Why do I love video games so much? Just what is it about
these electronic, computer-created jumbles of pixels and polygons that stir my
heart so much? A recent playthrough of the original Super Mario Bros. for the
NES reminded me of all the central reasons why I love video games so damn much.
Gameplay
Of course this is a big one. The first time I ever picked up
a controller, it was just joy to move a character around in a colorful environment.
And what game better demonstrates pitch-perfect gameplay than Super Mario?
Super Mario Bros. is still a blast to play nearly thirty years later. It’s a challenging,
rewarding and supremely enjoyable experience. It’s this kind of player control-infused
enjoyment that makes me love video games.
Atmosphere
A key factor of video games is their immersion. A rich, engrossing
atmosphere is a must for a game to draw me in and make me fall in love with it.
As a child, Super Mario Bros. drew me in with a strange, new world to interact
with and explore. There are the bright and colorful surface areas filled with
floating bricks and question-mark blocks, green pipes and all manner of odd
creatures stomping about. Then there is the underground with its mysterious ambient
music and dank atmosphere that just begs to be explored. The Mushroom Kingdom’s
weird and wonderful atmosphere is why I love video games.
Music and Sound Design
Great atmosphere goes hand-in-hand with great music and great sound design. Super Mario Bros. has such memorable and catchy chiptunes that the main theme of the game is recognizable even to those who don’t play video games. From the aforementioned famous tune to the mysterious underground theme to the calming underwater track to the ominous castle music, Super Mario Bros.’ music is mood-setting and sets the rhythm to brilliant gameplay and level design. And that’s to say nothing of all the iconic sound effects from collecting a coin to that oh-so-satisfying power-up sound when Mario grabs a mushroom or fire flower. Great music mixed with great sound design is why I love video games so much.
Music and Sound Design
Great atmosphere goes hand-in-hand with great music and great sound design. Super Mario Bros. has such memorable and catchy chiptunes that the main theme of the game is recognizable even to those who don’t play video games. From the aforementioned famous tune to the mysterious underground theme to the calming underwater track to the ominous castle music, Super Mario Bros.’ music is mood-setting and sets the rhythm to brilliant gameplay and level design. And that’s to say nothing of all the iconic sound effects from collecting a coin to that oh-so-satisfying power-up sound when Mario grabs a mushroom or fire flower. Great music mixed with great sound design is why I love video games so much.
Story
A compelling tale that is told through a mixture of gameplay
and well-directed cut-scenes (or purely though gameplay) is another reason to
love video games. On the surface, Super Mario Bros. tells a straightforward and
classic tale: a hero embarks on a journey to defeat an evil villain, save a
princess, and save a kingdom from tyranny. This classic story is great and it’s
always fun to feel like a hero, but it’s the parts of the story that aren’t explicitly
told in-game, as well as the completely untold parts of this story that truly capture
my imagination. The backstory of the original Super Mario Bros. tells the tale
of how Bowser and his underlings who live in the harsh badlands of their world grew
jealous of the neighboring Mushroom Kingdom’s prosperity and decided to conquer
it using black magic. Using this dark magic, Bowser turns all of the citizens
of the Mushroom Kingdom into blocks and bricks and kidnaps the kingdom’s ruler
and locks her up. Bowser has basically already won. As Mario travels through
each world in the game, he is defeating Bowser’s sentries and lowering the
enemies’ flags, effectively taking back every fortress in the land. This (for
me at least) is the meaning of the flagpole at the end of each level. Also, I always
imagined the untold parts of Super Mario Bros. How did two Italian plumbers end
up in this strange world? I’m not sure if this is meant to be the story or not,
but I imagine that Mario and Luigi were once two ordinary plumbers living in
New York City or somewhere and one day they stumbled upon a warp pipe which led
them to the secret Mushroom World. Once there, they learned of the kingdom’s
plight, gained super powers and saved the day. After saving the kingdom from Bowser
and gaining the princess and her people’s affection, they decided to live in
the Mushroom Kingdom and had many more adventures afterwards. This is how I
imagine it anyway. It is this imagination and this combination of told and
untold story that makes me love video games.
The World and the
Aesthetics
I’ve mentioned before that the beautiful and
imaginative worlds of video games are one of the main reasons I love them so
much. I’m also going to include is this category the art and graphics that make
those worlds vibrantly come alive. In Super Mario Bros., the senses are treated to
a colorful and surrealistic landscape that Mario hops around in. These aesthetics
change abruptly to dark and dreary when underground, soothing and peaceful when
underwater, and treacherous and nerve-wracking when in one of Bowser’s cold,
gray castles filled with spinning fire blades and leaping lava. This memorable
and unique world design is why I love video games so much.
So there you have it. Super Mario Bros. is one of the greatest video games ever created and it contains everything I love about the medium. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go play some Zelda next.
So there you have it. Super Mario Bros. is one of the greatest video games ever created and it contains everything I love about the medium. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go play some Zelda next.
