| “ | A channel with a variety of theories about The Legend of Zelda, where I show you new things in old Zelda games in order to explain the world of Hyrule and beyond. | ” |
―VortexxyGaming's Channel Description | ||
VortexxyGaming (Vortexxy or Vortex(x) for short) was a Dutch YouTuber who uploaded various theories on the highly popular Nintendo franchise The Legend of Zelda. Her real name, age, physical appearance, significant life events and other personal details remain undisclosed. She is widely praised as being one of the best LoZ theorists of all time. As of September 2018, her YouTube channel has over 33,600 subscribers over 3,410,000 views.
Channel Content
VortexxyGaming posted LoZ theories. She stated in a reply to a comment on her first video that her channel was originally inspired by a Gamefaqs thread discussing LoZ temple analysises. In another comment, she stated that she came up with her online handle from an old gamertag. Her theories commonly focused on the franchise's characters, tribes/races, locations, songs, weapons/items, Hyrule chronology and interrelations between its games. Her channel content is characterised by its blend of insightful and concise analysis, professional editing and a profound passion for the franchise which her fans believe is what gives her theories such high quality.
Her videos are comprised of voiceover accompanied by game footage and/or material from official sources (eg. Hyrule Historia) to support her theories, as well as LoZ fanart, animations and music. All artworks and music used are referenced in her videos' descriptions; other contributors are also credited here. In her later videos, the footage is bordered by golden Hylian text. She used the program Adobe Premiere to edit her videos [1], which was apparently part of a resource package from her academic endeavours.
List of Theory Videos
- Bottom of the Well
- The Forest Temple
- The Fire Temple
- The Water Temple
- The Shadow Temple
- The Spirit Temple
- Malon
- Navi
- Song of Storms Paradox
- The Happy Mask Salesman
- The Great Deku Tree
- The Goron Mines
- Great Bay Temple
- Origin of Dark Link
- Snowhead Temple
- Stone Tower Temple
- The Fierce Deity
- Masks of Hyrule and Termina
- Arbiter's Grounds
- Snowpeak Ruins
- Temple of Time
- The City in the Sky
- Fate of the Tribes
- Lunar Children and the Moon
- The Downfall Timeline
- Songs of the Undead
- The Five Stages of Grief
- Parallel Worlds of Termina and Lorule
- The Hero of the Flood
- Origin of Keaton
- Tetra's Destiny
- The Ocean King
- The Hero of Time
- Breath of the Wild Timeline Placement Theory
- The Fate of Termina (developed/released by Macintyre Rise, Cuccolover and The One)
List of Theory/Channel Ideas
VortexxyGaming regularly mentioned having a list of potential theories which she would like to explore in future videos. She stated that she desired to continue making theory videos until she ran out of topics (see Gallery), which evidently would take a long time considering all the ideas known to have been on this list. She was also shown to be considering releasing other LoZ content as well apart from theories. Some of these were topics of her own choosing, while others were suggested by people in the comments sections of her videos and other social media platforms. The following is a list of ideas which she was known to have considered exploring, and where she expressed interest in these ideas (see Gallery for specific comments):
YouTube (comments section)
Water Temple
- Lands of Holodrum and Subrosia (Oracle games)
- History of the Zora
Shadow Temple
- Twili = Hyrulean Ancient Tribe
- Lakebed Temple
- Oceanside Spiderhouse
- Twili = Sheikah
Song of Storms Paradox
- Fierce Deity (updated)
- LoZ Let’s Plays Focusing on Lore/Secrets
Happy Masked Salesman
- Majora's Mask and Fused Shadow connection
Goron
- Sky Keep (SS)
Snow
- History of Ganondorf
Masks
- Other Masks Featured in MM
Grounds
- Woodfall
- Theories for all LoZ games
- Sheikah in Termina
Snow Ruins
- Tingle
Time
- Midna
Sky
- Origins of Link
- Zelda Trivia Videos
- Zelda Theory Encyclopaedia
- Vaati
Tribes
- Top 10 Favourite LoZ Games
- Picori after MC
- Tetraforce (debunk)
- Difference Between Zora
Downfall
- Silver Arrows
- Music Box House
Parallel Worlds
- Timeline Between PH and ST
- Midna and Link
Flood
- Linkle as a Canon Character
Keaton
- Earth and Wind Temples (WW)
- Kafei’s Mask
Tetra
- Stone of Agony and Sheikah Artifacts
- Greatfish Isle
Ocean King
- Ghirahim
- Jabu Jabu in the Downfall Timeline
Hero of Time
- Q&A Video (for early August 2016)
BotW
- BotW (updated)
Google+ Replies
Twitter Replies
- Master Sword Location - Legend of Zelda and Adventures of Link
- Origin of Ordon Village
- The Fate of Marin
Social Media and Collaborations
As well as her YouTube channel, VortexxyGaming also had a Twitter and Google+ account for anyone who had "questions, comments or just want(ed) to chat". She was also known to occasionally use Reddit. She was shown to communicate with her followers quite regularly, whether by posting progress messages for her YouTube projects, sharing miscellaneous LoZ content or replying to comments across all social media platforms.
