The Dual Purpose of Coins in Mario Kart: Showing Us The Way
One of the kindnesses that Mario Kart shows its players is guiding us on the optimal path around the course through the placement of coins. Even from a distance, seeing […]
Mario Kart and the Art of the Power Slide
Every great video game over the years has stuck to the tried and true formula of being easy to pick up and play, but difficult to fully master… and Mario […]
Mario Kart: It’s Not Over Until It’s OVER
Mario Kart races aren’t over until they are truly OVER… until one racer actually crosses the finish line, there are still multiple paths to finish first for those who keep […]
HAPPY MARIO (Mar10) DAY 2025!
Happy Mario (MAR10) Day! While Mario may have started his adventures as just a humble plumber, it was always clear that his heart yearned for a destiny that ran deeper […]
The “Spiritual Stronghold” Solution
Gaming adversaries typically have very unique and specific “weak points”… simple ones like Goombas are stopped in their tracks by simply jumping on their head, while others like Piranha plants […]
Why We Love Gaming: Conflict Resolution 101
The medium of video games has certainly grown and evolved over the years, but one of the most consistent and appreciated aspects of playing games is the agency that it […]
Super Mario: Facing the Next Challenge
Starting a brand new game can be intimidating at the beginning… even after successfully completing a previous game and unlocking every achievement, staring out at the expansive, undiscovered open world […]
Super Mario 1-1: A Hostile Coding Problem
The very first time I loaded the original Super Mario Brothers on the NES, I was transfixed… I couldn’t wait to explore this colorful, magical world and unlock all of […]
Mario “World -1” and a Way that Seems Right
Back when the original NES Super Mario Bros. game first came out, I heard rumors that there was a secret level hidden within the game… the mysterious World -1. After […]
Mario and Sonic, Better Together
For years, Nintendo’s Mario and Sega’s Sonic existed in an adversarial relationship … as the mascots for their respective console platforms, the idea that we’d ever see them team up […]
Finding God in Video Games 