Since bursting onto the scene in 1981 in Donkey Kong, the Mario character has been a mainstay in our popular culture.  Over the years, Mario has gone on so many quests, adopted so many different personas, and in turn, become interwoven in our lives.

Having been around for such a long time can have its benefits.  Coming up on 30 years, Mario has seen the fall of the Berlin Wall, the end of the Cold War, the launch of the internet, 9-11, and the first African American President of the United States to name a few.  In our never ending quest here at 8BitLibrary to help the public see video games as a true source of media which inspires users to create content and information, I’ve come up with some ideas for teachers and educators on how to use the Super Mario Bros. series in the classroom to help show just how much we’ve changed as a culture over the last three decades.

In 1985, the original Super Mario Bros. was released for the Famicom System in Japan.  Featuring Mario on a quest to save the Princess, you controlled Mario through eight levels of pipes, goombas, coins, and the ultimate evil enemy, Bowser.  Suffice to say, Super Mario Bros. changed the way we play video gaming.

One of the biggest game changers Super Mario Bros. featured was the element of a quest.  Before this game, a lot of video gaming had been about getting the high score.  Super Mario Bros. was one of the first games that focused on the user experience rather than the high score.  While a score system still did exist, the main goal of the game was to save the Princess at the end of level eight.

Super Mario Bros. also established the idea of a mascot for a video gaming system.  Nintendo was the company that developed Mario, so he quickly became the star of their system and the focus of their marketing campaign.  Before Mario, Pac-Man was the most regarded video game star but had no specific platform which the character was attached to.  In the end, the world of video gaming was never the same.  Future systems such as the Sega Genesis had Sonic The Hedgehog which was their answer to the idea of a mascot.

Finally, one key feature of the game has to be the music and sound effects.  The game’s theme as well as the numerous sounds effects created just for this title established Super Mario Bros. as a unique playing experience.  It can be argued that the game helped create the genre of Nintendocore, a style of music that focuses on video game inspired melodies and themes.

In a discussion of Super Mario Bros., one could focus on the following:

  • How has Mario changed (physically, graphically, and philosophically) since his debut in 1985?  (Compared to his most recent adventure, Super Mario Galaxy),
  • How did the arrival of Super Mario Bros. change the face of video gaming? (Possible topics could include how this game shifted gaming from a points based system to a more quest based adventure or something which compares the rise in popularity of video gaming to the advent of the “brand” character.
  • The strong game play and controls featured in the game were a huge reason why the title was successful.  Have your students play the game with these elements in mind.  Are these two areas still a key element of the game?  Does the game play stand the test of time?  Provide reasons you think it does/doesn’t.
  • Think about the music in Super Mario Bros. What types of themes and styles do you see in the composition?  Why do you think the music and sound effects were so effective in creating a unique gaming experience?

I’ll be back soon with my take on Super Mario Brothers 2. Until then, here’s some helpful links for those interested in more Mario history.

Some additional resources to help you in your studies:

IGN Presents The History of Super Mario Bros from November 2007

Mario @ the Super Mario Wiki