The first time I played The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time was with my grandmother. Both of my parents had to work during my early years so I was often left to my grandparents’ care. They lived in the country, approximately two hours away from the busy city by train.
A big part of my childhood involved playing video games with my late grandmother.
My grandmother and I played the game together, but sometimes my grandmother’s arthritis made it hard to walk and use her hands. It also didn’t help that she was a heavy smoker; she never smoked around me but there was always that faint smell of tobacco whenever she hugged me. Most of the time, I would help her control Link by holding the controller for her.
As my grandmother owned a bakery, she was constantly busy making bread from scratch in the mornings, so we often played in the afternoons. Sometimes she would ask me what Link was encountering along his journey. She always loved talking about Link and his world, and even had theories about how it all connected to the real world. I remember I would look at her whenever I felt like a boss was getting too hard for me to beat, and she would instinctively reach out her hand to me so I would give her the controller to beat the boss for me.
Playing video games with my grandmother made me feel special, like I was inside an extraordinary fantasy world where it’s just us. I don’t remember a lot, but I recollect how she always handed me the controller first, as her particular way of letting me know she trusted me. It really meant a lot to me.
My grandmother was a big Nintendo fan but I’d like to think her favorite was The Legend of Zelda, because she really enjoyed playing it with me. Through our play time together, I developed a passion for Zelda myself and that led me to write this article. It’s a little bit sad that my grandmother won’t get to read it, but I know she’d love reading about the memories we shared playing Ocarina of Time together.
Now I’m telling you about them.
When I was five years old, my grandmother gave me a Nintendo 64. It took us several months to finish the game, which we did at night — she didn’t like having the light on while playing.
We had a specific routine. We’d play for roughly two hours each night and then sit down to a late supper of chicken sandwiches and tea. She was really proud of herself for getting through the game; she thought it was beautiful and remarkable that such a young child could be the protagonist.
Thinking about these memories is bittersweet because I lost her suddenly four years ago to lung cancer. With the release of Breath of the Wild in March of 2017, I couldn’t help but get emotional. The first thing I wanted to do was go over to my grandmother’s house and play that brand new Zelda game with her but sadly, I couldn’t.
She would’ve been overjoyed watching me play a game she introduced to me, but even though she’s not here to do that anymore, I will always treasure all our memories together. As I replay past Zelda games on my Nintendo Switch, I sometimes imagine she’s sitting beside me, watching intently as I figure out difficult dungeons and save the princess.
Games can create memories that last forever!
