by Matt Bird

Created on: October 05, 2010   Last Updated: October 14, 2010

For some, asking why Super Mario Bros. (and all of its predecessors) is fun is a strange, foreign question. It... it just is. It's MARIO, how could it not be fun?

Odd as it may sound, that's an understandable reaction. Many of us have grown up with Mario. We've loved it since we were kids, way back when we didn't really need a reason to like something. We liked it because it was fun, and because our parents saw fit to put it in front of us. Good enough.

Yet there's more to Mario than that. It's not a game imbued with nostalgic feeling that fades when you play it again as an adult. It's ALWAYS fun. And this article will attempt to rationalize why the Mario series is so fun, thereby explaining why it has become so popular.

- First, it's got a simple concept anybody can grasp. You're a plumber. You're in a Mushroom Kingdom. You're fighting a turtle who has taken a princess hostage. Quirky, strange, and perfect for any kid. You're the good guy, you fight the bad guy. Move on.

- Second, it's got easy controls anyone can pick up and play with. Some games thrive on complexity, but not Mario. Its programmers set out with basic, easy-to-understand mechanics in mind. You run, you jump, you occasionally use some crazy item or power. That's all, even in the three-dimensional games. Sure, some titles (well, most, now) have added extra layers on top, but they all boil down to the basics again in the end. Mario jumps around. That's his THING.

- Third, its characters are just strange enough that they're memorable. Mario, the hero, is a plumber. So's his brother Luigi. No explanation, that's just how it works - and it's worked so well for years now that it's not goofy. It's just acceptable. Same for the concept of a princess of a kingdom full of walking, talking toadstools, or that of a giant turtle named Bowser that has tons of children but no wife. (She probably divorced him for all the princess kidnapping.) These characters are so interesting and novel that most wind up with their own games, thereby spreading the Mario virus ever further.

- Fourth, it's got some of the catchiest music ever. Can you remember the normal theme music? Of course you can. The underground music? Yep. The water? Uh-huh. The castle? Not as much, but it wasn't as good anyway. Every new title has added onto the list of good music, as well, and now the act of listening to the music without the game is relatively commonplace in concerts, let alone in the comfort of your home.

- Fifth, it's tough - but not too tough. The difficulty level on the Mario games ramps up so gradually (ignore the real Super Mario Bros. 2 game here) that, again, anyone can get into it. Other programmers have more trouble modulating the challenge level, thus ruining the experience for other games. Not so Mario.

- And, sixth, it's Mario. That is reason enough on its own. It is Mario, and thus it is popular. Mario feeds off his own popularity now and generates ever more, ensuring that new Mario games will be bought, and bought by a lot of people.

So well done, Shigeru Miyamoto. You have created possibly the most popular fictional character of all time. May he live a thousand years.

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