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Posts tagged Super Mario Brothers
Super Mario Brothers in the Classroom (Part 5 of 7)
010 months ago
This is long overdue, and I am sorry.
As the first title for the Nintendo 64 system, Super Mario 64 changed the way we look at games. Up until this point, games had been mostly a two dimensional affair, with some lame attempts at immersing the player in a larger 3D having entered the video gaming fray. It wasn’t until Super Mario 64 that we learned just how much fun it is to run around everywhere in a game instead of just usually going from left to right.
Play a game like Banjo Kazooie or the Jak & Daxter and then play Super Mario 64. Notice anything? They all share similar game play. Your view is from behind your main character and you’re in a 3D rendered world. This “style” of game was created by Super Mario 64. The first time you fired up this game on your Nintendo 64 was the first time you ever played anything like this and let me tell you having experienced it first hand, it was a pretty amazing moment.
These days, these types of 3D platforming games are a dime a dozen. I’m not saying that’s a bad thing. There is an excellent selection of titles just like this out there that will provide hours of enjoyment. Super Mario 64, being the first 3D platforming game, brings a unique scenario to the table. Through this title, we can understand how the 3D platforming game has evolved over the years and see just how much influence this one particular title has had on the gaming industry.
These things about stood out to me as I recently replayed the Super Mario 64:
1. Originality
It may be a hard thing for younger students to grasp, but this game was one of a kind when it first came out. Explain the history of the Mario series and how it evolved from 2D to 3D. Emphasize just how much of a change it was going from Super Mario World to Super Mario 64. With those ideas established, then have your students look at other 3D platforming games (I recommend the Crash Bandicoot series, any 3D Sonic games (especially Sonic Adventure for the Sega Dreamcast), or the games I mentioned above. What have those games borrowed from Super Mario 64? Where have they made improvements on the game play of Super Mario 64?
2. The World of Super Mario 64
While the world in which Super Mario 64 takes place may seem small to the worlds in which games take place these days (I’m thinking of The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess), at the time of the release it felt like the world was never ending. Each world had it’s own unique feel, enemies, music, and more. What are the elements of each of these unique worlds and how do they work together to create a unique feel? Can these worlds be mapped out visually? How are they constructed? Since the game is in a 3D setting, I would recommend using Google Sketch Up to have your students either recreate the Super Mario 64 worlds visually or to have them create their own worlds influenced by the game.
Super Mario Brothers in the Classroom (Part 4 of 7)
31 year ago
Released in 1990 as the flagship title for the Super Nintendo, Super Mario World didn’t change how we play video games but it gave the Super Mario Brothers universe some wonderful features that are still featured in the games that we play today.
In particular, two things about Super Mario World stood out to me as I recently replayed the game:
1. The Spin jump: Basically, you jump gets some more firepower. In addition to being able to KO enemy by stomping on their head, the spin jump allowed you to bust bricks and defeat some enemies that couldn’t be killed with the standard jump.
Doesn’t sound too fancy, right? BUT IT IS! Think about modern Mario games and his ever popular butt thump. This is where it came from. The butt thump is a central feature in 3D Mario games.
2. Yoshi: Mario’s always been the star of his games, but Yoshi gives him a major run for his money. It was in Super Mario World that Yoshi made his first appearance. Since then, Yoshi’s had so many spin offs (read my review of one of those here) that he’s almost become his own franchise.
This is what Nintendo does so very well. They’ll add one small element to a game that won’t seem like a big deal, yet over time it becomes almost as important as the original game itself. Yoshi is a perfect example of how a simple idea can be taken to the next level.
So how can we incorporate Super Mario World into the classroom?
- Examine how Yoshi has changed the landscape of Super Mario Brothers. Look at the Yoshi character over a large period of time (1990 to present) and trace the path of his humble beginnings to his current status as a gaming icon almost as big as Mario.
- The little details: The spin jump changed how we play Mario games forever. Has this element been translated into any other games that you can think of? Have students look at the history of games over a time period and focus on the little details. What elements have changed the way we play games?
Sorry for the long overdue part 4 of this installment. I promise to not make you wait for part 5 as long! -Justin
Super Mario Brothers in the Classroom (Part 3 of 7)
61 year ago
Super Mario Bros. 3 was released in 1990 and since then the Mario franchise has never been the same. While Mario games have really always been big and full of adventure, I believe that this installment really took gaming to the next level and gave the series a solid place in pop culture history.
Each world that Mario or Luigi found themselves in was an epic, themed world that featured multiple levels, different castles, and a boss. These themed levels really created the template for the future worlds that Mario would explore. It gave us characters, locales, and items that all gamers and most non gamers will recognize.
Even more interesting was the promotional campaign Nintendo rolled out for the game. In 1989, the feature film The Wizard starring Fred Savage and Jenny Lewis (later of Rilo Kiley fame!). Basically, the film was an hour and a half long commercial for Nintendo. Did it work. Heck yes. I remember being a rather impressionable nine year old kid that wanted EVERYTHING THAT THIS MOVIE OFFERED ME.
