problem would be with letting the gamer choose to be a male or female Link at the start of the game. It wouldn't be that much extra work.

I don't see why this is a problem. Link is a single soul in various bodies over thousands of years. I don't have a problem with at least one of those bodies being female.

The only thing I'd have an issue with is if the character's appearance was radically altered beyond recognizability (like what happened with Marvel's female Thor, who doesn't look like the character of Thor at all). And with a character like Link, that's really not likely to be a problem as it would be with a lot of other characters.

@FX29 it would be tough to make him a mentor because he never talks... Maybe his soul could be imbued into something and the main playable character could have flashbacks of link performing the actions from previous games to learn from.

Hm, I dunno, this "jam" sounds a bit forced, to be honest.

Also, of course women can cosplay Link better than guys - most of the time, Link has a comparably feminine face and build, plus a pretty face, something very few guys possess (or keep).

That said, Link's gender was just decided to accomodate for gamers back then (which were almost entirely male), and that kinda stuck. If Nintendo really were to make a heroine instead of a hero for a Zelda game, it should have direct effects on the game flow (and not in the cliché girly way). It's kinda dumb to just switch a characters gender for no reason other than white knights screaming equality.

There is a female link already, her name is samus! Or shaemus as some call her

@Mijzelffan
They might be a vocal minority, but that doesn't make them smaller or less important than the vocal minority that wants Link to be a girl. The difference is that one group wants Link to remain as he is, and the other wants to change him. Change usually demands more support than consistency/tradition. In other words, why change Link when the vast majority of Zelda fans are fine with how he is?

Of course, the best-case scenario to just plain have a game starring Zelda.

Seriously, there's a 21 year gap between her playable appearances (disregarding Smash); Wand of Gamelon (1993) and Hyrule Warriors (2014). I think she really needs to get a bit more attention onscreen.

@TrueWiiMaster

Why change the item system to rentals when we were all fine with obtaining them in dungeons? Why did Game Freak add a fairy type when most people were fine with the types they had? Change happens in videogames, I don't get why some people so vehemently resist it. I personally prefer a playable zelda over a female link but I don't see the problem either way. I honestly wonder if in 1999 people had the same kind of discussions about being able to play as a girl in pokemon.

@Mijzelffan Take it easy, no need to throw insults around.

I think you should read my post again; I don't care what gender the character is I play as. It's not an issue about gender, it's about the change itself. There's no good reason to change Link, so I don't see why he should.

People use the argument ''why not to change Link's gender?'', but ''the burden of proof'' so to speak is on you. I'd like to see a valid argument as to why he should change, other than ''change happens''.

@Mijzelffan The difference is that Link is an established character. The player character in Pokémon games are not, they change every game anyway. You don't play as Red in every game, or as Gold.

@Mijzelffan

Can you explain clearly why just having Zelda as a playable character is somehow an unnacceptable compromise?

@Octane

Link changes every game with a few exceptions, it's always a different person. The name Link itself is just a default name, like Robin from fire emblem or Red from pokemon. Changing Link from a guy to a girl would be less of a visible change than wind waker link compared to twlight princess link.

@Mijzelffan
Those were both gameplay changes. They didn't change characters. What you're describing would be more like changing Pikachu's colors because a small group preferred green to yellow. In the grand scheme of things, it wouldn't matter, but it would still be unnecessary, and some people would be vehemently against it.

Probably not. The player characters were never really the stars of Pokemon. You play as the kid, but the real stars are the Pokemon. Besides, as Octane said, there is no connection between the player characters in different Pokemon games.

Changing the graphics and changing the established characters are very different things. And while Link is technically always a different person, he's always the hero of legend. He always wears the same/similar clothes, almost always has blonde hair, is always Hylian, and is always male.

@Mijzelffan

I think most people who oppose a change would be okay with it if it was Nintendo's original creative idea and not being asked for by a group of unhappy fans. If none of us heard about this discussion, and Nintendo announced at this year's E3 that Link was a female in the upcoming game, I think the majority of gamers would be like "okay, no big deal". Of course you can't make everyone happy so there would be people who would be very angry.

I wouldn't mind playing as Tetra for a spin-off game.

@Mijzelffan The difference between Wind Waker and Twilight Princess is due to a different age and different art style, that had little to do with changing the character Link.

changing links gender is an insult the games lore (and its fans). Make a female lead Zelda game sure (I really want one), let us play as a young Impa, Zelda/Shiek, Tera or even a new character (i'm sure there more than a few lady knights of skyloft) and play a new story in Hyrule. Simply gender swapping Link himself wouldn't provided any direct change to the gameplay or its basic narrative. There are dozens more interesting ways of a having a female lead with out gender bending link

@TrueWiiMaster

I never heard anyone complain when they changed Impa's skin colour in skyward sword.

@dkxcalibur

That seems to be it, I feel like people here are under the impression that Nintendo will mindlessly do what people request of them. Which is not the case or we'd have Goku in smash right now. At most fans can bring something to the attention of the devs and then they will decide whether they think it's a good idea or not. If Link is female next game it's because Aonuma decided he liked the idea of a female Link, not because SJWs forced him to.

I'd rather have a game where Impa or Zelda have to save Link. Now THAT sounds like a good time

Besides, Link is a very androgynous character anyway and is hardly ever referred to with any kind of pronoun. It's super easy to just flop his gender in your mind and create a lesbian love story between him/her and Zelda... Not that I did that every time I played OOT...

@Mijzelffan
Impa is not a main character, let alone the starring character, and has looked significantly different in pretty much every game she's been in. Aside from graphical changes, Link looks pretty much the same in every game.