VortexxyGaming collaborated with several other LoZ theorists such as The One, Cuccolover, Macintyre Rise, Commonwealth Realm, ZeldaConqueror, GameOver Jesse and Hylian Cece (Ceessseeezy) on their own theory videos (with the exclusion of Cuccolover, who collaborated with VortexxyGaming on the latter's channel). She was also a member of several online communities such as the YouTube channel Chamber of Sages, and Google+ groups like Zelda Theory, The Legend of Zelda, Zelda Theorists and Nintendo along with many other LoZ fans and theorists.
Personal Life
VortexxyGaming did not reveal many details concerning her personal life, keeping her identity and background almost completely anonymous. However, she is known to have lived in the city of Utrecht, Netherlands [2] and was undergoing study for a Master's Degree in an unspecified field. She stated that she was close to finishing her study and was excited to dedicate more time to her YouTube channel [3], and had apparently finished developing a website for it as well [4]. This website was also part of her graduation project. She had at least one sibling, as she mentioned having an older brother at the beginning of her Shadow Temple theory video. She also had a fiancé whose identity remains undisclosed.
Disappearance
Following her last Twitter like on June 20th 2016 (see Gallery), VortexxyGaming went missing from all social media; even her closest online friends and collaborators lost contact with her. According to a Skype discussion she had with The One earlier that year, she intended to resume uploading regular videos on July 23rd [5] (see Gallery), presumably allowing herself adequate time to focus on her upcoming graduation before committing to her channel once more. Her disappearance has been well noted and debated amongst her fanbase, as well as throughout the wider LoZ and YouTube communities.
Some fans and fellow LoZ theorists such as Commonwealth Realm and GameOver Jesse speculated that she was simply preoccupied with other commitments [6] and/or had decided to move on from her LoZ projects and online identity [7] (see Gallery). However, her prolonged and unexplained absence was also a great source of concern for many other fans and collaborators such as The One, Macintyre Rise and Cuccolover due to her usually high level of online activity and unwavering dedication to her channel and fans. As the months passed, countless fans made pleas on social media for her to return.
Fate
As vital details in identifying VortexxyGaming in real life, such as her real name and appearance, are not publicly known, it is difficult to fully confirm her fate. This means that any evidence provided for determining her welfare may be met with skepticism and therefore dismissed, unless it can be proven that the gathered information, and/or the gatherer(s) of such, has a credible association with VortexxyGaming herself. Therefore while the only publicly-known certainty is that VortexxyGaming is missing from the Internet, a number of possibilities have been presented, both by fans and collaborators alike, regarding her current status:
- Cuccolover originally addressed VortexxyGaming's sudden disappearance in an announcement on Google+, deducing that something tragic had happened to her (see Gallery). This was later deleted following severe backlash from VortexxyGaming's fans. They have since commented on the latest video on VortexxyGaming's Google+ account, claiming that they had discovered her fate. They state that after many months of extensive investigation they found and contacted the school where VortexxyGaming was studying, based on information the latter had given them in the past. The school reportedly confirmed that VortexxyGaming had passed away in a car accident; however Cuccolover respectfully declines to provide further details to confirm this, on the grounds that VortexxyGaming would not want her personal information to be publicly released [8]. The One, who is closely affiliated with Cuccolover as well as VortexxyGaming, has indirectly supported the former's findings via a response to a comment on his Hero's Bow video, where he collaborated with the latter (see Gallery).
