☔ Rainy Day Gaming // Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker and the Dream of an Analog Life ☔

Hello Folk of the Hollow!

Today the skies have turned a dark and heavy gray, and only moments ago did I hear the patter of rain against the windows of the cottage. The fire wizards, who lingered just outside the woods ready to shoot their multicolored sparks into the air to celebrate the kingdom’s birthday, have all retreated indoors. On the side of the library with my sofa and my hearth, Salem had been curled up asleep among the blankets all morning—but when the rain started, he promptly got up and came to sit in my lap. When the air pressure changes due to incoming storms, he tends to get a bit agitated and can only find comfort in snuggling with me. I am happy to oblige if it can help my little guy feel better.

The Calm of Vintage Gaming

On days like today, I find great comfort in wrapping myself up in blankets and playing a good video game on my computer. It takes me back to a simpler time, one with so much less responsibilities and all the time in the world. Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker is one of my old favorites. I remember sitting in my bedroom when I was a little kid, GameCube fired up, surrounded by all of my stuffed animals and a cozy blanket, struggling with what I now find to be rather easy puzzles.

I think the first time I played it, I had rented it from Blockbuster when that was part of everyone’s reality rather than a distant memory. My mother and I would go to Blockbuster a lot on Friday nights when she got home from work, and we would pick out movies to watch and a video game for me to play. Half of my all time favorite games that I can no longer live without were discovered purely at random on a Blockbuster shelf. Wind Waker is no exception. I must have rented it a lot as a child, because one day my mother surprised me with a copy of my very own. It lived on my shelf for years—and might still be there, amongst the physical DVD and video game cases that came with me throughout my life.

Yesterday I played a little Spyro the Dragon, and was all at once flooded with memories I thought lost to the wear and tear of growing up. That was the first time in a long time that I simply sat down and played a game without checking my phone every five minutes. I didn’t quite realize how much of a release it would feel like to just play an old game. Something about the nearly indistinguishable, polygon graphics that are all sharp edges and minimalistic textures soothed the soul. These days, I find myself gravitating more towards older games than newer.

Going More Analog

I have wanted to be more analog as of late. I find myself reaching for my phone much too often and, when I put it down again, have come to realize that the mindless scroll has made me feel worse about myself. I always feel like my life isn’t enough because I don’t see it measuring up to the curated pieces of those I follow online. It’s been a source of great distress to me for the last while, but this has been both a good and a bad thing.

The way it’s bad is obvious (and already stated above) but in a way it’s also been beneficial to me. In my desperation to escape I have taken up hobbies I don’t think I would have considered before: I’ve learned to crochet, to cross-stitch, and I am currently teaching myself to sew my own clothes. I write more in my physical journal and have discovered ways to elevate it to a level that makes writing in it feel like equal parts emotional archive and arts and crafts project. I am particularly excited to buy a particular type of printer paper that will allow me to make my own stickers for my journal, making it feel even more personal than it already is, and saving me quite a bit on my sticker budget.

So much joy lives in making things with our hands. I learned recently that when we do activities with a high reliance on making something with your hands, it makes you more present. It makes the days feel less like a lost dream that slipped between our fingers upon waking and more like we’re actually part of our own lives. Plus, it teaches our brains that we are capable of doing difficult things, and it’s nice to be reminded of our own capabilities.

Although I need my phone and social media to be able to do what I need to do for work, I want to curate as many non-phone and non-social media related activities as I can.

I don’t know if playing vintage games on your computer is considered “analog,” but I, personally, think it does.

I don’t know if any of this makes sense (if it does, please let me know in the comments!) or if I articulated how I’m feeling the way I wanted to, but I’ve been enjoying finding activities that don’t involve just sitting and looking at my phone for hours on end. If you’ve been doing the same thing, let me know what hobbies you’ve picked up! I’m curious to know!

Until next time ~ 💚