We’ve all experienced friendships
over the years that we thought would last forever. Some friends move away, and
others just grow apart. When 10,000 people were asked to share the most common
way they had lost a friend, a shocking 57% said that it was because of Mario
Kart.
Mario
Kart (the Nintendo 64 version) is perhaps the most ridiculous,
adrenaline-pumping game on the market. Something about the game provokes the
beast within everyone, and many people have a hard time controlling their
animalistic desire for victory. When the green and red shells start flying,
things can really take a “turn” for the worst (PUNS!). If you've met someone who says they haven’t
lost sleep over a traumatic experience on Rainbow Road… they’re lying… and most
likely dangerous. Mario Kart can forge friendships that last a lifetime, or
decimate a relationship between the best of childhood friends. However, kids and adults can all appreciate
the game because it has just the right amount of violence. Today’s video games
are all about how realistic they can be, but Mario Kart is such a great game
because it defies all logic. In absolutely no universe would a gorilla, a
dinosaur, and two Italian plumbers be pitted against each other in a race, but Mario
Kart makes that happen regularly!
It is
also the game that defines the 90s generation. Some critics say that the
graphics are now outdated, but that’s just because they only play their fancy
XBOXs on their plasma screens and whatnot. Running into a wall because it looks
just like the road gives the game character, and it also makes it more
difficult than some of the most advanced racing games being made today.
Drafting, power sliding, and dodging giant banana peels are but a taste of the
Mario Kart experience.
So if
you’re not sure who your friends really are, challenge them to race or two on
Mario Kart. It will be easy to tell who your friends are, because they will be
the ones not trying to run you over in a real car later in the day.
- Eric Richard
This post is hilarious! The funny thing is I am sooooo good at Mario Kart. I used to always ask my friends and teammates to play with me but they always said no because they hated losing to me. When they did play, of course they lost, they didn't talk to after for hours! However, we still remain friends and every now again I get to tap their butt in Mario Kart! I thought this post was great! It really caught my attention, it was funny, and it was relatable!
ReplyDeleteMario Kart is without a doubt still one of the most fun and competitive games ever made. Growing up my brother, my neighborhood friends and I would play this game for hours and it was always the start of all of our arguments. One person would have a significant lead and be about to win and then, Boom! There comes a red turtle shell from one of your best friends which was sure to cause an uproar. We always had 4 controllers so everybody could play at once and bragging rights were not all we played for. It was healthy competition but it was always the cause of a couple of us not speaking to each other for about a week. Mario Kart was exactly what it needed to be. Simple, to the point, and great fun. If they were to make a new version on Xbox I guarantee I would still like the old one more because of its originality and simplicity. Great Post!
ReplyDeleteGreat post, Eric. I haven't lost any friends playing Mario Kart but did create some small bickering and stupid arguments many times. The best part of the game is that you might lead all the way and get knocked out by some random object after all the hard work, and when that happens its personal. Snitches, those are the worse. That guy at the end doesn't even have a chance, but he can surely still ruin your awesome race.
ReplyDeleteI have to say I disagree with you on one point though, the Nintendo Cube version was superior than the Nintendo 64 version!
While Mario Kart did not dominate my childhood video game playing, I still played it casually with my friends. I was laughing all throughout this article (in my head, I'm in a classroom right now) because two of my best friends would nearly get into fist fights when the 3 of us would play Mario Kart. After the game shut off though, they were back to being best of friends. - Daniel
ReplyDeleteYou know, I would agree with you on what you wrote, but you suck at Mario Kart, so I won't. Seriously, Eric; every time we go to Choco Mountain, you fall off the edge. Have you ever beaten me on Wario Stadium? No. No, you haven't. It doesn't even matter if you have a lightning bolt because I jump the gap every time.
ReplyDeleteWhen I was younger, my family used to have Mario Kart tournaments. The four of us (my brothers and I) would sit in my basement and scream and yell until mom called us up for dinner. I totally agree that the N64 version is one of the greatest however, I must say that Mario Kart: Double Dash has it beat by a long shot. There are more characters, more tracks, and just more of everything in Double Dash! If you haven't every played it, find someone with a wii, the game, and I'll show you exactly how its done.
ReplyDeleteI can relate to this 100%! I would always play at one of my friend's house or in my dorm room, and when we started it was so hard to stop. My friend was very good and I was right behind her so she would win the majority and I would win my few. We would compete so hard when it came to that game. It got so bad one day that we didn't talk for hours because of losing. I never knew that people actually were just as crazy as us when it comes to that game, that makes me smile!
ReplyDeleteThis game used to be my life. I have fond memories with it...well, maybe fond is the wrong word. I recall my mother having to sit my sister and I down and forcing us to make a deal not to use shells, because it just lead to tears. (It was mostly my fault. I was the younger sibling. Her shells always got me, my shells never got her. I was a sore loser.)
ReplyDeleteI also remember in elementary school my neighbor literally yelling at me that she didn't want to be friends anymore because I beat her at some mini-game on Mario Party. She didn't expect me to storm out of her house and she ran after me yelling "Waaaaiittt!"
I don't know how she reacts to video games now, but I'm definitely a better loser than I used to be. This is probably because I rarely win so I've had to learn to accept my defeats. Nowadays I know it's not about whether you win or lose, but the fun you had while playing the game.
(Hahahaha. Load of crap.)
I have had many experiences with Mario Cart and other games like it in my life. Very rarely does a game end in something other than an all out physical battle. It is pretty amazing how such a small, insignificant part of our lives can bring out such rage. There are not too many things in the world worse than hearing your friend or siblings gloat about their recent victory over you. This is why losing is never an option. If you happen to lose, a rematch is an absolute necessity. Mario Cart may be a classic game, but somethings just get better with age.
ReplyDeleteI loved this post! Mario Kart does have its special way of bringing out the very best and worst of people while playing for some reason. Anytime mario kart is being played seems to be good time, unless you have that one friend over that takes every red shell shot at them as a threat to the friendship. If you have never played you are missing out on greatness.
ReplyDelete