Nostalgia with Video Games

Video games have always meant something special to gamers. There is typically more to a game than the game itself for gamers, it could be the time, place, smell, sound, etc, there are so many other things related to the experience! I could personally look at each game I own and tell you what was going on in my life at the time I was playing the game.

If there is one game, in particular, that means a lot to me it's Zelda: Ocarina of Time. Now while most people who know me would have assumed Phantasy Star Online would be the one I would bring up, it's not in this case. PSO definitely holds special meaning to me but this blog post is dedicated to why Zelda does.

1998 was a tough time for me as a kid. My parents got divorced officially in 1997, separated mid-1996 and I was at the time living with my mom in Cleveland Ohio with her family. Once the divorce was finalized my dad won custody of me and took me back to Atlanta Georgia to live. It was awkward for me because I was super happy to be home where my friends were and back in my original school, but I was away from my mom who I was super close to. It also didn't help that my new stepmom was putting on an act in 1997 of being the cool stepmom then suddenly showing her true colors in 1998. It was made clear to me that year that I was only there because my dad wanted me there not because she wanted a son to help raise. It was made even more clear when she told me in private they were planning on having another kid and I should get used to being second. It was terrible! I honestly thought I was in prison. My phone calls to my mom were being recorded by my stepmom, in fear I was talking ill about her, I never saw my dad because she would get jealous if he showed me any attention. The even more selfish part was when my parents were together I was a spoiled only child, but apparently, that was more my mom than my dad or my stepmom put an end to it through my dad. Suddenly I was lucky to get much at Christmas or my birthday. My stepmom would actually buy herself things that I wanted, like a PlayStation, or get dial-up internet for the computer but never let me use it. I was feeling pretty low by the end of 1998.

My mom (rip) was a trooper. She moved in mid-1998 with only a few dollars to her name to Georgia to be closer to me. She fought my father for custody for every other weekend. Things were looking up for little Douglas, he had both his parents again within a 20-mile radius. 

Finally, Christmas came that year in 1998. I spent the actual Christmas weekend with my dad. He got me a few toys and it was pretty okay. Nothing a kid could really complain about other than dealing with his awful stepmom. I went to my mom's for the following weekend for New Years. She defied all expectations that weekend for my 2nd Christmas. My mom wasn't doing well financially as she gave everything up to move back to Georgia and was working as a waitress at a hot wing cafe. I don't know how she pulled it off but that Christmas she bought me a brand new Nintendo 64 and Zelda: Ocarina of Time. She was so excited to give it to me, I was legit like the Nintendo 64 kid. She knew it would be something I'd spend time with and she knew it would be a giant stab to my dad that she overcame all the obstacles he threw in her way. 

I played my Nintendo 64 every day and spent so much time in the world of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. I remember getting lost in that game thinking how awesome it would be if I was actually in this world. It seemed so fully realized at the time. I was totally blown away. Every time I would load the game up I would think of my mom and how hard she worked at her job to get me this game and console. I was the cool kid in my neighborhood thanks to my mom. That console and game would always mean a lot to me. Unfortunately, the console was stolen from me, but I still have the game to treasure and remember her by. Honestly, anytime I load up a game from the Zelda series I associate it with my mom. She had such a huge impact on the series for me. It made it tough at times when she passed away, but I am very much looking forward to Zelda: Breath of the Wild and playing knowing my mother will be by my side watching me happy to know I'm doing the best I can.