The 'Shroom:Issue 100/Mario 30th Anniversary

Mario's 30th Anniversary: Your Experiences with Mario by, ,

Super Mario Bros. is perhaps one of the most revolutionizing games in history. Almost everybody knows about it in some form– he's one of the most recognized characters in the world, the theme song beloved by many, and the games keep selling like hotcakes. Mario has been underwater, in castles, and even all the way to space. We've played sports with him, raced with his friends, and even heard stories told of him recovering the guardians of wishes. No matter how you slice it, our dear plumber has been everywhere and has done everything.

We at The 'Shroom went out and asked friends, family, followers on social media, and members of the community what their favorite experiences with Mario are. Here is what we have heard:

Mario Memory 1
I always have a favorite moment with Mario! I play his games everyday. I think my two brst moments of Mario is when I first got Mario Kart 8 with my Wii U, and when my grandma showed me who Mario was back in 2007. She showed me the Nintendo 64 and played Super Mario 64 with me and Mario Kart 64 with me. I know a lot of information of Mario now because I read Super Mario Wiki. I also learn from my 25 games of Mario. I won't mention them because there is too many! Thanks for reading!

Mario Memory 2
My favourite moments with Mario were always from playing Mario Kart: Double Dash!! with my family. I can't remember which of us was actually driving, but when we first unlocked Rainbow Road, my cousin, my bro and I would all scream whenever the kart went off the track and fell down towards the city below. So much fun!

Mario Memory 3
Okay so one time in middle school I went over to my friend’s house and my friend and I didn't talk that much and I remember we got into a lot of fights but this time we played Mario kart and I’d never played it before and she taught me how to play and it despite the rep Mario kart has we didn't fight and it was really fun <3

Mario Memory 4
As someone who isn't a native English speaker, the Mario games (starting with the first Mario game I played that actually focused on the story, SMRPG) helped me a lot with improving my English. And that was only the beginning as this franchise led me to the Mariowiki and meet you guys! Which is great!

Mario Memory 5
I grew up playing Mario games. It's family-friendly nature caused an unforgettable bond and memories between my family (especially my brother) and I.

Mario Memory 6
My fondest memories are when I started playing video games with my dad. I remember him being a master, knowing all of the tricks in Super Mario Bros. 3, being able to get 120 stars in Super Mario 64, and getting a perfect 101% in Donkey Kong Country. I essentially forced myself to learn how to read because of Paper Mario, and always played that and the Mario Party games with my older sister. My younger sister and I always tore up the race track in Mario Kart 64. My mom... well, she watched us all play the games and gave us moral support, haha.

And those are only my earliest memories. Sunshine, Double Dash!!, Melee, The Thousand-Year Door, and so many others basically ate up my life when I was a young kid and a teen. And seeing Mario go to space? I wish I could go back and take a picture of the face I must have worn – would have been absolutely priceless.

There are so many memories I can go on about, but no amount of explanation will ever convey how much I appreciate the Mario games. It brought my family closer together, allowed me to join an online community that has been a fixture in my life since 2009, and even makes me wish from time to time that I should get involved in video game programming. Because not only does Mario deserve appreciation, nor just the games, but the men and women who work countless hours, days, and years in order to bring us these joyful experiences. My wholehearted thanks goes to those who make this possible.

Mario Memory 7
I grew up playing Mario games. It's family-friendly nature caused an unforgettable bond and memories between my family (especially my brother) and I.

Mario Memory 8
Mario has been in my life for as long as I can remember, even longer than my siblings. It was eighteen years ago when I saw my uncle playing what to me seemed like the most fun one could ever have. A small, red-clad plumber smashing turtles, hitting blocks with his head, and riding on a dinosaur? My three-year old self was simply amused. When I first saw Super Mario World, I couldn't play the game myself; however, after not-so-long I was the one stomping the turtles (and maybe losing a bazillion lives while trying). But no matter my skills at the time, that very game started in me what would become one of my biggest interests up to this date. For the next several years since discovering that game, things were all-Mario and co. for me. In-class drawings, birthday parties, school backpacks, toys, daydreams, games with my brother, everything revolved around Mario in my life. I got a Nintendo 64 with Super Mario 64 and Mario Kart 64 one Christmas and I swear to Poochy, I felt life couldn't get any better. Then I grew up a bit more and with it came buying my own Mario games, getting a Mario-centric magazine every month, joining this very Wiki... I knew that likeable and entertaining plumber had definitely changed my life.

