see video clip here
As a non-traditional (little experience and of "Boomer" age) video game player I wanted to analyze "Super Mario Galaxy" game to see if the game contains elements (such as plot, narrative, visual effects, music, other) that will pique my memory and/or appeal to either my age or newbie's experience. I will play the game with my 19-year-old daughter who has grown up right along with the world of video gaming.
I selected Super Mario Galaxy because Nintendo's poster boy, Mario, and his Mario Brothers games are user-friendly classics. Mario and his brother, Luigi, have been around since 1981-long enough for the game's writers to incorporate World history, American culture and successful Mario trademarks into each successive Mario game. Mario Brothers video games are also known for their mass appeal, which led me to believe the game would designed for use by everyone, including the beginner or non-traditional player, to enjoy.
This wink of a playing a "super" video game on a Wii system was confirmed by Dan Steckenberg of infoplease.com. who said, in his article that Wii is the number one selling game system in the world and Mario Brothers games, number two. A powerhouse choice!
The single most difficult issue for my Super Mario Galaxy video game analysis was to decide on "the how of it." Should I read about it? Should I play the game? Should I have a frequent gamer play the game too? Should I read analysis of the game as a way of getting started? Using these criteria will I capture the most important aspects of the game and give the game a just analysis?
To calm my ignorance of video game analysis, I read extensively on the emerging subject of video game analysis and the following quote convinced me to proceed: ". . .there are three main ways of gaining knowledge about a game: "we can study the design, rules and mechanics of the game ... we can observe others play, or read their reports and reviews ... we can play the game ourselves." Yet rather than offering more specifics, Aarseth ends by backing away from concrete suggestions to argue that "in gathering information about the game, we should use as many sources as possible. Playing is essential, but should be combined with other sources if at all possible ... The analysis should also contain reflection on the sources used; where they come from, what could have been included, why did we select the ones we did, etc" (p.7). Aarseth's main point is thus not to elucidate a concrete methodology, but to argue that game researchers must play games,[2] and also gather as much information about the game as possible from other sources." -- "Game analysis: Developing a methodological toolkit for the qualitative study of games" by Mia Consalvo, Nathan Dutton Ph.D. School of Telecommunications Ohio University Athens, OH 45701 consalvo@ohio.edu
Nathan Dutton http://www.gamestudies.org/0601/articles/consalvo_dutton
19-year-old daughter, Alexa, pictured above, is a frequent video game player. She opened up the play portion of the analysis with a 30-minute period of play.
Super Mario Galaxy does not have the opportunity to create a personalized avatar, everyone who plays a Mario video game is Mario when they play, so avatar familiarity was the first feature she commented on.
Once she started the game, the game, like all other Mario games, spoon-fed the plot and instructions to the player, by printing words on the screen. This is also a trademark Mario game feature. She was easily able to negotiate her way through Mario's simplest challenges for more familiar reasons: he ran, twirled, jumped and pumped his fist the same as he does in all other games. His quests were also very familiar: to find, then help the beautiful princess with various noble tasks, by finding and defeating the bad space people residing on multiple plants while gathering powers and rewards on multiple planets.
The theme music was also predictable, she said, with high notes, trills and rhythmic background noise when being stalked by a monster or on a quest. The music, while slightly different from other Mario games, was still enough, she said, that if she were blindfolded, she would know it was a Mario video game, just by hearing any of the tunes.
The disconcerting, surprise feature of the game is Mario's ability to conduct his quests while standing upside down on the planet. The game initially messes with the player's head for the first few minutes of play: you expect Mario to be weightless in space and fly off when he follows each planet's curve while running. He is as weighted and productive upside down as he is right-side up. This fun feature is described this way: "Normally, gravity is calculated as a force between two objects that is directly proportional to the product of their respective masses and inversely proportional to the square of the distance from the objects' centers. . . .Obviously, real world physics have a place in today's games. However, they take a backseat to psychology when it comes to making real world gameplay." Games Demystified:Super Mario Galaxy, by Jeremy Alessi (http://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/3593/games_demystified_super_mario_.php).
Yes, Mario in this game of galaxy warfare and folly can do anything upside down equally as well as when he is right-side up.
Traditional player-daughter's overall analysis: "The game was pretty simple, but kinda' lame. Maybe good for someone like you, Mom, or little kids."
The old lady pictured above, could not sit cross-legged on the floor but nonetheless was able to fumble her way, and eventually find some beginner video gaming skill through 30 minutes of play.
I was also utterly familiar with Mario's many trademark features, noted above by daughter: the instructions, his looks, actions, voice, the game quest, plot and tunes. I had heard Mario emanating from my now 26-year-old son's room for many years, and had sat down a time or two to try to play. For years, I had watched and listened to he and his sisters and friends play. Mario is branded sound, that once heard, like the proverbial bike riding, you never forget it. I noticed too, in Super Mario's Galaxy game that our main man Mario had not aged a day!
Now the fun. When Mario world game starts and the instructions and intros are over, the first feature of the game that appeals to this non-traditional, old player is that Mario's music is very reminiscent of the original "Star Wars" movie tune: http://users.elite.net/gurpal/movie/battle.mid It's got a big outer space, battle coming feel. Mmmm...
The next very familiar game element is, some of first small creatures in the opening scene look very much like the Munchkins on the Wizard of Oz" movie. They are small, yellow, with pointy heads. You see them circling around Mario like the Munchkins circled around Dorothy Gale in the Wizard movie. There is also a winding yellow road (looks like Dorothy's yellow brick road) that Mario must pass over before being launched into space to start his quest. Once Mario is launched and gets into his galaxy, the second planet he arrives on, to also conquer for the princess, has a yellow poppy (as opposed to a red poppy) field feature; there is also a large castle in the distance which reminds me of the Wicked Witch's castle.
I fumbled completely trying to use the hand controls which I am sure took me off the analysis track. But by the fourth planet, or nearly at the end of my 30-minutes of play, I was using the basic run, jump and twirl features rather easily. At this point I also noticed more yellow-pointy headed Munchkins, and I thought one of them was carrying a basket with a little creature (dog?) trotting near it. Aha!
Good subliminal planting of elements from a huge American classic, "The Wizard of Oz," which debuted in my youth. Bravo!
More than 275 million total Mario video games have been sold to date -- this is no accident. The game, designed by Shigeru Miyamoto and made by Nintendo, is rated "E" for everyone. The friendly game is dead simple to negotiate, even for the beginning or non-traditional player. It's light-hearted, upbeat and every player easily wins! It's Mario and his one-of-a-kind trademark look which are as recognizable and well-branded as any 30-year-old successful video game product out there. As a matter of fact, it could be said the game is "ageless," therefore the universal appeal to anyone interested in learning how to play a video game or just wanting to reconnect with the Mario from their youth.
A fun aside: There is no one video game character in my opinion who can compete with the trademark Mario voice: HOO HOOOO!!!
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