PETA's latest public target is Super Mario 3D Land, specifically Mario's use of the
tanooki suit, which PETA claim signify the wearing of a
tanuki skin. To raise awareness, PETA had a little flash game made:
Mario Kills Tanooki (warning: cartoon blood and gore), in which
you play a skinless Tanuki trying to get your skin back from Mario (YT, 1:19 - slightly stuttery gameplay video). But as
this Kotaku article points out, PETA's outrage is "an epic culture misunderstanding," overlooking the
long, cultural history of the shape-shifting trickster. Nintendo's quick response: "
Mario often takes the appearance of certain animals and objects in his games," that are "lighthearted and whimsical transformations."
PETA clarifies: the graphic little game was just a joke.
posted by filthy light thief
on Nov 17, 2011 -
67 comments
There are generally two approaches to thinking about games: narratology and ludology. The first emphasizes story, the second play. The next time I played Super Mario, on the Wii (you can order all the vintage games), I found myself in a narratological mode. Mario reminded me of K. and his pursuit of the barmaid Frieda, in Kafka’s “The Castle,” and of the kind of lost-loved-one dreams that “The Castle” both mimics and instigates.
The New Yorker profiles the father of modern video games, Shigeru Miyamoto. (
via Kotaku)
posted by incomple
on Dec 13, 2010 -
37 comments
So you've spent the holidays playing games, but now you have to be back at work. How to get your gaming fix during commutes and lunch-hours, whilst keeping up with that resolution to Learn Something New this year? Well, you could make a
Sack-Boy. You can keep your portable games device warm with a
Zelda cosy. You can knit up a
Pacman scarf or a Space Invaders
bag or
socks if you're feeling retro. Or you can make a
pocket ninja, an
invincibility star to get you through the afternoon, a
maqgnetic Katamari ball to spring-clean that desk, or a friendly
companion cube. (and if you're too cack-handed to knit, you can sew a friendly cube with the pattern
here and tutorial
here!)
posted by mippy
on Jan 4, 2009 -
13 comments
I didn't think
this would be cool but after seeing the video I am converted. Experience the original Super Mario in 3d... with a shotgun?
posted by ignorantguru
on Jul 15, 2008 -
35 comments
SMW - The complete soundtrack to Super Mario World, covered by one man using dozens of instruments. Roughly in game order, faithful to the originals, with some bizarre artistic license thrown around. A private hobby made public. Dedicated to Koji Kondo.
posted by Pretty_Generic
on Aug 13, 2005 -
20 comments