The "interview" a Discord user had with VortexxyGaming
One of the Discord servers where the "interview" was shared
The fake Skype account used to conduct the "interview"
- While other LoZ theorists and collaborators have claimed on platforms such as YouTube live streams, Twitter and Discord that VortexxyGaming is still alive and well, she herself has not made any appearance to publicly confirm this, and said claimants have also failed to provide credible confirmation on her behalf (in the event that she has simply quit YouTube and abandoned her online handle). Many of these claimants also admit to being unsure of VortexxyGaming's whereabouts, undermining the reliability of their statements regarding her welfare.
- In May 2018 a Discord user presented a screenshot to numerous servers featuring a conversation they allegedly had with VortexxyGaming via Skype. In it, "VortexxyGaming" states that "she" has taken an extended hiatus from YouTube due to personal circumstances and that "she" is simply "avoiding drama" by not being active on any social media. However, this screenshot is highly unreliable, as "she" states that "she" has never met Cuccolover, when in fact Cuccolover has been credited as an associate of VortexxyGaming's on numerous occasions, even by VortexxyGaming herself. Furthermore, the account from which "VortexxyGaming's" responses were sent is shown to not be authentic, due to the Skype ID being both nonsensical and new (only Skype IDs created since 2017 begin with 'live', and VortexxyGaming and her collaborators indicated that she was a user of Skype before her disappearance, which was months before 'live' was added to Skype IDs; therefore, VortexxyGaming's real Skype account would not exhibit this trait). This was later confirmed by Macintyre Rise (under a different username), who asked Discord users who had seen the screenshots to disregard its content (see Gallery).
Legacy
Following Cuccolover's revelations on Google+, numerous fans have expressed their deep sadness for the loss of such a beloved YouTuber and LoZ enthusiast. On the other hand, many remain skeptical and seek more definitive evidence of her fate. Regardless of the controversy which has arisen as a result of these conflicting standpoints, her reputation as a thorough, passionate LoZ theorist lives on and her channel continues to accumulate views, likes, comments and subscribers, even in the wake of her lengthy absence.
The Fate of Termina, one of the last theories VortexxyGaming was developing prior to her disappearance, was retrieved by Cuccolover and The One (who had been working on the script with her), and was released on Macintyre Rises's channel on February 28th, 2018. The video and accompanying thumbnail were designed so that they closely resembled VortexxyGaming's style, and the tribute video was well-received by her fanbase. Interestingly, Macintyre Rise (who voiced the video) chose to remain impartial and referred to her as simply being 'missing', despite the statements made elsewhere by the other two contributors.
Shortly after The Fate of Termina theory video was released, another YouTuber uploaded a fan tribute for VortexxyGaming, featuring a poem the former had written in her memory. The recited poem and accompanying artworks feature various references to the LoZ franchise, many of which serve as parallels to VortexxyGaming's traits and circumstances. The video ends with soundbytes of VortexxyGaming herself arranged to say the message: "loved ones come and go in life, but the memories remain; they will always remain in your heart".
A petition for Nintendo to include a character named in VortexxyGaming's honour in the next LoZ game has also been created on the website Change.org.
Trivia
- The introduction to VortexxyGaming's videos evolved over her time on YouTube. She originally opened her videos with their thumbnails, accompanied by the beginning seconds of the Ocarina of Time Hyrule Field soundtrack, before fading the screen to black and beginning the theory video. From her Great Bay Temple theory video onwards, she added an animation of her heart icon glistening and her pixilated name fading in, accompanied by the OoT Heart Container fanfare, followed by the screen fading to black and then showing the video's thumbnail as she did originally before beginning the theory video.
