Imo sports are the closest we get to unscripted real life theatre. Heroes and villains, kings and underdogs, tenacity, hubris and vulnerability play out on a “stage” in real time. Some fans even joke about “scriptwriters” because of how often narratives develop perfectly
I would not say it’s about age but as you get older you eventually realize that there is no man behind the curtain. There are no adults in the room. The first time you make a decision that matters in an institutional context you see it
For people that weren't around at the time, this is how Zelda OoT was being reviewed by top magazines:
"When it comes to what people will now demand of a top videogame, Nintendo has moved the goalposts off the pitch, into a lorry, down the road, into the airport, onto a plane and halfway round the world to a different continent entirely."
"When the final version of Zelda 64 arrived we stopped working, locked ourselves into a room with a big-screen TV and played 17 hours straight. After only a few hours of sleep, we were back for more and we couldn't stop until we finished the game. Then, we started over again."
"Perfect. Epic. Unstoppable. Unbeatable. Irresistible. Sensational. The best videogame I have ever played. It is the crowning jewel of the industry. It is Nintendo's finest achievement."
"This is, without a doubt, one of the all-time greatest games made. 50 years from now people will still be playing and enjoying this game thoroughly."
"If you're making games and you haven't played this game, then you're like a director who has never seen Citizen Kane or a musician who has never heard of Mozart... this is as good as it's going to get."
That is to say that at the time reviewers agreed that it was the best game that was ever made, set a new standard for the entire industry, and predicted that no game would dethrone it for a very long time.