Mario is the name of a pudgy, heroic plumber character featured in numerous electronic games developed by Nintendo. The character was created by the Japanese game designer Shigeru Miyamoto. In the most famous Mario games, the player controls Mario’s movement. Players must make Mario run and jump his way through imaginative, obstacle-filled worlds.
Mario first appeared as a character named Jumpman in the 1981 arcade game Donkey Kong. Early electronic games could not display fine details. To compensate, Miyamoto designed Jumpman with a large mustache and hat and a rounded appearance. Nintendo later renamed Jumpman after Mario Segali, the landlord of Nintendo of America’s warehouse.
Mario and his brother Luigi starred in the 1983 arcade game Mario Bros. The landmark 1985 game Super Mario Bros. featured unique worlds, bright visuals, and catchy music. Inspired by his exploration of the Japanese countryside as a child, Miyamoto filled the game with hidden treasures and underground caves. The children’s book Alice in Wonderland (1865) inspired Mario’s ability to grow larger by finding magic mushrooms.
Later Mario games expanded the colorful and absorbing experiences of Super Mario Bros. In 1996, Nintendo released Super Mario 64. It was the first game in the series set in a three-dimensional world. The setting enabled Mario to move in any direction, instead of just left and right. Super Mario Galaxy, released in 2007, took place in outer space.
See also Arcade game; Electronic game (The Nintendo revolution); Electronic game (Renewed interest in consoles); Miyamoto, Shigeru; Nintendo .
