Going back to Roger Travis' ideas for a bit, I wanted to take a look at how an action-adventure video game may help "lift the fog" off of the classical epics. Specifically, the video game The Legend Zelda: The Ocarina of Time is worthy of comparison to the great Beowulf for a great number of reasons. First and foremost, the temperment of the respective protagonists could not be any more different. Beowulf is a braggard, speaking in long, drawn out speeches right from the moment he arrives at Heorot. The young hero Link, on the hand, literally does not speak throughout the entirety of his adventure. At first glance, the two could appear to be polar opposites. But upon further analysis, a reader/player can see that Link and Beowulf share several qualities that make up the Germanic heroic code: Courage, loyalty, strength, generosity, and selflessness. Also, both character possess a common flaw in that they refuse to back down when outmatched. While Beowulf met his demise at the hands of the powerful dragon, fully aware that he was not as powerful as he once was, Link was lucky enough to escape with his life, as he was far too young and weak to hope to defeat the evil wizard Ganondorf.
There are several other aspects of The Legend of Zelda: The Ocarina of Time that are commonly found in classical epics. The world of Hyrule is gigantic in scope, with Link often riding horseback or teleporting via magic to different locals across the map. Also, the game requires several hours to complete—just as any notable epic is rather lengthy. Furthermore, Link’s tale is broken up into two sections, first as a courageous albeit naïve twelve year old who takes up a sword and dives headfirst into adventure (and trouble), and later as the nineteen year old Hero of Time who knows that his actions can save the world. Similarly, Beowulf’s story is broken up between his younger heroic days, where he tackled any challenge that came his way without much consideration of the takes, and then later as a wisened king. The traits of an epic are all in plain sight, so why does it matter that the epic is experienced through a video game as opposed to being read about? While the epic poem is intended to elicit a form of national pride, the video game epic adventure provides the player with an endless and inimitable sense of personal pride as he or she conquers monsters as hideous and destructive as Grendel or the dragon. The player must learn and master game play mechanics to defeat powerful enemies, think of ways to solve difficult puzzles, and read and remember crucial pieces of information that help unlock secrets. The player becomes the hero through Link as a result of the three identities that James Paul Gee introduced. Rather than being localized to a specific region, video games are the epic of the digital generation.
I think that teachers will be amazed by the amount of discussion that can be generated by incorporating video games in the classroom. Travis words it best when he says that video games can “lift the fog off of” the classical epics, as in the case of Zelda and Beowulf, students may find it easier to recognize the presence of epic themes in the video game, and then transfer that knowledge over to the written epic. This is not a new tactic, as teachers have preached teaching by “any means necessary” for decades now. Movies are shown in high school English classrooms to try and make difficult content more accessible and relatable. However, movies typically do not have nearly as much reading or interactivity as video games do, and cannot provide as immersive an experience as video games. This will prove to be an invaluable resource to those teachers who struggle to inspire their students to read, as video games can provide depth and engagement in the classroom.
Oh, and as for the nerd dream fight...
VS 
Sorry nameless Anglo-Saxon author, I think we know who everyone is rooting for...
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