The Nintendo Switch Online released its Expansion Pack optional add-on on Tuesday, October 26, 2021.
As part of the expansion, Switch users would now be privy to a slew of new features: the upcoming Animal Crossing DLC, and a small library of titles available from Sega Genesis and the Nintendo 64.
It’s that last one that really caught my attention. I had a Sega Genesis as a child, but the only games I owned were Mickey Mania and Sonic Spinball.
The Animal Crossing: Happy Home Paradise DLC seems interesting, but truthfully, I don’t play the game nearly as much as my fiancé and stepdaughter.
No, the major selling point is the inclusion of Nintendo 64 games.
And despite the disappointing early selection and the daunting asking price for an annual family membership, I’m still going to pay to have access to all the features of the Expansion Pack.
Why? Well, I guess nostalgia’s a helluva drug.
You have to understand: I grew up with a Nintendo 64 in the household.
I’ve mentioned before how the console contains some of my favourite games and is responsible for some of my favourite memories with my siblings.
Thinking of the Nintendo 64 put me into mind of one of my favourite videos on the Internet, N64 Kid:
What I love about the video is the pure, unadulterated passion, excitement and sheer joy this boy gets when he realizes he got EXACTLY what he wanted for Christmas. The energy is so infectious even his sister joins in on the celebration. (Though I will forever feel bad for the Nintendo 64 remote-controlled car; that is just an impossible act to follow.)
This calls to mind a similar TikTok video I’ve recently seen of a young Black girl opening a present for Christmas. This time it wasn’t for a Nintendo 64, but for an anime-themed calendar with Black anime characters.
Like with N64 Kid however, this young girl’s exuberance for her present is PALPABLE. She literally vibrates with joy at receiving a gift with characters that resemble her.
The creator of the calendar, jvzmina, went on to comment on Twitter: “When I tell you I cried like a baby when I first saw this…To influence a child I don’t even know like this?? And the way she said “they’re all black, it’s a miracle” and “they look like me” ??? Ugh I can go all day. I just want to inspire like this for the rest of my life.”
And that’s what it’s all about.
My word of the year for 2021 is INSPIRE, so I 100% get what jvzmina is talking about.
When I create, I do it for a higher purpose. I do it for the moments like this:
“I. CANNOT. EVEN. EXPLAIN. How much I love this. And your writing style as a whole. You have an amazing knack for writing dialogue and an incredible grip on all of the characters…That combined with your penchant for fantasy/anime/other magical genres makes your pieces so unique and so much fun to read. I have been snooping on you for a long time now, but this is the first time I’m leaving a review…I should have been showing my support and whole-hearted love from the very beginning. Thank you for being so fantastic!”
“I just finished reading this in Black Sci-Fi. Best short story I have read in a long time. I wanted more. Glad to see that you are doing a novel. Looking forward to reading it. Hope you have a long and productive career!”
The first quote was a comment I received for a fanfic I had written on AO3. The second comment was an email I received out of the blue from a person who appreciated my story “Suffering Inside but Still I Soar”.
I write because I want to cultivate that same level of exuberance felt by the N64 and the girl with the calendar.
I write because in my mind I see a vision of one day speaking to a person who has read my completed novel who is just SO HAPPY that my book exists because it had changed their life.
I live for this mythical future moment in my life to occur. That would be my self-actualization moment.
And I understand this is very specific and personal to me. For you, there’s likely a different reason propelling you to create.
The important thing is that you find your WHY and never let it go.
When the world seems against you and nothing is going your way, you need to grab onto your why for dear life and use it to get you through the tough times.
And it should never be “just for money”.
Money is necessary for living, but it’s not necessary for your soul.
Your WHY should uplift you, make you feel whole, and remind you that “Oh yeah — I was put on this Earth for a reason”.
If you’re still looking for your why, that’s fine. A simple exercise you can do to pinpoint your why is to write about what you would do if you could do anything.
If you had all the money and time in the world, what would you be doing RIGHT NOW.
It could be something as simple as playing with pets or sleeping on the beach. It at least gives you a starting point to cultivate the life you want.
Here is my suggestion: what in the world right now would make you act like the N64 Kid?
Zero in on that and start your journey. Good luck.