But then came growing up some more. The last Mario game I bought was Super Mario Galaxy 2, my main console is now an Xbox 360, my Mario magazines are gathering dust some place in my house... Things have changed, and I may have diversified my gaming interests, but one thing that will never, ever change is the feeling I get every time I turn my GBA on and listen to the very same music I heard back in 1997, back when I became a gamer for life. Happy birthday, Mario. Thanks for all the fun and all the memories.

Mario Memory 9
My first encounter with Mario was, honestly, my first encounter ever with video games. 13-ish years ago, I remember always sitting in my sister’s room, playing a Nintendo Entertainment System and spending time with two games in particular: Super Mario Bros. and Super Mario Bros. 2. Truthfully, I used to play the original like crazy... but I could never, ever figure out the beginning of 1-2 of SMB2! So it is pretty safe to say I never got far in that game! My interest in video games sparked from there, and it has continued to even this day. I have a very strange relationship with a strange Mario game (at least, strange out of all the possible ones) and it is easily one of my most memorable Mario games: Mario Kart 64. I got to admit, I loved this game. I used to spend so much time messing around on Kalamari Desert... if we are being completely honest, countless hours were spent driving on the railroad tracks, something I used to enjoy doing so much. The train ended up scaring me senselessly half of the times just because of how actually intimidating it was! A lot of time was also spent on Royal Raceway, thanks to being able to drive onto Peach’s Castle grounds. I also spent so much time messing around in the Battle stages, especially Block Fort and Double Deck… but man, Block Fort was amazing.

But I even had an emotional relationship with MK64 in the name of Rainbow Road (N64). The track used to amaze me beyond explanation… the scenery, to the neon-light pictures of the playable characters, to that famous shortcut, and to the music. I have to be completely honest, when Rainbow Road was announced to be coming back in Mario Kart 8 and I watched a video of the track and heard the gorgeously redone music, I cried. I legitimately teared up. It has been 10+ years since I ever got into Mario games, but yet, even just the music still has the ability to make me cry. The reality of the truth is that there are some very odd things in video games that connect with me in so many ways, and this is how MK64 has connected with me.

Video games are an incredible thing, and the Mario series is literally the first thing that ever made me feel that way. It is what I have to thank for getting me into games in the first place. If it were not for Mario, I would not even be part of this community – or heck, we would not even be a community. I have spent 7+ years of my life here, making so many different friends and creating so many memories. And all of this, all of these memories, all of these emotional feelings, ranging from the games to just this site, are because of Mario. To this day, I still dedicate as much time as I can to playing Mario games. I absolutely fell in love with Super Mario 3D World, so many years after my first experience, and I cannot wait to enjoy the future of the Mario series. Happy 30th anniversary to one of the best friends I have ever had in my life. Thank you for everything, Mario.

Mario Memory 10
My favorite memory of Mario is the first time I ever beat Super Mario Bros. 3. I bought the game on the virtual console and owned the game for a couple of years and loved playing it but I could never quite beat it. I also remember when ever my mom would ask me to do some sort of chore I would look her right in the face and say "mom I am trying to save the Mushroom Kingdom from the evil lord Bowser what part of this is a joke to you" and she would just laugh and leave me to my games. Then one day I finally beat the evil lord Bowser and I immediatly jumped to my feet and ran into the living room and when my mom asked me what was up I told her (basically) "MOM I DID IT I BEAT THE EVIL LORD BOWSER I'M THE GREATEST" and she laughed and I went back into my room and took a picture of the credits (for proof that I beat it). And to this day my mom still brings that up from time to time and it's that connection that makes this my favorite moment with mario.