With the way Link looks and acts, I peg him as gender-less or maybe both.

I seen and known quite a number of non-gamer adults that think Link is a girl already. To me making Link a female is just adding boobs and possibly showing more body like exposed legs or a tighter tunic.

@starman292 lara already has a male version its Nathan drake

That quote got creepier as it went along.

What's the point of changing a character's gender? To make people feel better? It's up to Nintendo whether or not Link is male or female, and they've already made him a, well, him for about 30 years. The only reason people want to change characters' genders is to force their beliefs about how they need more women onto already established characters. Nintendo doesn't have to do anything. Link has been male for nearly 30 years. Really, get over it.

Guys the easiest way for this to work is actually very simple. Doesn't take much development time, and changes none of the gameplay or story. The answer is to simply let the player chose what gender the hero will be reincarnated as. Hell, with the new design, they could really get away without even changing the model. Just the pronouns. Or even more clever, never have anyone refer to link by gender, just "you" or "that kid." It'd be easy since dialogue refering to the hero in third person is usually scarce anyways.

I feel like some want a female link simply to have another pair of breasts to fawn over.

Also, for those insisting link stay male, no one is suggesting a change of gender ofban established character, but rather a female to inherit the triforce of courage.

I've always thought as samus as holder of both triforce of courage and wisdom, her parents having been the link and zelda of that time, and ridley is space ganon.

I still think making link female in hyrule's setting would detract from the game. Just because our society is politically correct and progressive, doesn't mean hyrule is. Based on zelda's world, it'd be hard to make a female into an accepted hero out of nowhere. Why would anyone entrust a woman with any job in a world where men do pretty much all hard work? Link get's sent on adventures half the time because he's a strapping young lad.

Not that you couldn't wtite a heroine fighting for acceptance as a hero, and to stop ganon, but it would take more work and actually writers, so extra cost as well.

As would gender choice, both making more work on how characters would interact with the hero, and limit relationships, like btrothels to fish princesses, especially because being a family orientated developer, nintendo will not feature homosexuality in the game, too many would take offense.

I'd say the best solution is have zelda playable. Maybe do something like the oracles games, but each game has it's lead character, and they take place simultaneously. Evrryone wins!

@EllenJMiller you hit the nail right on the head it's pretty much exactly what dc comics are going through right now for having a cover of batgirl being threatened by the joker.People want female heroes but don't want them in perilous situations its ridiculous.

I think it would be cool if Link was female... IF it affected the story and if it's something the developers WANT to do! Otherwise it would just be diversity for the sake of diversity, because they're pestered into doing it and that's not right either.

As a long-time Zelda fan (been there since the original on the NES), I would personally NOT have a problem with an OPTION to play as a female Link. I do not see why it has to be one or the other - Nintendo should give the player the possibility to choose what gender their Link should be at the beginning of the game . At the end of the day, Link is nothing but an avatar for the player so who cares if someone chooses Link to be a girl?! If you want Link to be a boy - then choose a boy Link and the game that you play and the story that you experience will be your own, played in the gender that best suits your personal taste and vice versa. This should appease both sides.

So there - problem solved. YOU'RE WELCOME.

Oh my god this is the Thor fiasco of 2014 all over again. I don't mind a female Link, but there has to be a male option available as well to appeal to both genders. Yet again, I feel as though the story would have to change seeing as Nintendo is so anti-homosexuality. Why can't we just make a Zelda game instead of changing established characters?

I hope Nintendo one day says this will never happen just so it'll quit popping up everywhere. Link is a guy. Just like Mario or Sonic or whoever. I have no idea why people want to change that. Yeah, there are more male stars in games than females I'd say, but don't change one that's already been established for years. Use Samus or Peach more, or create all new characters. As for the Zelda series, have Zelda herself be the playable character in a game, or an option at least. I could be just fine with that. This argument has gotten old and everyone ends up mad at each other at the end of the day.

I'd actually like to see a Zelda game where you can choose between playing as Link or Zelda. Either at a character select screen or on the fly, this "save the Princess" is an old trope by now. Zelda kicks but in Smash so why not in the main series? On a side note I'd also like to see Princess Peach in a similar role, Super Princess Peach did a decent job but they should have went even harder. Maybe kept the Mario powerups instead creating those silly one. Girls and hearts I get it but why can't girls kick some but too. Samus Aran has been kicking but for years...

@Whopper744
Actually, link is several guys...

They should put female link on the $20 bill!

@NintendoFan64 from what I understand they are all reincarnations just like Gannon/ganondorf and zelda. The are bound to the triforce pieces they stand for. This is why we don't have a male zelda. I'm not against the idea but it doesn't make much sense ether

Two very simple solutions to this problem:

• If Link's gender is irrelevant to the story, then give me the option to play as either gender.

-Just make a Zelda game where she's the protagonist. It could be a really neat and original concept when you consider what magical abilities she has. And considering the success of Majora's Mask, no one can argue that a radically different Zelda game wouldn't make money.

The Legend of Zelda already has a female protagonist, instead of changing Link into a woman why don't they just make a game where Zelda is playable? One of Link's primary reasons for setting out to save the world is typically attributed to the spirit of the Hero's undying love for the reincarnated goddess Zelda.

In TLoZ Link does not save Hyrule on his own but rather in tandem with Zelda, a great pro feminism example, as Zelda brings her own innate strengths to the table that in nearly every adventure are essential to saving Hyrule. I don't think it makes sense to change the genders when you further consider the fact that both characters are meant to represent the best in people with a particular attachment to qualities typical of their genders. It's not sexist to recognize a difference in gender roles, Link as a man is stronger and more likely to fight, and Zelda as a woman is more likely to have greater emapthy for others given a womans natural role as a caretaker of children, thus there roles in the game make sense and illustrate best why we ought to value the abilities of the other sex. Obviously there's some generalization going on here but it's unavoidable if one's attempting to develop a character that the average person will relate to.

