Almost 10 years later, the dream is complete. Thank you NA
It's crazy to think that this whole journey started for me almost 10 years ago. As many may remember, I was just a wee little lad that had an affinity for games that were older than me. After joining in 2008, NA became my family and turned my interest into a passion that would become my life and define who I was--who I am. I never felt too accepted by my peers during those rough middle school/teen years, but this community opened its arms to me and accepted me...made me feel belonged, rape jokes and all. You guys will always hold a special place in my heart and I am forever indebted. Everything I have created and strived to achieve in collecting is almost entirely attributed to NA.
My collection started in a closet with what my brother and I shared as a kid: about 10 SNES games, a handful of N64 games, some PS1 games, some Gamecube games, and a few pirated Gameboy carts. I began learning about the hobby through some of the greats on here, buying with a small investment of saved up cash from my childhood before I could drive with the support of my Dad, the other crucial part in making this dream a reality. As a lifetime collector who had his baseball cards, elvis cards, and most of his comics thrown out by his mom, he knew what it meant to foster the passion in me and support yet not enable me. Then, at the first campout, meeting so many of you who welcomed this little kid (and some even doing a bit more than "welcoming" me) just affirmed that this was my community--this was my family.
In high school, it got even crazier. I'd say my life was school + NA (and selling on eBay), but even in school I'd find ways to get online and mess around with a bunch of you on chat and engage in transactions. As my collection grew it became like a drug fix -- I needed to have more. More games, more displays, more memorabilia, more everything. I wanted that same nostalgia we are all chasing in a near-mentally ill way. But then came college. At this turning point in my life, I decided to shift my focus on creating some sort of future for myself and focus on meeting new people, creating new friendships. What ended up happening was that over those four years I became deeply, severely depressed. For a long time I didn't understand why, but the answer was so clear--I had alienated myself from my passion, collecting, NA: everything that defined me and made me who I was. But as time went on, despite my rare/lack of presence here, I reconnected with my inner-self and found peace once again. I started back up more intensely than ever before, even travelling around the country to meet and deal with some of you (and travelling out the country too! Looking at you, Dan ).
While this journey has had its ups and downs (including a devestating flood at one point), I wouldn't trade it for anything. And once again, it's all attributed to you, NA. But there's a handful of people who have made it especially special for me and made this dream a reality, and I just want to take a second to thank you guys individually, even if many of you don't visit NA anymore or won't see this.
Justin, your youtube channel was definitely a catalyst in bringing me to the site. But more importantly, you were the best friend someone living a thousand miles away could ask for...and that's not even including all the happenings in my tent at CO! You've always been like an older brother to me and you know you'll hold a very special place in my heart. Vince, same goes to you--I'll never forget the days you picked me up in your baby blue convertible and we'd go game hunting in Chicago, only to end our little trips with White Castle sliders and a little something extra . Randy and Rob, I'm bunching you two together because you guys showed me at a young age what having a pure heart really means. The kindness within you is something not only that I admire but that I've tried to model myself after...you guys are truly an inspiration. Kevin, I won't hold it against you for stealing my last name, but if only I were a little older at the earlier campouts to realize what a down-to-earth and fun guy you really are. I missed out on those years but thankfully we have the future ahead of us. Dan, you opened your home to me and introduced me to a whole new world of collecting all while blowing my mind. I'll always cherish our conversations and you are truly another example of a pure-hearted person. You're a real dude. Sam, you're the most fun guy to talk to and I'm so grateful to have struck up a friendship with you in the last year. Even though I love to ignore you, you still sweep it under the rug like nothing happened and even send me beer money. Who does that! Doug Clayton, you recently helped push me into a whole other level and I'll always cherish what you did for me. Don't worry, your gems are safe in my hands : ). And to someone who I'm certain won't see this but who many of us hold dear to our hearts, Vito: wherever you are, whatever you're doing, I hope you're well, healthy, and happy. With your Nintendo cabinet in 2009 you were one of my first transactions in person, and in 2015 I was your last. Your collection will always be cherished in good hands and I'll be forever indebted to you. Kenneth, you're no fun. And someone that so many of us here are forever indebted to: Paul. From the day that I talked to you about Biggie's Juicy having the "Super Nintendo" verse in it as a little 14 year old to the day I almost destroyed your mailbox, you've always been there for anyone in our family here. You made this community what it is. You opened your home to strangers year after year. You brought this community--this family--together. I can only speak for myself, but the impact you had on me is something I can't put in words. All I can say is thank you.