Mario Memory 11
I've often said that there's two games that I can easily point to as life-changing, thanks to the paths they put me on. Guess what: both of those are Mario!

Yoshi's Island (the GBA version) is the first. Way back when, my grandfather gave it to me for a birthday present. I popped it in my GBA and loved it, spending a ton of time on the first three worlds. Had to get 100 points everywhere! Eventually, though, I got stuck at Naval Piranha and could not figure out how to beat it, resorting to emailing my cousin and asking him. He emailed me back with the strategy to skip it and a link to GameFAQs, and I was hooked on that site. I'd spend a lot of time just reading the boards of games I liked (not posting until I was 13, because I was a good boy), and that set me up for the second game to influence me so greatly.

That game is Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door (which I got from the same relative, and everything). Not only does it remain one of my favorite games ever, me deciding to look it up on the GameFAQs board pointed me to people who I became casual friends with, and from there I got to a forum that became my internet home for years - and all the people there, who I got to know over time. Not only that, but if it weren't for Mario, I wouldn't have ever been at my other internet home, which is right here. Between MarioWiki and the other board, I've met many people who I care about, who I've had fun with, who include people I gladly call my best of friends - All of it thanks to a few games about a plumber and a turtle.

Mario Memory 12
I have a love-hate relationship with the Mario series, as has been well-documented from my reviews, but it did take over my life for a short while. It was in this time that I moved into the house I currently live in around May of 2007 when I was 12-years old; we were doing a lot of landscaping and interior decorating, and given this was long before I had my heart surgery in 2012 (as documented in my review from May 2012, which I wrote mostly while recovering in hospital), this sort of labour was really strenuous for me so I tended to do what I often did at the time to cool off and read the MarioWiki. I was dissatisfied with the amount of information for Super Smash Bros. Melee at the time, so I decided to join on May 24th to devote myself to improving these articles.

In fact, I eventually became known as the Smash kid alongside, which carried over to Super Smash Bros. Brawl when The Smash Dojo!! was being employed by Sakurai to advertise the game, as it usually updated late-afternoon for me so I was the first on the scene. The two of us put a tremendous deal of effort into the Smash articles, but I got far more involved in the community over time, becoming really close friends with, (go bugger yourself, mate), , and , many of whom are still around in some capacity in some way.

See, this is the most important thing Mario has done for me, on a personal level. Many of the people I've met here, I'm still friends with today after almost 10 years; we've grown up together, run a mutual project together, gamed together, and became thick as thieves as a result. I've lost many friends over the years, but here... I don't know, we have something to connect us through the test of time. And it feels quaint to say it, but it's honestly because of Mario... that fat little prick is the reason I have such a strong sense of belonging somewhere, such amazing friends, and is why I'm here working on The 'Shroom right now. For that, I owe him a lot, even if I've strongly lost connection with his recent games.

Mario Memory 13
Mario has been a fixture of my life for as long as I can remember. My earliest video game memories are of Donkey Kong Country, Sonic the Hedgehog 2, and Super Mario Bros. 3. I remember Donkey Kong Country as the realistic-looking game with the horrific game-over screen that made me cry, Sonic 2 as the game with all the badass music, and Super Mario Bros. 3 as the most fun I'd had in front of the television at the time. Super Mario Bros. 3 was actually the very first video game I had been allowed to play — I did dreadfully at the game, but after a few weeks, I'd gotten the hang of the game well enough that one day, my parents decided to sit down and play through the entire game with me in one sitting. It took so many hours to complete, but once we had beaten the game, I think that was the proudest I'd ever felt by that point in my life. I was three years old, so maybe I didn't have much to be proud of in the first place, but I know this — beating that game felt like my first real accomplishment. I'd always watched my parents play video games (and continued to do so for many years after), but that was the first time I got to help, and made it all the way to the end.

