The article discusses how queer millennials, particularly gamers, navigated aggressive gender stereotypes in the 1990s when most video game characters were hypermasculine or hyper-feminine. It highlights how Link from The Legend of Zelda stood out as an androgynous character, embodying vulnerability, resourcefulness, and adventure without the traditional masculinity of his contemporaries. The article notes that Link's gender ambiguity was intentional by the development team, helping queer players find representation and resonance in a predominately straight male gaming landscape.
Link is a boy, but he didn't really look like one. He wore a green tunic and a serious expression under a mop of blond hair.
As a kid, I would dress up like him for Halloween, carefully centre-parting my blond fringe. Link may officially be a boy, but for me he has always been a non-binary icon.
Collection
[
|
...
]