And then there's all of you with whom I'll just never forget the days we bullshitted and had fun, laughed it up in chat till the wee hours of the morning, or shared great information together. Those were the best memories for me and each and every one of you helped make those some amazing days. NGD, Josh, Matt quack, Ross burdge, Otto, David (gimmick), Swanson, Jonas, Pat (retrogamer72), seth, kat and steve, rob (themotherbrain), Jasen, Ricky, Alex, Jeremy, Jason Wilson, and more recently Beau, Matt Rose, and Robin. There's many more of you and I'm a forgetful person, don't hold it against me!
But above all, and this goes without saying, I want to thank you, Dain. You were my role-model and you were always there for me when I needed help. Without you, none of this would exist. I truly have no idea what my life would be like if it weren't for you...I can't even fathom it. Whether you meant it or not, you brought meaning to my life and have helped directly and inderectly shape who I am. Thank you for the gift you've given me, Dain.
I didn't think when I started writing this that it'd be so emotional. Several times already I've had tears fill my eyes. These experiences are, again, what define me--this community defines me. I couldn't have done this without you guys. And I apologize for the redundincies. So, to any of you reading who don't know me well and may be thinking "why the fuck is this vaginal bag of emotions going on like this," I'm here to share what I've done with my collection. I hope to one day be able to share it in-person with all of you and grow it even more. But for now, my dream has been accomplished. I took this video last night and kept it short because I know how short attention spans are these days. I'd love to make a 30-45 minute, in-depth video with all the lights on to show more detail, but for now I just wanted to give the gist of it. Lately I've been very active on Instagram sharing bits and pieces from the collection, but sharing this video tour is only for the community that made it all possible. Once again, thank you to all the special people who made this dream a reality--thank you NintendoAge.
My collection started in a closet with what my brother and I shared as a kid: about 10 SNES games, a handful of N64 games, some PS1 games, some Gamecube games, and a few pirated Gameboy carts. I began learning about the hobby through some of the greats on here, buying with a small investment of saved up cash from my childhood before I could drive with the support of my Dad, the other crucial part in making this dream a reality. As a lifetime collector who had his baseball cards, elvis cards, and most of his comics thrown out by his mom, he knew what it meant to foster the passion in me and support yet not enable me. Then, at the first campout, meeting so many of you who welcomed this little kid (and some even doing a bit more than "welcoming" me) just affirmed that this was my community--this was my family.
In high school, it got even crazier. I'd say my life was school + NA (and selling on eBay), but even in school I'd find ways to get online and mess around with a bunch of you on chat and engage in transactions. As my collection grew it became like a drug fix -- I needed to have more. More games, more displays, more memorabilia, more everything. I wanted that same nostalgia we are all chasing in a near-mentally ill way. But then came college. At this turning point in my life, I decided to shift my focus on creating some sort of future for myself and focus on meeting new people, creating new friendships. What ended up happening was that over those four years I became deeply, severely depressed. For a long time I didn't understand why, but the answer was so clear--I had alienated myself from my passion, collecting, NA: everything that defined me and made me who I was. But as time went on, despite my rare/lack of presence here, I reconnected with my inner-self and found peace once again. I started back up more intensely than ever before, even travelling around the country to meet and deal with some of you (and travelling out the country too! Looking at you, Dan ).
While this journey has had its ups and downs (including a devestating flood at one point), I wouldn't trade it for anything. And once again, it's all attributed to you, NA. But there's a handful of people who have made it especially special for me and made this dream a reality, and I just want to take a second to thank you guys individually, even if many of you don't visit NA anymore or won't see this.