So in summary i'd suggest TLoZ is a rather pro feminist game in that it places equal value on the contribution of both main protagonists who happen to be of different genders. Keep in mind feminism is not the belief that man and women are the same but rather that they both have the potential to be equally as valuable to society. Clearly in the LoZ they are both equally necessary and valuable to their society's continued success.

They should make a game jam asking for a game where you can play as a male Lara Croft. Wait, that'd be an Indiana Jones game...

@NintendoFan990
Where on earth did you get the idea Nintendo is anti-homosexual?

@SwaveSays
You missed the third option of "It's not even a problem."

This seems entirely unnecessary, though I wouldn't be opposed to having the option. It's not like Zelda doesn't have strong female characters though, so making Link female just for the sake of it is stupid.

"For years and years and years, women have been on the internet and in video game magazines dressing up like Link, and pulling it off way better than dudes. Seriously. In just about every instance. Not to mention the enormous amount of female Link fanart that has been around since the dawn of time, plus fanfiction. Plus sometimes you have a dream about her, too."

I don't believe that a character like Link needs a gender change anyway (he's a blank slate), but this is just stupid. "Females do cosplay of this character better than males! [Citation needed], and fanart exists, so this should be a thing!". I'm facepalming just reading this stuff. It's an embarrassment.

No, we don't need a character to change gender just for the sake of it. There are plenty of female characters in gaming already, but if you want more, go make some. Also, linking to female Thor of an example of gender swapping done well? Really?

"Should fans be getting annoyed about the idea of Link being female, or should they be more mindful of the fact that women like gaming too, and might sometimes like to play as a character which more closely represents them?"

This question is so loaded its not even funny. Guess what, there are already plenty of female characters in gaming, and no one is opposed to there being more of them. Changing the gender of established characters is stupid in the best of cases. Most gamers don't care about the gender, race, or sexuality of the character they're playing as, because it isn't important. Stop making it an issue.

Whilst Link was originally meant to be kind of a blank slate for the player, hence his name, I personally think Link has evolved enough naturally over time that he basically developed into his own character and thus Male (his inclusion in Smash Bros is one thing). It still surprises me that Ninty continues to allow us to name Link in the Zelda games and I hope for the day he has a voice and personality in a future title.

That said, there's nothing wrong with Nintendo creating a completely new female character and make her the star of a future Zelda game with Link in a secondary role. I'd love to play that.

Honestly, it always seemed rather silly to me that they never made Link customizable with the rise of the gamecube, wii and DS. I mean, nostalgia is great but he's called "Link" because he's a LINK between player and world. It seems to me that it would make perfect sense for his face, hair color, and even gender or race should be rightfully changeable along with his name. There are already plenty of incarnations, the only part he really needs are his green cap and his gear. Maybe his tunic. Not everyone is a blonde white boy.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not asking for Saints' Row here. I just feel like basic stuff like gender don't need to be on rails for a blank slate character.

Or if you want him to be a defined character, do that. But don't go middle ground. Either flesh him out, or give us a basic custom feature (please go with option 2 here).

@Dezzy
Probably from the tomadachi life controversy

@starmarx39
Considering the limitted options for the miis, you're asking for too much

Saw this, got an idea. If you beat the game under a certain amount of minutes you get a bonus cutscene revealing that Link was actually a man the whole time. Pays homage to that other game.

Do it for the sake of novelty, and make sure it meshes well within the valid, existing story of female Zelda wanting to be with male Link forever, by her choice.

A female Link is just asking for extra drama and baggage - if not in the actual story when the inevitable primary differences get highlighted for the sake of the simple story and gameplay variety, then in the perception by the gaming public which will jump down Nintendo's throats for "caving to politics."

The concept of ages of Link have also been thrown around - perhaps start with Adult Link, then introduce an item or mechanic by which you can become Female Link (different NPC interactions, more defense, less attack), Young Link (different NPC interactions, faster combat speed, can't use heavy items but does well in air/wind situations), and Sage Link (select NPC's actually will respond more, increased Magic Power and attack, less defense, increased attack with special skills).

And (and this getting a little heavy-handed, but...) have the message of the story being comfortable with and confident in one's own self. Have Zelda say a line along the lines of, "I know you've had different forms in your quest, and you may even miss them. But, if you weren't you, the way you are, Hyrule might not have been saved. So, thank -you-."

@catsrnice - You know that would lead to an unjustified outrage.

@Geonjaha
I think it'd be justified.. I mean, how would they reveal link's gender?

@LetsGoRetro I hear you. Do you think a female player might feel that making the main character male takes a little away for her? Not trying to be judgmental or anything, it's just that you make a pretty good case for why female players might enjoy a few more games with strong leads they could relate to more.

I'm in the camp that says make Zelda the main character for either an entire game, half of it, or have a co-op mode where you could play either. Zelda has so much potential as a character and has been in many interesting roles. It wouldn't be any kind of stretch to get her in on the main game play and Link could stay Link. Legend of Zelda, am I right?

This may sound cynical, but the people who want a female Link are mostly just cynics who will never be happy. Make Link a female and they will complain about the lack of an lesbian relationship between Link and Zelda. Or a female Link will be dressed wrong or will not be fat enough. God forbid Nintendo if they forget to make him black.
I'm happy to play any Zelda game but I caution Nintendo about listening to these people because these kind of people are too busy looking for what is wrong to enjoy and celebrate what is going right.