So, wait, where were we? Oh yeah. The movie ended with a video game tournament featuring Super Mario Bros. 3 as the final challenge. It was the first time the game had been shown to a wide audience in North America. The effect? Mass pandemonium and huge sales. Super Mario Bros. 3 quickly became one of the biggest selling and most influential games of all time. Did it have something to do with The Wizard? Thinking back to my nine year self, I’d say yes. I was in hysterics about the game after I saw the film. I had to have it. Advertising really does work.
So how can we incorporate Super Mario Bros. 3 into the classroom?
- Super Mario Bros. 3 really drew a line in the sand for Mario games. It combined elements of the first game and took a major step forward. Since then, every Mario game has incorporated some element originally found in Super Mario Bros. 3. Have students play Super Mario Bros. 3 and then some of the later games in the series (Super Mario World, Super Mario 64, Super Mario Galaxy come to mind first) and have them compare and contrast the games. Obviously, all the games are different, yet there are features running through each game that link them all together. What are these features? Why do you think these features remain a mainstay in Mario games?
- How has promotion and advertising for video games changed over the years? Have your students look at a brief history of video game ads. How have they changed? What was the focus of some of the older ads? What is the focus now? I highly recommend having your students create YouTube playlists that take the viewer on a journey through video game advertising history. You can find my example here on the 8BitLibrary YouTube Video Game Ads Playlist.
Super Mario Brothers in the Classroom (Part 2 of 7)
41 year ago
1988 gave us Super Mario Bros. 2, one of the oddest yet ultimately rewarding titles in the Mario series. The game has an interesting history. When Super Mario Bros. 2 came out in Japan, the title was ultimately a remade version of Super Mario Bros. with harder levels. When it came time to release the game in the USA, Nintendo decided against it. Instead, the Japanese game Doki Doki Panic was taken and modified. Mario, Luigi, Toad, and the Princess were added and BOOM! Super Mario Bros. 2 was here for all to enjoy.
Since Super Mario Bros. 2 started out as a totally different game, the gameplay is not something you’d expect from a Mario game. Instead of finding coins, stomping on Goombas, and thwarting the evil Bowser, you’re picking up vegetables, stomping Shy Guy’s, and throwing eggs at Birdo. Weird stuff. The interesting thing about this is that while all the characters in the game were originally intended for the Doki Doki Panic franchise, as a result of Super Mario Bros. 2 the characters became integrated in Mario mythology. The Shy Guys now fight Mario alongside the Goombas.
Pushing the envelope even further, Super Mario Bros. 2 allowed the player to select a character other than Mario. Each character had its own attributes. For example, the Princess could fly for a short period of time while Luigi was an extraordinary jumper. This addition gave the series a new depth. Players could use the skills of each character to best complete a level. It was not just about getting from point A to point B anymore. Instead, players had to map out in advance who they think would best help them complete a level. If that failed, it was back to the drawing board with another character.
In a discussion of Super Mario Bros. 2, one could focus on the following:
- Compare and contrast Super Mario Bros. 2 and Doki Doki Panic. Besides the changes made to the lead characters in the game, what were any other changes? If the student does not notice any changes, why do you think that Nintendo decided to release the game as a Super Mario Bros. title instead of Doki Doki Panic? What do you think the public’s reaction to the Japanese version of Super Mario Bros. 2 would’ve been if it had been released in the USA?
- Are there better characters to use for each level, or are the characters all basically the same? Students could be divided up into groups where they would focus on the play mechanics of one of the four characters. Each student would be given a level to play to test each character. Questions could be asked which focus on the difficulty of each level using a specific character. The students could then compare ideas that they had on specific areas of the game (EX: Level 1 with Luigi was quick and easy because of his super high jumps. With Toad, the level was difficult and cumbersome)
- Was Nintendo right in making the decision to translate Doki Doki Panic into Super Mario Bros. 2? Do you think that Mario would be as noticeable of a character if this title hadn’t been released?
Super Mario Brothers in the Classroom (Part 1 of 7)
71 year ago
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
Super Mario Brothers in the Classroom
51 year ago
Starting this upcoming Monday, 8 Bit Library will begin a new series on Super Mario Bros. in the classroom.
The inspiration for these posts came about in one of my (Justin) many recent professional conversations with Buffy Hamilton. Since Buffy is a school librarian, she looks at using technology in education in a different way than I do. I’ve always seen technology in education as something stagnant (for example: using research databases to obtain information). What I got from Buffy and her Media 21 project is that technology in education isn’t just about using the internet or an online database to find information. It’s about instilling a passion and excitement into the learner through collaborative tools and exploration. This represented a totally new shift in thinking and viewing video games for me.
Exploring something like the history of Super Mario Bros. is a great way to instill the passion of learning and discovery in student by encouraging them to research something that is important in their lives. I noticed that the teens that participated in the Game Night program at my library were more likely to visit and use the library after they had attended a few gaming events at the library. Why could this not work with education? Hook them with Mario at first and then in no time they’ll finally learn to dig Catcher In The Rye after that. Right?
With this series, we here at 8 Bit Library hope to inspire you and give you some pointers on how to incorporate the rich history of video games into your classroom.