We caught up with the awesome Pokemon guru, pixel artist and streamer @ferntendo64 on Fern’s Nintendo and gaming journey so far! Thanks for popping by, Fern!
1. Hey Fern! Tell us a bit about yourself and your gaming journey so far!
Hey! Thank you so much for asking me to do this, I feel honoured!
I’m Fern / @ferntendo64, I’ve been playing games ever since my mum won a Nintendo 64 way back in the day. Since then, I’ve owned every console on each platform. No console wars here, but I’m a Nintendo fan at heart!
I’m a massive Pokémon nerd and it’s something that has always been incredibly special to me. It’s a big part of who I am as a person, and it’s always been there for me through my life.
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2. What’s your earliest memory of playing video games for the first time?
I’m not sure what my first memory is, but my earliest video game memories are playing Tetris on my Gameboy, getting Pokémon Blue for Christmas, and watching my friend’s dad doing the Deku Tree for her on Zelda: Ocarina of Time.
3. What made you start collecting and taking photos of your Nintendo games and consoles?
I’ve always collected Nintendo games and have always kept my consoles. The thing that made me start taking photos is my partner Marcus (@marcusoft365).
When I first met him, I thought it was awesome but also thought it was a bit strange to talk to random people online, haha! My personal account gradually evolved into a gaming account, and I soon realised that I was very wrong in thinking it was odd to talk to people I didn’t know.
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I’ve made so many friends on Instagram, many I consider close friends too! Sharing my love for Pokémon and gaming through photos is a fun & creative way to express myself and show my personality.
4. Love the world of Nintendo! What would you say is so appealing about games like Pokemon, Zelda, Mario, Animal Crossing and co?
I love the sense of adventure and exploration in Nintendo games, Pokémon in particular.
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I love collecting things on games too – Pokémon, Gold Skulltula, Stars, Fossils, etc. Nintendo have games I always want to go back to or keep playing, that’s a special quality to have. The older titles are so nostalgic, too!
Pokémon appeals to me most because of the above and what it has taught me over the years – never give up, keep going when things don’t go to plan and most importantly, to just be myself. (Editor’s note: That is such a great quote!)
I think Nintendo do multiplayer like no other too which is also super appealing to me!
5. Who is your favourite Nintendo character and why?
This is actually so tricky! I can’t pick just one, I’m so sorry haha!
From Mario its Daisy, she’s awesome – “Hi, I’m Daisy”!
From Zelda it’s Link. I love characters like Zelda, Midna, Mr Tingle and the “Spliiiish” Man (I can’t remember his name), but Link is just so cool!
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From Pokémon (going with Trainers or we’ll be here forever!) its Serena from X & Y, she was the first trainer I could customise to look more like me, she wore clothes I’d wear & we both love Fennekin.
From Animal Crossing its Flora, I love her! And finally, my little Kirby, what a cutie!
What can I say, Nintendo know how to design their characters!
6. What would you say is your most special/memorable gaming item that you couldn’t ever part with on the gaming shelf?
This is also a tricky, as I can’t part with anything haha! But I think I’d have to say my N64.
Without that I wouldn’t be who I am or where I am today, thanks mum! <3
7. Love seeing your Pokemon card collections and pulls! What made you start collecting Pokemon cards and any tips for anyone starting out?
Aww thank you so much! I’ve been collecting since I was a kid! I’ve had small breaks over the years but always got a few packs.
I love taking photos & sharing my cards with everyone, particularly the older ones or common/uncommon cards that I love the art on. I like getting photos of my cards in the wild, too.
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My tips would be to start when a new set comes as they will be easier to get hold of. Get an Elite Trainer Box as you get lots of packs, sleeves, a helpful card list, dice & a nice box to store them in (if you don’t have a binder). You now get a special promo card in each box and the ones so far have been incredible!
8. Love your awesome PikaPixels art, too – it’s super detailed and I love the pieces I’ve gotten my hands on! What made you start PikaPixels?
Thank you so much, that really means a lot!
I started making pixel art when I quit smoking to keep my hands busy! Then a few months later lockdown happened so I made more and more. Eventually I decided I needed to sell some as they were everywhere! I’m super proud to have PikaPixels as my little side quest.
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9. Where can fans find your PikaPixels pieces?
You can find me on Instagram @pikapixelsart. This is where you can see everything I’ve ever made and DM me for customs.
I have my Etsy store I love this shop so much but Etsy’s fees are a bit much and I don’t want to raise my prices so I recently made a Ko-fi shop to see how that goes. All my shop updates are posted on my PikaPixels Instagram account 😊
10. Love your streams on Twitch! What do you enjoy most about streaming and what do you normally stream?
Yay! Thank you so much! I love streaming and talking to everyone in chat. I started it to try to build my confidence a bit as I’m super shy and have to talk to a lot of people for work. I love opening cards with everyone on stream, its lots of fun when we get a hit!
I’m currently streaming Pokémon Sword on Tuesdays at 6:30pm UK and sometimes the odd stream in between, like Pokémon TCG pack openings & some spooky streams for October 😊
I’m hoping to stream some Mad Monster Mansion from Banjo-Kazooie too. I have lots planned for the future! 😊
(You can tune into Fern’s streams over on the Ferntendo_64 Twitch channel)
11. What franchise, sequel or remake are you hoping Nintendo will release on the Switch or successor console on day?
The easiest question so far! POKEMON GOLD & SILVER and ZELDA: OCARINA OF TIME! Pleeeease! I’d honestly be so happy with either of those.
I hope for one every Nintendo Direct or Pokémon Presents. It’ll happen one day, right?!
I’d also like to see a Johto version of Pokémon Legends. I think it would work so well and I’d love to learn more about Johto.
12. What Nintendo games are you currently playing?
I’m currently playing Animal Crossing: New Horizons again, I lost over 600 hours when I upgraded my Switch.
After the initial shock and feeling super gutted, I decided to start again and I’m actually enjoying it so much!
So it’s kinda good in a weird sort of way! I’m also playing the Pokémon Scarlet DLC: The Teal Mask. Its super refreshing and I’m really loving exploring somewhere new and filling up another Pokedex 😊
13. Where can fellow Nintendo gamers find your work?
You can find me on Instagram, Twitter, TikTok & Threads as @ferntendo64.
My Twitch channel is ferntendo_64. I have all my links, discount codes, Vinted, Ko-fi, etc on my Linktree – https://linktr.ee/ferntendo64
