Week 2: Super Mario Brothers 1–1

One of the most popular games is Super Mario Brothers (SMB). It is still mentioned as one of the most successful and interesting video games. I have played level 1–1 for analysis and compiled some of the wonderful features that contributed to its success. I am pretty sure more levels would unlock more surprising features.

a) Easy to learn

One of the key things in developing interactive material should be the ease of user interaction. If users find a certain game difficult to understand how it works, they will obviously lose interest. SMB is easy to learn and the interface when the game starts gives a clue on how to play it. Moreover, the game shows a simple demonstration of how the game is supposed to be played giving new gamers a glimpse of the game. Moreover, the controls on a joystick or computer are also very easy to use. One of its ergonomic success involves the fact that the hands are spread around the joystick or computer so that Mario could be easily controlled.

b) Amazing graphic interface design

The game tries to create a more realistic scenery by adding features like bushes and clouds with different positioning. When Mario runs, we can see the background changing such that it feels like he is moving along. We can see that Mario is always at the center of the screen unless he turns back. However, due to the background change and the obstacles Mario encounters on its way, we are forced to think that Mario is moving. Therefore, this design seems to be attractive to many gamers.

In addition, the light shading seen on the blocks, stairs, clouds is really amazing. The enemies such as the turtles and those small orange obstacles are also effectively represented which creates more fascination on the game. The character’s movements also look realistic. Generally, we can see that the more realistic the game looks, the better its success.

c) Efficient stat display

The games interface is very simple where majority of the screen is dedicated to the game while the top part features the level, number of “lives”and other descriptions. The contrast between these information and the background makes it readable and easy to interact with.

d) Music

I would say the undisturbing music surely should have been a great leap in the era the game was presented. The background music that follows Mario’s movement is synchronized in such a fantastic way. The music changes based on the position and the situation Mario is facing. For instance, when Mario “swallows” that big mushroom, or when it gets small while it hit the small orange creatures or the turtle and when he sinks into a hole, there are distinct music for each scenario such that anyone listening to the voice after playing once can easily tell what happened. The fact that this game can also be interactive through music to those who are not part of the game is a big deal. It must have taken lots of time to just work on the music. It has paid off.

Finally, I would say all the above factors contributed to the indelible success of Super Mario Brothers.