“I’m So Hyped” – Mario Kart Goes Mobile

Max+Eaton+playing+Mario+Kart.+IMG_1845

Anna Wenzel

Max Eaton playing Mario Kart. IMG_1845

Mario Kart Tour, the newest mobile game released by Nintendo, accumulated 90 million downloads within a week of its launch — to no one’s surprise. Mario Kart has been one of Nintendo’s biggest games, and offering a free mobile download has unequivocally shown itself to be a success, as proven by its high ratings and wide reachings.

Since its launch on the original Super Nintendo Entertainment System, Mario Kart has now finally been able to drive itself onto the mobile platform. In an age where mobile devices are found everywhere, the easy accessibility of this game earned its great popularity. Free, simple and engaging, Mario Kart Tour was an immediate hit.

“It’s so obnoxious: why am I still playing this game?” said sophomore Deven Lemercier. “Mario Kart is causing the demise of all my grades.”

The mobile Mario Kart game allows for more casual play and thus makes players more susceptible to spending large amounts of time on the app. Additionally, as new characters and levels are added frequently, players feel more obligated to play regularly to stay up to date. Competition amongst friends propels a compulsive need to acquire the best characters and scores.

“I would kill my friends over Mario Kart,” said sophomore Roland Harrison, an avid player of the game.

But the game is not without flaws. For starters, the game is full of bugs and regularly lags and, in order to be able to advance quickly, players must purchase a Gold Pass subscription for a fee of five dollars a month. Finally, the game makes it seem as if players race against other online players, when in fact randomly selected player names are assigned to computer controlled characters.

Even still, the games proves to be a major success.

“I’m so freaking hyped,” said sophomore Kaitek Johnston. “I stare at the ceiling on my bed, thinking about Mario Kart.”