MAPACA

Mid-Atlantic Popular &
American Culture Association

Not every game needs to have a backlog of lore to carry it forwards. For instance, Donkey Kong. All the gamer needed was the visual cue of Donkey Kong taking Pauline and it was up to JumpMan/Mario to rescue her. Simple and to the point. As time has gone on game series have instead opted to build upon their lore so that it’s possible for people to appreciate those aspects of the games almost as much as the gameplay. The allure of this lore is it pulls players in deeper to the worlds of the video games they enjoy. Naturally, the drawbacks of excessive lore exist; an overabundance of lore can bog a series down and make it difficult for new gamers to find an entry point. There are strengths and weaknesses to be had with lore heavy experiences and lore light ones as well. I’ll explore this by looking at two series where accessibility and lore are balanced or a little lore light and a third where the lore has overtaken the games. These series being The Legend of Zelda, Pokemon, and, the Kingdom Hearts series respectively. In the case of Pokemon, where the lore is the lightest, the focus would be the main hand-held games where accessibility is key. The Legend of Zelda, depending on the game can be as lore light as Pokemon or have much more lore hidden within it, such as the difference between the first Legend of Zelda and Breath of the Wild. Then there is Kingdom Hearts where the lore has nearly overtaken the accessibility, and that is even with the aid of well known Disney properties. Yet, these three series can demonstrate the dangerous allure of lore and why is still worth while, but only in moderation.