- The style of her thumbnails also evolved. Her thumbnails originally had no borders, but she introduced bold-coloured borders in her Song of Storms video. She began bordering her videos as well as their thumbnails with golden Hylian text in her Arbiter's Grounds video, a trait which continued in her remaining videos. She seemed to regularly experiment with the design of her thumbnails, originally opting for official artworks and layering character artworks on top of backgrounds. The size and placement of her icon also varied (sometimes accompanied by the Wingcrest or the Goddess Crest). She also included the logo(s) of the game(s) being explored in many of her earlier thumbnails. In her later theory videos, the thumbnails are comprised of fanart (usually pencil drawings) rather than official digital artworks, and often featured less characters.
- She had a deep fondness for the design of Heart Containers from the LoZ franchise [9], which evidently inspired the design of her YouTube icon.
- Her YouTube icon was first revealed via Google+ on August 24th, 2014 [10].
- She appeared to dislike themes related to horror or morbidness in general, as she mentioned in her Shadow Temple theory video that she refused to complete the titular dungeon (she was a child at the time) out of fear, and also could not complete a demo for Silent Hills for the same reason [11]; she had to get others to complete these for her.
- Link's Awakening was her first experience with the LoZ franchise [12]. She played LA when she was 4-5 years old [13], implying that she had been a fan of the LoZ franchise for most of her life.
- Although she joined YouTube in 2013, it was not until the following year that she started to upload videos.
- She exhibited a respectful attitude towards other LoZ theorists, responding in a polite manner to a friend's post promoting her channel which criticised the work of other theorists.
- She had a Hyrule amino account [14].
- She liked the fairies Navi (OoT) and Tatl (Majora's Mask) [15], but disliked Fi (Skyward Sword) [16].
- She recorded her Happy Mask Salesman and Snowhead Temple theory videos while sick, jokingly providing a disclaimer in their descriptions in case she sounded "more unintelligible than usual".
- Her favourite LoZ song was the Ballad of the Wind Fish from LA [17].
- Her favourite OoT dungeon to play through was The Forest Temple, while her favourite dungeon in relation to lore was the Shadow Temple [18]. She also commented that she wished that the final game had kept the Light Temple as a playable dungeon [19].
- She was open to the idea of the franchise's titular character, Princess Zelda, being a Queen in a future game [20].
- She drew the Keaton with a Heart Container in its mouth on the thumbnail of her Origin of Keaton theory video, due to her uploading this video on Valentine's Day [21].
- She seems to have liked rabbits, as she commented on how she enjoyed wearing the Bunny Hood during playthroughs of MM [22] ("Bunny Hood for life ;D") and also mentioned loving the Bunny Link transformation from A Link To The Past [23].
- She stated in the comments section of her Tetra's Destiny theory video that one of her videos received a copyright strike and was removed when she first uploaded it. However after a few modifications she was able to reupload the video without further ramifications. Earlier comments imply that the Tetra's Destiny video was this deleted video.
- Her least favourite LoZ game was SS, because of the controls, game design and excessive in-game assistance; nonetheless she did praise the game for its plot [24].
- She appeared to watch and was subscribed to the YouTube channel Game Theorists, frequently critiquing MatPat's work related to LoZ on Reddit. Despite her notion that his LoZ theories often jumped to faulty conclusions, she praised the channel for its overall "entertainment value" [25].
- She used the same PC for nearly eight years before it broke [26].
- After watching the E3 2016 livestream featuring gameplay footage for the upcoming LoZ game Breath of the Wild all day, she eagerly made a theory video related to its timeline placement in just five hours, finishing and uploading it at 3am on June 14th 2016 [27]. She had speculated that BotW was set in the Adult Timeline since 2014 [28]. This video would sadly turn out to be her last, uploaded less than a week before she completely vanished from social media. As BotW was not released until March 3rd 2017, almost 9 months after her disappearance, it is unlikely that she ever got to play the much-anticipated game for herself.
Gallery
