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9| W aterloo C hronicle | T hursday,S eptem ber 13,2018 w aterloochronicle.ca If your children are re- turning home these days with a van full of grandchil- dren for a swim at the neighbourhood pool and dinner, chances are you live in a home full of memo- ries. The thought of down- sizing may have crossed your mind, followed by a stress relieving glass of wine. Downsizing can be a daunting thought. Sorting through the family home full of 25+ years of family heirlooms, mixed in with old Eaton's shopping bags containing grade school re- port cards likely doesn't take priority on the week- end to do list. That said, there are resources and tried processes available in Waterloo to ease the bur- den and help you move for- ward. Realtors sometimes use the term right-sizing in- stead of downsizing not be- cause it's a buzz word, but rather it explains the rea- soning behind a later life- style move more accurate- ly. Downsizing can be the result of a change in health, a work-related move, or perhaps anyone of any age realizing they have "too much house." Right- sizing better reflects a gold- en year shift because it doesn't necessarily mean sacrificing space. Perhaps you're right-sizing to a bun- galow from a two-story home, or it's time to transi- tion to a condo option with decent square footage and live among peers who have already completed the pro- cess. Throughout Waterloo there are plenty of options that lean toward adult life- style living. Leasing at the Barrel Yards has become a popular option for those who want to try out condo living without worrying about committing to a sig- nificant lifestyle shift, if it isn't the right fit. If condo lifestyle is right for you, Waterpark Place is well maintained and pro- vides fantastic amenities among an adult lifestyle community in the heart of uptown. If you're an active indi- vidual who enjoys garden- ing, Waterloo has great neighbourhoods (Lincoln Heights, North Lakeshore, Westvale and Westmount) stalked full of bungalows and mature landscaping on quality lot sizes. This right- sized move offers the op- portunity to lower your home maintenance activi- ties and bills without sacri- ficing parking or a neigh- bourhood feel you may de- sire to maintain. Beyond the housing op- portunities available local- ly for making right-size moves, there are resources available to help ease the burden of decluttering and simplifying the process. A professional Realtor helps develop an optimal time- line and suggestions on how to get your home "show ready." There are se- nior moving services avail- able to help move items that younger generations may not appreciate, but still have value. These ser- vices can include online auctions, facilitating con- tent removal with Habitat Restore and assisting with the recycling process. Moving from a long- standing family home shouldn't be a rushed deci- sion, and it also doesn't need to be chaotic and stressful either. We are hosting a seniors seminar on Thursday, Sept. 27 be- tween 2-4 p.m. at the Water- loo Recreation Complex. Experts will be on hand to discuss right-sizing in greater details. Paul Stickney is a life- long resident of Waterloo and local Realtor with experience in residential home and condo resales. He can be reached at paul@kwhouseand- home.com. RIGHT-SIZING 101 OPINION MANY OPTIONS TO CONSIDER FOR A LIFESTYLE MOVE IN WATERLOO IN YOUR GOLDEN YEARS, WRITES PAUL STICKNEY PAUL STICKNEY Column We are a family of gam- ers, and our favourite fran- chise is Nintendo's The Legend of Zelda. That's why, at Fan Expo Canada in Toronto a couple weeks back, I jumped at the opportunity to chat with Victor Lucas, host of the Canadian video game TV and web show Electric Playground. I've been a fan of Elec- tric Playground - which covers everything from video game news and re- views to gadgets, TV shows and movies - for more than 20 years. I love the show for Lucas's sharp wit and posi- tivity, along with his in- sightful behind-the-scenes interviews and hopeful- ness for the video game in- dustry. So I picked Lucas's brain on his favourite Leg- end of Zelda games. "I'm a Legend of Zelda fanatic, and I think Breath of the Wild is my favourite game of all time," he said. "And it's not so much that it adheres to the core tenets of what Zelda games have done in the past, it's that it totally shakes all of that up, and goes beyond and around your expectations and delivers something that just feels so remark- able. There is so much agency to just experiment, and it's a profound accom- plishment." Like with the Lord of the Rings movies, just watch- ing my family play Breath of the Wild gives me goose- bumps, with its hauntingly atmospheric music, breathtaking landscapes, and strange characters from other worlds. Lucas agreed, saying that the game "lifted the bar so in- credibly high" for game de- velopment. "It's so amazing how much procedural and en- demically beautifully de- signed gameplay there is in Breath of the Wild, and it is emergent play where every corner you turn there's a new experience to be had; even after you beat it, you're asking what else is there to find." I told Lucas how the sweeping vistas, deserts, dungeons, villages and mysterious paths in Breath of the Wild remind me of other Legend of Zelda mas- terpieces like A Link Be- tween Worlds, Majora's Mask, and A Link to the Past. "A Link to the Past for the Super Nintendo is probably my second-favou- rite Zelda game, as there's a lot of great missions and great characters in a world that is so large and expan- sive," said Lucas. "Then there's Ocarina of Time for the N64, which I think would be my third-fa- vourite, with its incredibly ornate and intricately de- signed world, with great puzzles and challenges and an amazing story." Video games have come a long way since Lucas be- gan hosting Electric Play- ground, and the pace of in- novation is accelerating. The genre has matured sig- nificantly, with games now offering cinematically im- mersive experiences, and narrative depth akin to ep- ic novels. While I'm excited to see what the genre holds next, I was also grateful to chat with Lucas about its histo- ry, because great games can also be (if you'll pardon the pun) a link to the past. Marshall Ward is a freelance writer and artist. Email is welcome at mar- shall_ward@hotmail.com. Victor Lucas, host of Electric Playground, chatted with Marshall Ward at the recent Fan Expo Canada event about their shared interest in the Legend of Zelda videogame franchise. Marshall Ward/Photo VIDEO GAMES CAN BE A LINK TO THE PAST ELECTRIC PLAYGROUND'S VICTOR LUCAS SHARES HIS FAVOURITE LEGEND OF ZELDA GAMES WITH MARSHALL WARD MARSHALL WARD Column