Justin, your youtube channel was definitely a catalyst in bringing me to the site. But more importantly, you were the best friend someone living a thousand miles away could ask for...and that's not even including all the happenings in my tent at CO! You've always been like an older brother to me and you know you'll hold a very special place in my heart. Vince, same goes to you--I'll never forget the days you picked me up in your baby blue convertible and we'd go game hunting in Chicago, only to end our little trips with White Castle sliders and a little something extra . Randy and Rob, I'm bunching you two together because you guys showed me at a young age what having a pure heart really means. The kindness within you is something not only that I admire but that I've tried to model myself after...you guys are truly an inspiration. Kevin, I won't hold it against you for stealing my last name, but if only I were a little older at the earlier campouts to realize what a down-to-earth and fun guy you really are. I missed out on those years but thankfully we have the future ahead of us. Dan, you opened your home to me and introduced me to a whole new world of collecting all while blowing my mind. I'll always cherish our conversations and you are truly another example of a pure-hearted person. You're a real dude. Sam, you're the most fun guy to talk to and I'm so grateful to have struck up a friendship with you in the last year. Even though I love to ignore you, you still sweep it under the rug like nothing happened and even send me beer money. Who does that! Doug Clayton, you recently helped push me into a whole other level and I'll always cherish what you did for me. Don't worry, your gems are safe in my hands : ). And to someone who I'm certain won't see this but who many of us hold dear to our hearts, Vito: wherever you are, whatever you're doing, I hope you're well, healthy, and happy. With your Nintendo cabinet in 2009 you were one of my first transactions in person, and in 2015 I was your last. Your collection will always be cherished in good hands and I'll be forever indebted to you. Kenneth, you're no fun. And someone that so many of us here are forever indebted to: Paul. From the day that I talked to you about Biggie's Juicy having the "Super Nintendo" verse in it as a little 14 year old to the day I almost destroyed your mailbox, you've always been there for anyone in our family here. You made this community what it is. You opened your home to strangers year after year. You brought this community--this family--together. I can only speak for myself, but the impact you had on me is something I can't put in words. All I can say is thank you.
And then there's all of you with whom I'll just never forget the days we bullshitted and had fun, laughed it up in chat till the wee hours of the morning, or shared great information together. Those were the best memories for me and each and every one of you helped make those some amazing days. NGD, Josh, Matt quack, Ross burdge, Otto, David (gimmick), Swanson, Jonas, Pat (retrogamer72), seth, kat and steve, rob (themotherbrain), Jasen, Ricky, Alex, Jeremy, Jason Wilson, and more recently Beau, Matt Rose, and Robin. There's many more of you and I'm a forgetful person, don't hold it against me!
But above all, and this goes without saying, I want to thank you, Dain. You were my role-model and you were always there for me when I needed help. Without you, none of this would exist. I truly have no idea what my life would be like if it weren't for you...I can't even fathom it. Whether you meant it or not, you brought meaning to my life and have helped directly and inderectly shape who I am. Thank you for the gift you've given me, Dain.
I didn't think when I started writing this that it'd be so emotional. Several times already I've had tears fill my eyes. These experiences are, again, what define me--this community defines me. I couldn't have done this without you guys. And I apologize for the redundincies. So, to any of you reading who don't know me well and may be thinking "why the fuck is this vaginal bag of emotions going on like this," I'm here to share what I've done with my collection. I hope to one day be able to share it in-person with all of you and grow it even more. But for now, my dream has been accomplished. I took this video last night and kept it short because I know how short attention spans are these days. I'd love to make a 30-45 minute, in-depth video with all the lights on to show more detail, but for now I just wanted to give the gist of it. Lately I've been very active on Instagram sharing bits and pieces from the collection, but sharing this video tour is only for the community that made it all possible. Once again, thank you to all the special people who made this dream a reality--thank you NintendoAge.
Comments
Deniz you the man! Great write up
I had these little notes with names and just forgot a few people. editing right now! Not that you're one of them or anything
Deniz you the man! Great write up
I had these little notes with names and just forgot a few people. editing right now! Not that you're one of them or anything
You still the man- I am skiing down sealed Mounty Nasty baby high school dating was a lot easier then getting your attention for that trade
Hahaha, I just watched the video. I had no clue that that is what your collection entailed! Very impressive.
You live near me so I hope we can trade something one day!
Great post and great collection! I didn't see my favourite piece in your collection in the video!
Hehe, that one's kept away in my room where I can see it
Games are only as fun as the people around them, and you're proof of that Deniz. I have really enjoyed hanging out and chatting, when and where we can. Walk on over to my place anytime, it's only a few blocks away .
Hahaha, I just watched the video. I had no clue that that is what your collection entailed! Very impressive.
Hahahaha a few? I figured it was only a couple...
Since I have only been collecting for the past 4 years I didn't hear about you until recently when I joined Instagram A true inspiration.
You live near me so I hope we can trade something one day!
Thanks man : ). Don't live here permanently anymore but hopefully one day!
Happy 10 years man!
I keep thinking its a gross over exaggeration but damn, it really is almost 10! Thanks Aaron : )
A truly awesome and well displayed collection!
- Mike