We were recently discussing the new Phantom Hourglass screens, and how Zelda's look is tossing back to the controversial "Wink Waker" look for the latest Hyrulian installment for DS. It's a good time to take a second look at this article on Slashdot, "Realism vs. Style: The Zelda Debate," and check out Bonnie Ruberg's take on the graphical snafu written back in '05 when we started getting our first glimpses of Twilight Princess's realistic gravitas.Chances are you're familiar with Bonnie's work, including but hardly limited to her blog, Heroine Sheik-- I really appreciate her, as a fellow female journo who sort of paved the way for chick writers in gaming. While I'm sure she can tell you-- and I'm learning-- that it's dangerous to make any generalized assertions of any kind about male versus female perspectives on anything at risk of offending someone, the fact is that gaming is a male-dominated industry, and it can be difficult for a gal to straddle the line between removing any gender-based perspective entirely, and exploiting the fact that she's a woman in a man's world (those who've done the latter have sorta created a backlash that makes it more difficult for all of us). When it comes to finding that balance, Bonnie sets a fab example that I learn a lot from. Thanks, Bonnie!
[UPDATE: This little blurb was written before I realized that Bonnie had given me a courtesy pimp on her blog, too. Pure coincidence.]
