When you think of the most popular games and characters in the medium, Mario has to be one of the best options. It’s been around for decades, in multiple titles and genres, and now it even has its own animated movie.
So what explains Mario’s long-term popularity? Shigeru Miyamoto, the character designer, shared some thoughts recently.
Talk with NPRMiyamoto said:
“You know, earlier when I was asked this question, I thought maybe it was because the game sold well. And a lot of people have this experience of playing this game and replaying it over and over again, that it becomes commonplace for them. But now I feel like it’s a bit different in the sense that Mario is like your avatar or the person who represents you in this world. And this experience is, you know, because it’s been around for so long, an experience that can be shared by multiple generations, you know, a father and his children can share that experience.
Miyamoto went on to say that another aspect of Mario’s popularity is that “he was created as a character in interactive media”. If he had been a comic book character, he might not have had the same stamina.
Miyamoto mentioned:
And I really think another factor is the fact that Mario was created as a character in interactive media. So, for example, if I had maybe, you know, drawn Mario as a comic book character, I don’t think it would have had that much resistance. You know, there was a time when people might have compared Mario to Mickey Mouse. And, you know, Mickey Mouse is a character that was born, you know, 50 years before my time and was obviously still in my generation. And I really felt like Mickey Mouse when a character grew up with the medium of animation. And in the same vein, I feel that Mario is growing with this digital medium”.