I just looove the way that people feel we need a female Link yet if we got a male Samus there would be utter outrage, their genders don't play a huge role in their stories, so can somebody PLEASE explain what difference there is between the two?

There are ACTUAL problems for women in many countries today, spend your time helping them instead.
To think that a group of American women can try and push a feminist agenda on a venerable Japanese company like Nintendo brings a whole new meaning to the word narcissist. It is THEIR ART alone and is not up to you to decide what they do with it. They chose to make Link a man and Zelda a woman because they felt like it, end of story. If another group was calling for Samus to be a man in the next game, I would be JUST AS ANNOYED.

To those who feel like they can push their agenda/religion/beliefs on to others for their own gain: F*CK YOU!!!

Lol, no.

I'd rather see people create original female characters in all honesty...

The Legend of Zelda has been my absolute favorite gaming series since I was 7, and I don't see any signs of that changing any time soon. I don't have much to add that hasn't been stated already, but I've got some heavy opinions on these matters, yo! It'll be long an redundant, but I want to type them out anyway.
I'm all for equal representation in video games. Especially in today's gaming culture. That being said, I know good and well that the Zelda franchise is not a great example of equal representation. But its tricky with this series in particular. In some titles, the only characters with darker complexions are villains. But as far as race goes, Zelda is chalked full of them. Just not humanoid races. As with most Japanese games, there's not much representation for people of color because the country is no where near racially diverse as Europe and America, so their primary market doesn't see the need for variation. But gender is a different ball game altogether.
Certain Zelda games have more of a story to tell, and others just hand you a sword and say "Here, go out to start your own story". Skyward Sword would not have worked as well with a female Link. Link to the Past would have worked just fine. I think the option to let the player choose the gender should generally have very little room for argument. However, in certain games (like Skyward Sword) it may impact the narrative of the story. Link and Zelda aren't always romantically tied, but when they are, gender plays a huge role, and I think a same-sex couple might cause more controversy than Nintendo is willing to deal with.
Mirroring what others have stated many times here, "Link" is a name used to 'link' the character to the game world. So, I think its completely appropriate to have an avatar that best represents the player. Choosing boy or girl and a sliding scale for skin pigment isn't asking much. For an open world game like the next Zelda, I think this would be the ideal option.
While I think the option for gender is a perfectly fine idea, I don't think a female-only Link would be received well for several reasons.
But the main point I'm getting to that many others have already hit on is: Seriously, why can't we play as Zelda?
I've seen people ranging from both extremes of "SJW Feminazi" to "proudly misogynist/racist" all come out and say "Hey, I would love to play as the titular character of this series" No outrage regarding a female main character, just a desire to play a game with a rapier wielding royal princess with magic powers. I think this is the common ground we all want to get behind.

@TerrapinJess
That's where we could go into the controversial Link talking topic. Or like you said have him comeback in flashbacks kinda like Hero's Shade from Twilight Princess. Anyways I would love to see a female protagonist for a Zelda game, but I just don't think making a female Link would be beneficial. I'd rather have a brand new female character as I stated before.

Gender bending! It's the new not at all creative thing to do when you've completely run out of ideas! See: Thor, Ghostbusters, the plethora of gender bender fan art etc. Obviously this is an awful idea. Why not just have Zelda as an unlocked playable character in the game, much in the way Castlevania Dracula X had a female playable character that played very differently? This is just more of the vocal minority of SJW's that have latched onto gaming recently. If you really want female protagonists try this: create your own ORIGINAL game that has a female protagonist. Sheesh.

@aaronsullivan There are already loads of games with strong female leads. Link has always been male. Gender bending is the lazy solution to the non-need for female protagonists. Instead of creating a new IP with a female lead, lets just hijack this beloved series. Why?

@SlicingScyther Because creating an entirely new and original game is a lot of work for pushing a nonsense worldview, so instead lets hijack The Legend of Zelda series and claim gender bending the main character is creative. It isn't and you are absolutely right, people would be angry if Samus was gender bent into a man. Even I would be. Leave the original properties alone. Can't the SJW's peddle their ridiculous worldview elsewhere?

Why don't they just let you choose if you want to play as a male or girl link plenty of games let you choose these day so why not a Zelda game

@b5234
hear hear!

I'm not sure I see the point of this exercise, since Link, arguably, looks like a girl anyway.

I want to play a game featuring a lesbian black female Link who is a paraplegic

@aaronsullivan

Yes, I do think there are probably female players who feel the same as I do, in reverse. However, I would guess that there are less female players who feel this way than male for reasons such as:

1) Growing up with every lead being male, we're just kind of used to it.
2) In real life, men tend to be the ones who would do the things that make up most video games (war, fighting, etc.)
3) Women may feel they're kind of stepping into a "man's world" when they play games, the same way many women probably feel when they play a sport, or get involved in organized fighting.

Again, I don't know any of this for a fact, and as time goes on it does become more common for women to do the things I mention above, but I'm just answering your question(s).

I think the simple solution is to do what many games do and have a Male/Female option at the beginning of the game. All it takes is a few extra drawings and animations and it becomes a possibility. Zelda tends to be about saving a princess, so it would require them to switch it to something along the lines of a female saves a male prince. To me, that's silly, but if it increases the enjoyment for a female player (or any other player), than who am I to say it's a bad idea?

@Sanqet I think that the option to choose doesn't work with Zelda games. It's the same as if the Metroid franchise had such option, or any other game with a strong narrative. To me it comes off as ''we're not confident enough to create a suitable main character, so go ahead and make your own.'' I'm fine with character customisation in games like Animal Crossing and Pokémon, where the playable character is more an avatar than an actual character. But in games where the playable character is part of a strong narrative, I'd rather see the developer create a suitable character, whether that is a female or a male character, I don't really care.

