Zelda Dungeon and Our Involvement

 

"Are you doing anything exciting this summer?" is a common question I (and C) get asked all the time.

My response is usually to:
A. Smile
B. Laugh nervously
- And/Or -
C. Say, "Nothing much, going to Chicago to see some friends"

Any combination of the above often results in this response, that inevitably needs to be explained, amidst sheepish and awkward expressions and answers.

C and I are going on a trip next week to play video games.

Let me explain.

C is a very creative and detail oriented person, as well as a perfectionist. Anything he creates is often very elaborate and mind blowing to me. I'm a creative person as well, but I am more interested in the passion of a photo rather than exact technical precision and perfect conditions. If he was a photographer, I imagine that his photos would blow any of mine out of the water, just because his creative vision is made excellent by attention to detail that I find frustrating to follow. I'd rather move on to the next image rather than making sure each one is 100% perfect. Suffice to say, C has always used his creative side in unique ways and if he's not creating at home, he's creating projects at his job to improve things there.

C likes to play a lot of video games, for a myriad of reasons. Several years ago, he discovered that he could take his love for video games, his creativity, and attention to detail and do something productive with it. He started working for a Legend of Zelda fansite called Zelda Dungeon and started using his gifts to help others get through the games. His dedication to the website was quickly noticed and C soon was promoted to a webmaster position, despite having no interest in administration duties. He just kept doing what he was good at - web design and game walk throughs.

Embracing the nerdiness in Hawaii....

As the years have passed, he has honed his skills and now does extensive video recording work on the Youtube channel for the website. He has managed to develop quite the following of people that enjoy his work and it's been quite fun to see.

I also was sucked into the madness and have joined the staff of ZD in a small role - Twitter coordinator and official photographer :) It's rather amusing, since I am a bit far away, but events like this coming one are perfect for me to record :)

The thing I love most about Zelda Dungeon is the relationships we have developed. One of C's best friends is his fellow webmaster, Mases. I've made several really lovely friendships with other girls in the community. We both enjoy interacting with other staff and community members, and despite them being online relationships, they have enriched our lives.

C and I made a trip to Chicago to visit Mases in October 2010. It was an excellent time and great fun. We got to meet and hang out with another staff member in the area and C and I still talk about the trip regularly.

It's been fun to work on this website together and have a common interest in it. The friendships we have formed have increased the bond, and we often discussed going to Chicago again. Not "if" but most definitely "when".

Enter last fall.

The talks began in October, if I recall correctly. The dreams and discussions got bigger and soon it was set. We'd be going in June. For a site event.

Working on video content together

So here we are. Zelda Dungeon is putting on a live game marathon that will be streamed online. For around 100 hours, the staff members will be playing Zelda games 24/7 for over 4 days straight, taking turns. There will be at least one video camera set up on the room where the playing will occur and we will be visible at times on it (woo!) It won't be just games though. There will be giveaways, a charity drive, and other interactive content for fans to view. C will be playing a couple of games and I will be tweeting and shooting the entire time we are there.

It's a long and convoluted story to explain our upcoming trip, but we are looking forward to it. Many people have asked about what we will be up to, and it is usually difficult to explain. I've wanted to blog about ZD and our involvement for a while now, but I was waiting for an opportunity like this, to explain what on earth we do.

So, tune in on June 11th, noon CST (9an AKT) It will be going on through Friday, so you probably could view it if you are interested. We won't be there at the beginning, however, so don't look for us right away. We're looking forward to it, and I hope if you are curious that you check it out starting Monday!