The original The Legend of Zelda made quite an impact on BioShock designer Ken Levine — so much so that it cost him his first serious girlfriend.
Levine had just graduated from college and moved to San Francisco. The lady friend was a few years younger than him, and at the end of the summer, she had to go back to university.
"In our last day together in San Fran, I for some reason picked up The Legend of Zelda," recalls Levine. "As she stood by waiting for some romantic gesture to happen on our last day living together, she was instead treated to watching me obsessively plow through Hyrule for around 15 hours. By the time the cab showed up to take her to the airport, I realized if I had any hope of keeping her as my girlfriend, it was time to shut off the NES."
Needless to say, Levine adds, the next summer was not spent together. Good thing he had Link to keep him company!
Gaming Made Me: Ken Levine [Rock, Paper, Shotgun] [Pic]