Wow, that's a lot of walls of text! Haha. Personally, I don't see what they need to go all gender bender on Link when they could easily just make one of many awesome female Zelda characters playable (like Impa or Zelda), or just make a new character entirely.

@LetsGoRetro
Well, if you look at that list, it's easy to see why women who do like games might be frustrated.

Most boys aren't told there are many roles in life they shouldn't play, yet girls are pushed away from many, even if indirectly through what the most popular games involve.

I suppose we have the inverse of stepping into a "woman's world" in some scenarios, but how frustrating it must be for many woman that games that require reflexes or are intellectually stimulating, or sports that are an intense and fun way to stay fit are in the realm of "a man's world".

I'm just like anybody trying to get my head around these issues. I have a daughter and a wife who enjoy gaming and sports. I don't care much about the flaming gamergate wars or whatever. From the outside that just looks like a bunch of riled up babies crying about someone stepping in their playground uninvited.

As far as the male or female Link option, I don't see why a female Link couldn't go save a princess. I'd still prefer to have Impa or Zelda be a playable character in the games. I'd love some creative approach where you have to work around all the effects that Link is doing (good or bad) to get the job done, for instance. (Though that even makes some unintentional commentary. )

There's certainly fan support of playing female characters from the series if Hyrule Warriors is any indication.

All that said, I don't see the harm in some indie games about a female Link.

@LetsGoRetro
interesting perspective.

I don't think female/male option is so simple. it takes a new character model, since a female model would be significantly different from male link. animations would probably be different too, seeing how men and women tend to move differently in general.

Then there are story elements that would change. doling out chores to a random strong young man is one thing, but for a female character? this isn't modern new york, this is more like medieval europe... so the workmen in the world would be realistically hesitant to try to shaft female link with fetch quests and dangerous tasks. to give them the same story completely would severely limit the options.

but if they did have a female protagonist though wouldn't necessitate a male prince, it could be a girl who's besties with zelda. no romantic relationship, just the power of friendship. wouldn't be so farfetched, but I think it's beyond the capabilities of nintendo... especially seeing how they handled samus in other M.

@aaronsullivan @khaosklub

You both make a very good point that a female Link could save a female princess. A kind of silly oversight on my part when stating my points of view.

To Aaron, I do suppose there are females that would be frustrated about everything you mention. This conversation is on the verge of entering a "non-gaming" conversation and I would really like to avoid where that could potentially end up, hehe.

I consider my views "old fashioned", others can and do consider them "ignorant" and "shovinistic" (I'm almost positive I misspelled that). I am not in the "men and women should be able to do absolutely every single thing the other does in all circumstances" camp.

I think nature and biology is very telling as to who should be doing what- There has to be SOME reason men are born with much more muscle and naturally are much more aggressive, no?

Ok, so I've officially taken the conversation right where I earlier stated I hoped it wouldn't go, hehe. Anyways, to any females (or males) offended by my points of view, I apologize. I would enjoy a female-led Zelda game a tad bit less, but my opinion is no more important than you who would enjoy it a tad bit more, so hopefully we both get our games made in a way that maximizes our enjoyment!

Happy gaming, all!

I'm still pulling for Nintendo to make Link's gender customizable in the upcoming title and titles to follow. Not because of any political or social ideology or whatever, it just seems to me that if Nintendo truly want Link to be the "link to the player," the choice should be available for anyone who wishes.

And aside from a few games, Link's gender is pretty much immaterial anyways.

I think the best thing to do would be to make two handheld games ala the oracle games, except they take place simultaneously. Link and Zelda must both work to stop ganon in their own separate and unique adventure in their own game.

Zelda's equipment could be magic based like the magic rod. while link's is more tool based, like the magnet gloves. each playing distinctly different yet somewhat similar.

they could also link up similar to the oracles games, except through system save files instead of passwords. after beating one game, certain accomplishments in one game would reflect on the other's adventure, and then at the end of both, you can face ganon with the character from the opposite version of the one you're playing based on the save data.

This could be an opportunity to please those who want a female protagonist, those who want to keep link, those who want to play as zelda and would be a good way to gauge overall interest in the issue through sales of each version.

@metroidfire1
haha true XD but at least they didn't name it tomb raider XD

Female Link, Male Link, it doesn't matter to me. Give me a badass, fearless Link who whips out their bow, hookshot, Master Sword and Hylian shield up against a giant pig monster/gangrene ginger and I'll be happy.

@Kaze_Memaryu

I think equality is a good enough reason.

For instance, would you say the same thing about letting women vote?

I highly doubt you'd clarify it as "sure, we should let women vote, but not just for equality. They need to vote for the men that we tell them to vote for."

Equality is plenty good enough.

@AK-1138

That's a good way to go. If Miyamoto's goal has always been for Link "not to speak" so that he is an avatar for the player, then giving a gender option is the best way to do that.

@aaronsullivan

Now, that was a good post.

I don't have a problem with Link being female--be it in indie or official. It's not like he's written so specifically so that he must be male, and Link is an extremely popular character to be cosplayed by women.

@Rasgar Preach!

@Einherjar
My thoughts exactly. I honestly don't understand the fascination with gender-bending characters, and the logic that they use to argue for it is baffling.

People use the argument that Link is almost always a different person, 30 years later when he has literally always been male, always Hylian, and almost always blond. Never mind Zelda, Ganondorf, and him have always been apart of a triangle, and that can't be broken without also changing Zelda's character or her relation to Link.

