The 1980′s in Australia were a different, simpler time. It wasn't unusual for kids to play outside without supervision. A scraped knee wasn't treated with an unnecessary hospital visit or a week off from school. Schoolyard fights were played out and soon forgotten. No one had ADD, or ADHD and no one was taking Ritalin. But the times, as famously expressed though song, were a-changing. In 1989 I was 4 years old. Already I was obsessed with TV, cartoons and gadgets. I can clearly remember being told "Go play outside!" to which I replied, "I don't want to, the sun gives me a headache".
In Mario we trust
So it was one fateful day that my Dad returned home with a strange package under his arm. He unpacked it, inserted the grey square of plastic and turned the power on.
Hey! I thought,
A new cartoon. YAY! Then Dad picked up the other plastic square. It had buttons on it.
No don't change the channel Dad, this cartoon looks funny. He hit one of the buttons and the screen changed. My heart sank for an instant, until the little man appeared on screen again.
Why won't he do anything?, I thought,
this is not a very good show!As I was about to give up on this bright and blocky new cartoon Dad turned to me, "Look Leo. When I press this button the little man jumps", and he pressed and the button and the man jumped. "WOW! How does it do that!". "Now if I press this button I can make him run." Dad hit the D-Pad and the little man sprinted across the screen. Bricks underfoot, blue sky up above. This was the most amazing cartoon I had ever seen. Dad took his thumb off the button and the little man stopped running. "What is that thing Dad? Is it a baddie?". Dad tried to hop over the strange mushroom man, but instead hit his head on the bricks above and landed directly in front of the advancing monster. The little man and the mushroom collided. Some ominous 8-bit midi notes played and the man died. "Is that the end? Did you lose?". "No I get another chance Leo. Look he has extra lives". That was the first time I had ever heard those two glorious words used in such a way. Extra lives. Extra. Lives. The little man could die, but he could come right back. He was tough, he didn't give up. He couldn't lose. Dad had another go and promptly fell into the first pit that presented itself. Then he was killed by a flying turtle. His screen read "GAME OVER". Game over? What happened to Extra Lives? So the little man wasn't immortal. He could lose. The stakes were raised.
In the beginning... Genesis Chapter 1 Verse 1
Dad handing me the controller said "Here Leo, you have a go. This one makes him run, this makes him jump". I sat in the floor cross legged. When the level started, I straightened my back and sat to attention. I avoided the first mushroom man, jumped on the bricks above him and hit the underside of the mystery box. A mushroom popped out. This one was different. It didn't look like the monster and it didn't come after me. I jumped onto the mushroom and suddenly my little man's world was changed. He…grew?! He wasn't a little man anymore. He was BIG! Now he was even tougher! No mushroom men, or flying turtles would stop me now. Anyone who had the pleasure and priveledge of playing this game whenit wasnewneed no further explanation of the joy felt by completing the first level. Those of you born to late to play it in the glory days will doubtless look at this post and think that I'm talking rubbish. Whatever your opinion on Super Mario Bros. I can't deny the profound effect it had on me as a young boy and as a person taking their first awkward steps towards becoming a gamer.
Next time: The tales of aquatic birds and a birthday party for a rabbit.
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