What Would Mario Do - A Simple Decision Tool!
What Would Mario Do - A Simple Decision Tool!
What Would Mario Do - A Simple Decision Tool!
By Andrzej Marczewski
October 9, 2020
Summary
Super Mario Bros on the NES has been around for a very long time now, yet still, it exudes class and is a masterclass in game design. One of the reasons for that, in my view, is the simplistic choices that Mario has to make in the early stages of the game – especially the first screen. He has essentially four choices, two when presented with a bad guy and two when presented with an obstacle.
So, when Mario is faced with an obstacle, he can try to break – which might yield goodies or just clear his path.
How Does This Relate to the Real World
Translating this into our lives, if we come up against an obstacle, we could ask ourselves “What would Mario do?” He would either find a way to make use of the obstacle, or he would find a way to avoid it.
Dealing with People
This sounds mercenary, but it really isn’t – it’s just a little oversimplified. For example, my youngest daughter. She enters the room to talk to me. I ask what Mario would do. I analyse that she is likely to want to speak about Roblox, so I could decide to take the option of avoiding her! However, I could also decide to make embrace her presence whilst she is there, by giving her a massive cuddle.
Dealing with obstacles
On to obstacles. In real life, unless you are a free runner, you are very unlikely to be presented with obstacles that require you to physically break them or climb over them! However, we all have obstacles. Projects that we find hard to complete, topics we find hard to learn etc.
So, what would Mario do? Again, he would weigh up the pros and cons of making use of the obstacle in some way or avoiding it.
Multiplayer bonus level
One last thought on this.
Mario and Luigi
Reference
Marczewski, A. (2020, October 09). What Would Mario Do - A Simple Decision Tool! Retrieved October 12, 2020, from https://www.gamified.uk/2020/10/09/what-would-mario-do/