Over the next 10 years or so, Mario made his way in and out of my life with Super Mario World, those Early Years games, Super Mario 64, and Super Mario Bros. Deluxe; however, it wasn't until the GameCube era that his games once again became a prominent part of my life. My parents had purchased one of those GameCube bundles that came with Mario Kart: Double Dash!!, which has since gone on to become my favorite Mario Kart title. I eventually bought Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour for the console, which helped me further regain interest in the series.

Another year or so down the road, I had been given Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door. This is, unarguably, the Mario game that changed my life. I was given the game at a time where I was very alone (we had moved and I had no friends to connect with at my new home), so I ended up spending countless hours playing that game and familiarizing myself with its world. The Thousand-Year Door had more personality, charm, humor, and diversity than any other game I had ever played before it. I spent more time than I could estimate exploring every nook and cranny of the game, testing out items and moves in as many different situations as possible, doing playthroughs with odd rules (such as, only fighting bosses, never using items, full-game Double Pain, among other things). I even drew and wrote my own replica of the game's Tattle Log.

A couple more years down the road, and that same game is the very reason I stumbled upon this community. I...don't remember exactly what it was I was looking for (I think information on how Gold Bars worked, because they were the only items I didn't understand the purpose of), but I eventually decided to make an account on the wiki and contribute. Since then, in November 2007, it's been a very long and interesting road that I've wandered here. I've met some of the most wonderful people here in this community, and as a result, gained some of the best friends I could ever hope for. I've connected with a lot of users over many different things — not just Mario, but through other games (such as Team Fortress 2) and mediums (music, mostly). Almost eight years have passed, and I now have some of the most solid friendships I've ever had in my life. While I suppose I owe thanks to for creating this community, I owe an even bigger thanks to the creators of my favorite Mario games; without them, I would never have been introduced to the best people I've ever known.

Mario Memory 14
My first memories of the Mario series date back to around the year 1993. I was about four years old back then, and my parents had an NES. I grew up watching my mother play Super Mario Bros. 3 and, being an impressionable child, quickly developed a fascination with video games. It carried over to my time in Kindergarten, where I would spend my time drawing my own Mario levels (which incidentally was also one of the fist times I got involved with drawing).

When I was eight years old, I had to get surgery and couldn't walk around too well for some time, so my parents bought me a Nintendo 64. It was this system where I would pick up the controller myself for the first time, and the system that solidified my interest in video games. From then on I played many games, a lot of them Mario-related.

Next to Mario, another thing that defined my video game experience was role-playing games. But since we went from NES directly to N64, I had missed the entire generation of SNES games, and thus its great library of RPGs. In fact, the first RPG I played was Pokémon Red, and when I did, the RPG genre had me in its grasp for a while. The concept of a video game in which you could interact with people and play through an actual story amazed me (which is pretty funny because in terms of story, Pokémon isn't exactly a shining example). It got me thinking about story elements, and how story and video games correlate (or sometimes don't, when the storytelling sucks). It also got me interested in world-building, something I enjoy thinking about even today.

A couple years later I then found Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, and I fell in love. Everything came full-circle. This was a game about Mario, which sparked my interest in video games, and it built an interactive, coherent, wholesome world to explore. This game, with its quirky characters, interesting locations, and undeniable charm, brought me so much fun, it is my absolute favorite Mario game to date and for me has not been matched since.

Nowadays I have to admit I don't really see eye-to-eye with the series anymore, at least not the way I used to. The Paper Marios that followed the series' big magnum opus took some turns that kind of disappointed me, and the platformers... well, let's not dwell on that. But the good times I had with my favorite Mario games remain, and they will be forever part of my experience, no matter what happens.

For that, I am truly grateful.

Mario Memory 15
Mario is the worst thing to ever happen to me.

And those are all of the Mario memories we received. Isn't it truly amazing how so many people can be moved in so many different ways by the series? So many experiences and so many years of fun have been had, and there are many more to come. Thank you Mario, and thank you Nintendo! Happy anniversary!