The most baffling thing though is the assertion that this is the biggest and most important change Nintendo could make if they want to shake up the series's formula. Not only is it absurd by itself, it contradicts their argument that gender doesn't matter, and implies their ideas can't stand on their own.

I can't help but question what their actual motives are, since from what I've seen most of the "evidence" supporting any argument of this nature in gaming is cherry-picked, taken out of context, or misconstrued. Its only a problem if you can't simply enjoy a game's story and narrative for what it is.

@Quorthon
It's a terrible analogy. The general population that vote is 50/50 men/women. Console gaming is overwhelmingly male and therefore there's an inherent reason for most playable characters to be male by default. Saying "equality" in something that's starting out as not being equal, and will probably stay that way, is completely meaningless.

@Dezzy

Wrooooooooooooooooooooooooooonnnnnnnngggggggg.

Here yah go champ, a study from the ESA themselves (it's a PDF) :

http://www.theesa.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/ESA_EF_2014.pdf

Gamers are pretty evenly split, 50/50 male/female.

Gamers are not overwhelmingly male. It's 2015, not 1992.

And equality is never meaningless. NEVER.

Hell, adult women significantly outnumber teenage boys in gaming: http://www.pbs.org/newshour/rundown/female-adults-oust-teenage-boys-largest-gaming-demographic/

More women in gaming is always a good thing.

@Sanqet Because it would bring nothing new to the game at all. Just some different shout samples.
Link has no personality, no backstory, no nothing.
BUT the games overarching lore is, that at a certain age, boys dress up as the fabled hero of time.

There is literally no point and no need for a gender swap here,
In games where your actions define the games story, like many western CRPGs, its definitly a good thing to have a character creation tool.
But for a series with such a thin story such as Zelda, there is no actual need.

@Zombie_Barioth My best guess: Tumblr Culture -.-
Its the new "in" thing to be against everything, to find problems where there are none and think everything must be changed so that no one feels left out. How reasonable that is seems to be of no concern.

Also, Zelda storylines are paper thin, at least on a game by game basis. Like pretty much every Nintendo franchise, its rather "background lore" driven. And literally the only perisistant thing throughout the whole series that never ever changed in 30 years is the triforce trinity.
The couragous boy, the wise princess, the powerfull warlock.
The male / female hero duo against the male gerudo, the first of his kind in centuries. Its literally the only consistant thing.

@Quorthon It still begs the question: What exactly is your point ?
It doesnt matter if the overall demographic is evenly split or not.
There are plenty female protagonists and support characters. Why should anything be changed ?
Stop reading studies and go out and ask actual gamer woman.
There are plenty Zelda fans among them. Ask them if Link being a boy made the series overall any less fantastic over the last 30 years,
Again, there is no need to change anything. What worked for 30 years will work for another 30 years.

Or, or, level with me guys, we could have spinoff Zelda with Tetra as the main character or do something even crazier by just playing Zelda with a male Link! Crazy idea, right guys?!
I never understood these type of people...
Also, of course you're going the look prettier in than a male cosplayer because you're dressing up in feminae clothing...

I have an idea. I could come up with an IP based upon an idea I have and people fall in love with. Then over time people can come along and suggest I change my original IP to fit their personal agenda. Um no. We do not need a transgender Link to satisfy anyone. If you want to play an action/adventure puzzler game with a female lead then play Metroid, Tomb Raider, any of the other myriad of games with a female protagonist or that allow to choose one or come up with your own IP. This is about as ridiculous of thinking Master Chief, Kratos, or Mario should be a female so we can all feel better about ourselves.

Can we talk about the real issue here? Why does Link's outfit always have to be green? It wasn't always green in the first three games. And while we're on the subject, what happened to Link's pink hair from Link to the Past?

So when will we get male Samus, eh?

@Quorthon Those numbers you cite are a little deceiving because they are including casual/mobile gaming. Console gaming is still very much male dominated. Hop into any multiplayer session of COD, Battlefield or even Mario Kart and good luck finding a woman. Not saying it is good or bad, just saying your research doesn't paint an entirely accurate picture concerning the issue at hand.

@khaosklub Am I? Miis aren't that limited, and all I need is race, gender and hair color. The tunic is fine if they choose to keep it, all he really needs to be iconic is his cap. Nintendo has done this much before. What about Pokemon X and Y?

Eh, I don't think it'd matter to me that much. After all, they do want Link to represent the player, so having the option wouldn't be horrible.

Sign me up, I always choose/create a female character when given the choice.

@Einherjar
Your guess as as good as mine. I swear people must be bored, there's no real problems that need to be addressed so people feel the need to create some. That, or its a case of now that gaming is popular its now a 'new frontier' to conquer.

That was exactly my point by the way. The three of them are basically intertwined at this point, and you can't change either character without also changing the male/female hero duo against the the evil warlock story.

You might also argue Zelda is too closely linked (no pun intended) to the goddess Hylia. Her role and identity are arguably more important than Link's, and therefore so is her relation to him. Every goddess needs her hero.

I'm not sure what the article is about all I see it two Hot elves =)

@starmarx39
for being an avatar for all players, mii's are very limited in their options. if nintendo can't provide the customization where it really matters, how can you much for something where it's not the main feature?

