MAPPING OUT A NEW WORLD

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The Legend of Zelda has been my favorite video game franchise since Ocarina of Time dominated my life years ago.  I got the game as a Christmas present and literally spent a year immersed in the world of Hyrule.

Since then, I’ve eagerly anticipated and adored new titles like Majora’s Mask and Twilight Princess.

Ocarina of Time is without a doubt my favorite game of all time because I was so wrapped up in every single detail.  Most of all, I find the series fascinating because I’ve come to know the world of Hyrule so well.

It’s a testament to the designers of the game to be able to create a world so vivid and detailed.  From a storytelling perspective, it’s an experience I’ll never forget.  Little by little, as you play through the game, you are introduced to new areas and characters.  You spend so much time exploring the enormous world that you don’t realize what’s actually happening.  Suddenly you realize that you know the species, you know the towns, you know where people live, you know where to find things, you know Hyrule.

I dug out my old Nintendo 64 the other day and I was immediately stunned at how much I missed playing in Hyrule. The fact is, I still know where everything is.  I started a brand new game I was instantly reminded of how many hours I spent searching for Skulltulas and conquering all the irresistible mini quests.  I remembered all the different areas and weapons I was about to unlock all over again.  I remembered spending entire afternoons trying to catch enormous fish in the pond.

XTRA: Check out this article over at IGN about the impact of Ocarina of Time

The Legend of Zelda is about the heroic adventures of Link at it’s core but the adventures would be boring without a world like Hyrule.

CREATE A NEW WORLD OF YOUR OWN

Every corner of Hyrule is populated by unique characters, secret locations, mysterious items and so much more.  As I woke up in Kokiri Forest once more, I thought about the work that must have gone into the design of Hyrule.  The hours and hours of work needed to bring every detail of that world to life.

Then I thought about what it would take to do it myself!

Why not take out a clean piece of paper and start drawing?  Why not create my own world and use it as the setting for a movie?  When you set out to create a fantasy film you have to know what you’re talking about.  You need to know every corner of the world so it will be convincing to readers and hopefully audiences world wide.  It has to be believable.

This isn’t a tiny assignment either.  Think about all the species, aliens or creatures that could live there.  Think about the geography.  Think about the history.

I immediately jumped online to seek out maps for other worlds I’ve grown to love and my first choice remains the most detailed of all.

MIDDLE EARTH

Without a doubt, the richest and most detailed fictional world has to be J.R.R Tolkien’s Middle Earth. Every detail right down to the languages is thought out including literally thousands of years of history.

Imagine being able to tell a story with such a huge amount of back story in your mind.  Now imagine doing it yourself.

Having the freedom to create anything you want is both intimidating and extremely exciting.  Someday, I’ll base a story around a world I created from scratch.  I’ve got a couple tales I’d like to tackle first but that doesn’t stop me from starting drawing a map does it?  You have to start somewhere.

To be honest, I actually find the challenge of creating a world with so much depth inspiring.  Who knows what you can come up with when you sit down with a blank page.

THE Q: What’s your favorite fictional world?

Next up: Skyward Sword!  I can’t wait to return to Hyrule.

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