Let's Look Back: My First Venture Into Video Essays
Memories, Video Games, and lots and lots of talking...
IMPAKT: Nostalgia - The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening (Episode 1), originally uploaded September 1st, 2017
What you’re reading is a script I wrote back in 2017 when I ventured into video essays uploaded to YouTube. It is preserved in its original form and not edited to fit the present publishing. You can watch the video version above and/or read it below. I like the idea of revisiting older writing to let more people see where I came from and what I used to talk about. This is the first in that series of “Look Backs”)
I’ve been sitting here staring at a blank document wondering, “how do I express myself as a YouTuber, and have it be something unique to me?” This has been a much harder task than I originally had thought, and I have wasted countless hours and days not creating or writing anything because I was afraid. Maybe blocked too, but who really knows.
I am a gamer, and that has played a large part of my life ever since I could remember. For instance, during Christmas of 1992, I was on the verge of turning 8, and I received my first OG Gameboy system. Along with it, I received Super Mario Land. My brother also got a Gameboy. Besides the Atari that had always been in the house, this was my first system to have a real impact on me. Along with that Christmas Day, one of my earliest memories was three days later when I had been playing Mario Land none stop and was at the final boss. After battling for quite a few rounds, I jumped up off the couch, ran into my mother's room, and yelled “Mom! I just beat the game!” It was my first time. My mother shared the excitement with me. This moment had an impact on me. I had officially become a gamer, and I couldn’t wait to play more.
This is what I want to create and share; impactful games, what they mean to me, and the memories that are attached to them. And…. of course some game streaming, and other fun stuff thrown in. ;)
So, where do we start? Well, not too much further ahead from the memory of my first gaming Christmas, when I received a new Gameboy, and The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening.
Mind you, I had dabbled a little with Zelda on NES but I was really young and I don’t have a lot of memories of playing it. I did remember enough to know the Zelda filename tricks though. ;) But I’m getting ahead of myself. Let’s dive into the story.
You’re probably wondering why I said I got a NEW gameboy with Zelda.
When I was a kid in the early 90s, my family would often spend the summer on cross-country road trips. Which I’m sure was what you were probably doing then too. We would travel far and wide, visiting national monuments and state parks. I remember taking photos with the sign at Mount Rushmore, and almost falling off the Grand Canyon because I had to be held over the rail to grab a toy I dropped. Thanks 90s parenting. We also made multiple trips to Disneyland, and visited family in other states. I would always have a large bag of batteries and my GameBoy with me on these trips, lying in the back seat paying little attention to the surrounding scenery. I mean, I was busy being immersed in other worlds fighting baddies, and winning coins to really pay attention to what was going on around me.
I don’t remember a lot of these trips as most of the memories have faded, but the bits and pieces I do remember are of the open road and the long stretches of land. If you haven’t driven through the desert during a lightning storm, you really should.
On one of these trips, after having gotten a takeout order of food from some restaurant, my GameBoy was accidently damaged by a falling cup of soda. It was a very sad moment, and I’m sure I cried, but my parents vowed to get me a replacement when our trip was finished.
My mother took me to a department store, probably K-Mart if I try to think real hard about it, and she got me a new gameboy. This version was special though, as it came bundled with Link’s Awakening. I immediately started playing while on the drive home, because I was a kid who couldn’t wait any longer.
I had played a lot of games up until this point. Lots of classic GameBoy franchises like Mario and Kirby, including some of their sequels and spin-offs, but Link’s Awakening was probably one of the first games to really grab me and pull me in. I fell in love with every aspect of the franchise because of this game. The characters were interesting, the land was large and full of life, and the quest was challenging and fun.
Every time I am asked by someone what my favorite Zelda game is, it always comes back to Link’s Awakening. Probably the main reason for this is because it really was the first one I played. Yes, I said before that I had some experience with Zelda 1 on the NES but it was more like a quick appetizer before the main course of this game. I also never owned an NES so it wasn’t as readily available. Link’s Awakening was the first Zelda game to always be at my fingertips.
I really connected with this game on a psychological level. It engaged me and I was invested in the tasks I had to complete around the island. I spent months completing every single side quest. Didn’t matter if I had beaten the game or not, or I was replaying it from the beginning. I made sure to do everything this game would allow me to do.
I found every heart container, knew all the locations of secret chests, and always had more than enough Secret Seashells to create the leveled up sword. I studied every aspect of this game like it was a requirement for school. Not that I could tell you much of that now, but I was an expert as a kid. At least, that’s how I saw myself.
There were many moments I can talk about that touched me but the ones that really come to mind were all the ones involving music, which this game feature quite heavily.
One of my favorite little side quests was the Signpost Maze, where you had to use most of your arsenal of tools to traverse an area with obstacles, all just to touch signposts in a certain order. Successfully completing this allowed you access to a secret staircase that led underground. It was this moment that you got to meet Mabu the frog and he taught you one of three songs you could play in the game. After all that running around and reading the right signs, this was a cute and fun reward.
I still remember the first time having conversation with the character Marin outside of her father's house in the town square. She offered to sing to me a song that she loved singing, Ballad of the Windfish. Which is also one of my most favorite songs to ever come out of a Zelda game. Not only that, but it’s integral to the game itself. You need it to activate the special instruments that get you into the final section of the game.
Who knew, this whole time hearing this girl sing a little tune would mean so much by the end of the game? Maybe I was young and naive, but I didn’t understand its significance until the moment came.
I think one of the moments that really solidified how much this game means to me was during the ending cutscenes. Spoiler alert for those of you who are living in outer space and have yet to experience this game. When the Wind Fish is waking up with Link and the scene keeps switching to different parts of the island as it slowly fades, one of the last shots is of Marin singing in the town square. As her and the surrounding area started to disappear, I became filled with emotion and I started to cry a little bit. I had realized that everything was coming to an end and the characters I connected with were about to be gone forever. My heart had broken a little bit.
I had spent so much time adventuring on this island that I wasn’t ready for it all to be gone. But then, as I, well Link, was sitting on that piece of driftwood looking up a familiar tune began to play. It was the ballad of the windfish being sung by a seagull. Marin had mentioned wanting to be like the seagulls so she could explore the world and sing her song, and now, outside of that dream island, she was, and my sadness subsided.
Kind of like the end of a summer road trip, games all come to an end, but that doesn’t mean the adventure has to be over.
Eventually, the game was re-released, updated to be colorized for the newly released GameBoy Color. Of course I bought it immediately. I just had to give this world another go, but this time through the lense of the rainbow. The extras added just made this game even more full of life. The photobooth side quest and cutscenes added to the charm and made it even easier to fall in love. I definitely printed out a lot of stickers from this game. Wish I still had my GameBoy Printer.
And that’s the real joy about Link’s Awakening; I still go back to it from time to time. Like I’m checking in on an old friend, or wanting to relive some pieces of my childhood. Or maybe, I’m experiencing them again, but through new eyes.
Coming back to it again for this video felt like doing just that too. I never really had thought about what the impact of this game meant to me until now. The memories were always there, and so was my nostalgia for the game, but I just needed to connect the pieces.
So, if you’re watching out there and feel similarly to how I do, please let me know. Leave a comment and tell me if The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening impacted your life as well. Or even let me know of other games that impacted you. I’d love to hear your stories.
This video is just about done, but there are definitely more coming down the road. I’ve got a bunch of games and the memories attached to them that I’d like to make videos for , and I’d like to share them with you. Thanks so much for watching, and let’s never forget the games that are important to us, and the memories attached to them.
Thanks for reading and I hope you consider sharing this post and subscribing to my substack!