@Quorthon Uh, THAT example was really out of context... oh well.
I don't think changing the gender of Link to female has much to do with equality, and also not promoting it, if it just happens for that sake - that makes it a forced decision, and forced decisions based on social pressure have no meaning, since they're neither upright nor honest.
It's an author's choice that evidently is not used to degrade the possibility of female heroes or turn the favor towards men. But changing Link's gender would beg the question: why is Link a girl this time? And I think it's a writers' responsibility to not only answer this question, but also bring a noticeable change to something recurring within the Zelda universe that changes to reflect this gender-switch. Because if female Link did exactly the same stuff as Link, what's the point of her being a girl in the first place? The goddesses seem to favor dudes, apparently, so the change should mean something, otherwise it's a meaningless change.
This isn't relatable to actual societal decisions or structures, though, since it's art - and unless art openly discriminates or insults, it's free to be as the artist envisions.

@Zombie_Barioth If i remember correctly, its also said that only princesses of Hyrule have the inate powers to seal away Ganon(dorf) for good.
Pretty much like the whole Kingdom Hearts Disney Princesses thing

So yeah, Zeldas and Links gender are fixed by the overacrhing prophecy, ganons is linked due to the overall lore.
There could be a female Link and a male Zelda, but they wouldnt be able to defeat ganon. (because myths, legends and prophecys in fantasy universes are always 100% true). And there can never be a female ganon.

@Quorthon

Those studies include casual gaming, that's why they have so many more women. If you look at AAA console gaming, it's still largely male. It also depends hugely on the genre of the games.

But you're using a loaded definition of equality. You're assuming sameness between the genders and therefore arriving at the idea that equality must be equality of outcome rather than of opportunity. If the genders are in fact different, your well intentioned idea of equality will be just as damaging as the heavy gender roles were.

@JaniN83 You leave that ponytail alone!

@EllenJMiller Agreed. Why bother contorting an existing character to fit fan fiction dreams when you've already got a strong female character to make a spin off with. The game is called the Legend of Zelda, the rest writes itself. I'd actually be excited to play a game where Zelda/Sheik was the main protagonist. Make it happen Nintendo!

(I am considering trying this jam, if I can find a group who wants to work with me. If you are interested let me know)

Here are my views on the subject. I'm going to skip the "why would you change the gender of a character" vs "Link is a reincarnation, so it's not changing a gender so much as exploring a possibility" because it's already been discussed (plus I think I just did)

First, I don't think the idea is an attempt to "force" or bully Nintendo into making Link female in this game or any others. More that it's designed to draw attention to the fact that we are not OPPOSED to the idea that Link could be female, and to encourage Nintendo to entertain the idea while still coming up with their own design for the franchise. I think that most people behind this idea are also fine with him continuing to be male, but for all we know there are clever ideas being thrown out because they involve Link being female, and Nintendo thinks there's no interest in that. And showing interest in a female Link also encourages the idea that we'd enjoy a game that stars Zelda too. So don't think of it as trying to force our views on Nintendo (among other things, Nintendo is a juggernaut company in another country, so we really CAN'T force them to do anything) but rather raise their awareness in our interest in a female lead in the LoZ franchise.

Why not just create a new franchise? This question was asked a lot with Thor becoming female as well. The problem with creating a new character/game series/comic book is that there's no magic formula to guarantee it will be a big hit. For every Laura Croft, there's probably at least five Beyond Good and Evil's - good games that - just do to circumstance and luck - never take off. By starring a female lead in an already established franchise, you know the game will get attention and be able to stand on it's own merits.

Next, femLink vs Zelda vs Impa vs New Character. While I'd love a game that stars Zelda (or Impa) the nature of that request, and the history of the game series, would probably make any attempt to star them into a side-story game. Similarly if you create a game that co-stars both characters, than chances are that it will star Link just a little bit more, and you will end the game with Link delivering the final blow. Not to say I wouldn't want to see any of these games. Honestly, if I was making a game with just the idea "Legend of Zelda with a female protagonist" I would probably star Zelda, but the Jam is going a different way, and I intend to support them, so I'll play by their rules.

Next, there's the complaint that this would disrupt the dynamic with Link/Zelda/Gannondorf. So my view on that is that the dynamic changes pretty much every game anyway. Several games don't even have Zelda, and even more don't have Gannon/Gannondorf. Link and Zelda have only canonically been romantically involved in the first game and in Skyward Sword. All other games are either ambiguous or they don't have enough screen time together. So you could have femLink and a still female Zelda and not have it impact the story that much, since they don't have to be romantically involved. Or you could have a male Zelda. There's a lot of fluctuation with the characters, and I don't see this impacting it.

How about the "Anything negative we do will be viewed negatively as an attack on women" approach. Well, that's always going to be a risk, but you can't please everybody. Yes, some people will say that femLink being captured is saying women are helpless, but maleLink has been captured in plenty of games. Yes, some people will say that femLink getting hurt in a cutscene is mysoginistic, but maleLink has been injured in plenty of games. Hell, Laura Croft gets a ton of attention like this, but that doesn't stop her from being a success.

Finally, a lot of people have mentioned that changing Link to female would have no impact on the game, and therefore be nothing but a publicity stunt. Which is why I think that it SHOULD have an impact on the game. Now obviously this is a fine line here, but one I think can be handled quite well. I don't think there should be much of an impact on the game-play mechanics, but it could impact the story. For example, what if nobody believes that Link is the Hero of Courage, because the Hero of Courage has always been male before. So she needs to steal the tunic and sword, and run. The Goron's might require more tests because they're afraid Link is too frail, even for a Hylian, do be their champion, while the Zoras - often lead by a woman - see it as a plus and help her out. You could even have a funny scene (jokes varying based on how old they are) where Zelda is a little confused/disappointed that Link is a girl. There's a lot of little ways you can have a female Link impact the story without it dominating everything.

Sorry for the long post, but those are my views on the subject.

