Each week, we plan on giving spotlight to one of our fellow geeks, giving them a chance to show off their most prized collections and their, well… geekiness!
This week, our geek is Ryan “Link” Kimball! We had a look into what he likes to geek over.
Brief summary of collection: I only began collecting Nintendo video games a few years ago. Growing up, I was always overshadowed by my older brother and older cousins, so I spent my entire childhood watching these games, rather than actually playing them. However, after I picked up Ocarina of Time a few years ago, I immediately discovered a new everlasting pleasure. As a heavy reader, I had already been exposed to the beauty of a thought-provoking novel, which I already loved, but when I began playing games like Majora’s Mask, and Mother 1, 2 & 3, and Paper Mario… I realized that there was a entire experience I was missing out on – the immersion of a quality video game. Progressively, I became more and more increasingly interested in video games, and my collection began to slowly snowball.
Favorite thing in collection: My favorite portion of my collection has to be my Legend of Zelda apparel. Zelda is just one of those series that you fall in love with more after you finish the game. Sure I loved playing Twilight Princess, but what I enjoyed even more was adventuring around the woods by house with a sword, ocarina and a bow, listening to the A Link To The Past soundtrack playing from my speakers. I also purchased Legend of Zelda sheet music so I can recreate the songs I fell in love with on my acoustic guitar. Sure, the Zelda games are profound, but it doesn’t amount to the feeling of excitement when someone on the street recognizes your Clock Town wristwatch, or 24 Hours Remain t-shirt.
Favorite geek memory: My favorite “geek” memory (as far as I can remember in this moment) might be on Halloween. I was dressed up as Link just running around NYC pelting people with marbles from my slingshot and slashing them with my cheap wooden sword. But it was hysterical because people knew who I was, and would sometimes play along, or at least scream “LINK!” from the cars as I would run in the middle of the road pretending to gallop. Yeah, this all sounds much weirder now that I’m writing it down.
Favorite game: Mother 3 is the greatest game of all time. I haven’t played every game ever, obviously, but I have played a lot, and no game has ever put me through a roller coaster of emotions the way this game (and series) has. I refuse to spoil anything about it, I can only heavily recommend it with a few recommendations:
Play it like you are reading a book. Take your time, talk to every NPC, choose the wrong answers when asked questions (just to hear to oh-so-creative responses) and micro-analyze every aspect of the game. Shigesato Itoi purposely imbedded many subtle (and others not so subtle) adult themes into this game to demonstrate his personal beliefs (like the dangers of Capitalism, good and evil, human anatomy, response to death, the sins of humanity etc).
I don’t want to say much more, expect that it is the only game that ever had me in tears by the ending. It’s a feel good game that will make you crack up (I was hysterically laughing at points), and smile, but then will quickly take that away making you feel extremely uncomfortable, nervous, uneasy and saddened. When you play, remember, this game is NOT about the gameplay, or the difficulty, or the final boss – it’s about the entire journey, and what an amazing journey it is.
I get happy even writing about this masterpiece. Please, please, please, please, find a way to get it (it was never released in the U.S. officially, but, you know… there are ways) and play it!
Favorite movie: Perhaps not so “geeky” because the main character is probably the coolest man of all time, but my favorite movie is Fight Club. It is one of those movies that you can enjoy on its face, strictly for the storyline, acting and setup, but it’s much more than that. It’s a borderline philosophical film that attacks many areas of American culture that very well deserve harsh criticism. If you haven’t seen it, get prepared to watch it twice – once more after you immediately finish it. Trust me, you’ll understand why.
Favorite comic book/character: Sadly, I do not like a particular comic book character enough to ramble about one here.
Favorite TV show: Best TV show I have ever watched was an anime known as Death Note. As I’ve been discussing – I have a love for meaning and subtext, and Death Note is the epitome of deeper meaning. I cannot explain how remarkably interested I was as I was walked through the minds of two juxtaposed characters – L, the “hero,” and Light, the “anti-hero.” While watching this you will probably find yourself in an uncomfortable position where you are questioning your own morals, on subjects you’ve never even considered before. Would the world be a better place if it were rid of all evil? What if you had the power to do so? Is it ethically correct for one man to pass judgment throughout the entire world? Are normal, good, everyday people susceptible to immoral evils if they are granted the power? Watch it. Love it. Think about it. Repeat.
Think you have what it takes to be next week’s Geek of the Week? Send an e-mail to [email protected] and tell us what you should be featured on the site!
