How Nintendo Saved My Life

Growing up as a child, I was always fascinated with Nintendo, specifically the Legend of Zelda franchise. I've always loved the storyline behind video game plots. In my childlike mind, I used to compare it to a high-quality movie that you could control. I started gaming out young, sitting beside my mother as she would play different games on our good ole trustworthy GameCube such as Harvest Moon, Final Fantasy, and The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker. I loved watching my mom play her video games in the late quiet of the night.

I was always fascinated by Nintendo games, specifically the video game Wind Waker. The childlike ambiance of the game was my first introduction to video games as a child. I loved the storyline, the adventure behind the sailing mechanism. The beginning sequence still always gives me utter chills. Growing up, it always gave me something to look forward to going home to: my books and video games. I loved Animal Crossing for that reason. Playing the game with my family members and friends daily was a nice way to spend quality time with them.

Because my love of video games truly has always run deep. Driving home after school, my siblings and I would rush home to defeat my mother in Mario marathons. It was the perfect way to settle some differences with our age gap and I think we enjoyed every second of it. My brothers might complain that they got defeated a lot but that's okay. They used to watch me play Zelda just like I got to watch my mom.

The timing of the release of Breath of the Wild could not have been more perfect for me as I was so broken down. I was busting my ass while working and saving most of my spare change as I was expecting the birth of my first child. I mostly spent my spare time demolishing old games on my DS like Fantasy Life and Super Mario 3 while sitting next to his father. I also spent quite a bit of my spare time playing Breath of The Wild on my good old trustworthy Wii U and demonstrating my mastery of Zelda while complaining to him about my poor pregnant sore feet. The timing of that game could not have been more perfect. I was in desperate need of some mindless distraction and Breath of the Wild focused my energy in positive directions. The YouTube gaming community brought me even closer, as I couldn't afford most of the DLC at the time for my darn old Wii U console.

One of my favourite memories I have is when my mom's family got together and bought me a Nintendo Switch for Christmas the year after my son was born. It brought tears to my eyes as I swore I would never be able to afford that gaming console.

I remember when I was completely made fun of by a girl in high school for playing Zelda. Surprise. It still ticks a nerve for me to this day. Because my love of video games truly has always run deep and her reasons were poor.

I can remember a time when I went to a high school acquaintance's house and I got to demolish my former group of gamer friends at Mario Party 7. I walked into the house a little late, because I was the "girlfriend" of the group, I was not invited too often. I walked in and observed for a little while before scooping up someone's controller, just because he got pissy for being in fourth place.

I ended up completely demolishing the rest of the boys after that. The whole night was an impressive achievement for me. That was one of those moments you don't let go of just too easily. I got to establish my "gamer girl" dominance a little bit. They all can kick my ass at Super Smash Brothers though.

I think that is part of why the gesture of the Nintendo Switch meant so much to me. My mother being the criminal mastermind behind that maneuver, even got Zelda Switch gear to accompany it. That generous gift is still very treasured by me to this very day. My son has now even coined the device "Mommy's tablet" (he has his own Amazon Kid's Fire Tablet that I utterly swear by.) I do not get to play it nearly as often as I would like to these days, but that's okay. It is still there and ready when I need to relax my mind and play a little Zelda.

It truly bothers me to no end that female gamers to this day still have to establish themselves inside the community, even if I do not really qualify as much of one. I guess that's part of why I still insist that Nintendo saved my life. Because those stories that they have behind their video games, is the perfect pick-me-up for when you need them. I know I may not be much of a gamer, but if you need any Zelda facts or direction to a decent Zelda YouTuber, I am your girl.

Chloe Rose Violet

P.S. Don't forget to tip your writer.

(I will mention that the video is not mine, also some written rights should be given to Nintendo for the use of their awesome video game titles)