Nintendo could always give us the choice. Pick a file, choose your gender, type in your name. Its not like Nintendo uses CGI cutscenes for Zelda games anyways.
Just switch the character models and voices. Would not be hard to add in 10 extra seconds of voice for a female link to grunt when she swings a sword and scream when she's falling.

I'm a traditionalist, for me Link is and always should be a guy character, because that's who he is. If Nintendo want to create a Zelda game with a new female lead or have Zelda as a playable character that would be awesome gender swapping seams a bit disrespectful to the character. Would you ask for Sonic, Mario, Samus, Lara Croft etc to mix it up... no because they're icons of gaming as is the Hero Of Time himself.

@Einherjar
Yep, exactly. I'm pretty sure your right about only princesses of Hyrule being able to seal away Ganondorf/Ganon. I think that comes right back to her being the descendent of a goddess, which all princesses of Hyrule are.

Very chicken and egg don't ya think?

@Arckadius Which would be as pointless as it would need some serious retconning Leave things as they are, there are plenty of female characters suited for the role of a protagonist already.

@Zombie_Barioth I think it was explained in A Link to the past, but my memory is a tad blurry.
But yeah, the Hylians are pretty much the center piece of the Hyrule chess board. Theire royals are the decendents of the goddesses.
The Gerudo tribe, pretty much demi gods, were send to Hyrule to watch over the planet and its inhabitants. And once every century, a male Gerudo is born, leading the Gerudo tribe to their new purpose.
Ganon turned against pretty much everything, the Gerudo tribe couldnt battle their own kin so it was up to the Hylians, the race closest to the goddesses, to clear things up.
Ganons and Zeldas gender are fixed by lore, Links by sheer "coincidence", because these green claded lads are all mimicking the hero of time, which pleases the goddesses, which grants them the courage triforce.

Switch that around and you had to explain why the chicken laid a dinosaur egg

I'm sorry to day but a female link couldn't work. I'm not being sexist so don't freaking call it, but their is one Zelda game that has ruined any Zelda game starring a female link. What game might that be............you guessed it, Skyward sword. After he defeats demise demise tells him that he will be reborn, just like link and the goddess.So since that link, a male, was cursed to always be reborn then it makes sense that theirs no way for him to turn into a girl. Such like Zelda being a goddess, not a god, can only be reborn as a woman. Besides who gives a crap really. Boy link, girl link, who cares as long as the games good.

I think the best and coolest option would be if you could choose your own Link's gender in a save file while playing a Zelda game (like Mass Effect or whatnot). Since Link is the - well - link between the player and game, the gender is pretty irrelevant. Link is basically you (in green tunics and pointy ears), so to me it makes a lot of sense to also have the option of making him the same gender as you.

Actually their is a Zelda game like that. It was called the legend of zelda ancient stone tablets. You could choose between male or female. It was a direct sequal to alttp. It wasn't bad, actually had alot of improvements. Plus voice acting. And this was SNES

It is an utterly insipid idea. I don't understand the odd fascination of taking established characters and switching their genders. Link is Link; if you want a female protagonist create a new character.

Perhaps I feel a little TOO strongly on the matter, but it would tick me off to no end if Link was female; just as it was tick me off if Samus was male. Don't screw with the characters; create new ones.

@Sam_Loser2 Completely agree.

@EllenJMiller Agreed. Making a game with Zelda as the main protagonist certainly makes more sense than re-assigning Link's gender 'just because'. That's not progress, its a lack of creativity.

Just make Zelda a playable character after beating the game. Switch roles for Link and Zelda during cutscenes. It doesn't have to make sense story wise. The gender hasn't been relevant anyway. But for the love of god: don't change the gender of an 30 year old gaming character just because. It's stupid.

On a side note: I'd actually love to play as Zelda. She's my favourite character in Hyrule Warriors. Imo it's a female character done right.

I really don't get why it doesn't even seem to be a consideration. I mean, the original point of the Link character is to be a representation or at least a connection to the human with the controller. It's in the character's name, after all. A link to the player.

If I recall correctly, that was once the point of allowing players to name the character in the first place. Somehow, Link just became his actual name, or whatever. I think a fem-Link would maybe help people to realize that.

Ganon can stay male. It'd be downright annoying if they just gender-swapped everyone, but we know there's no way Nintendo would do that.

Just wondering, but how would such a thing work? I mean, yes having a "choose your gender" option at the begining of the game seems like a wonderfull idea (gives the player a choice, and presents a suitable compromise.) but i'm just slightly wondering a the dynamics of this.

All Zelda games have a male protagonist (link) and a female "damsel in distress" (zelda), so its logical to assume whatever choice is picked (male or female protagonist) that the in-game royalty would be the opposite gender. In which case, if the player chose "male" at the start, the game continues as a typical zelda series game. However, if protagonist is female, then "zelda" would be a male counterpart. However, in most games, Zelda is by no means a "helpless damsel" (sheik, tetra, etc) so would the male "Zelda" (of male "counter-name") be just as tough/wise (if not more so)?

Pondering this change, would the plot also need to vary between "gender choice"? I would think that one plot might work with a certain gender combo but not with the other. Also, does this mean the triforce of courage and wisdom would also change as to who has them? And (assuming Ganondorf is the only character whos gender is always important to any zelda story as male) some characters might aslo need to change genders between "versions" (ie. pre-game love interest, childhood friends, etc). So at this point, the protagonist is not the only one affected. Even the background colors/scenery might have to alter (ie. some view particular colors as gender specific).

All-in-all, perhapes its not simply the problem of whether or not to switch genders, but the ramifications of this change on how much additional work (to make all players happy) that this would take (such as data space, time, money,etc).... but the idea is certainly an interesting one...