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Cat in the Stax: Mario Day

By Ethan Shea

 

Tomorrow on March 10, it will officially be Mario Day, as in the beloved Italian plumber from the Super Mario Bros. video game franchise. You may be wondering why this date was chosen to celebrate Nintendo’s most successful series. Well, the reason is simple. When tomorrow’s date is written with the month’s abbreviation and the date directly next to each other (Mar10), it sort of looks like the word “Mario.”

I’m a huge fan of Mario games, so I’m glad to have the opportunity to write about this underappreciated holiday. From Mario Kart DS to Super Mario Odyssey, I’ve been spending time with Mario since I was too young to remember. I’ve even gotten my family addicted to the Mario franchise, since we used to play Mario Kart 8 Deluxe together every night throughout the lengthy quarantine period back in 2020. My parents have since moved on to Mario Golf and continue to play almost every day even when I’m away from home.

"Koji Kondo's Super Mario Bros. Soundtrack Book Cover"I was actually surprised that I could learn so much about Mario here at Falvey even without the aid of a Nintendo console. For example, Andrew Schartmann’s book, Koji Kondo’s Super Mario Bros. Soundtrack, takes a deep dive into what makes the classic Mario theme song, among other pieces from the soundtrack, so timeless. As a song that is less than three minutes long, it’s honestly amazing that this theme has been playing on repeat since 1985 and still hasn’t gotten old.

Another fascinating read you can find online at Falvey is a compilation of biographical and academic info on Shigeru Miyamoto, one of the leading minds behind the Super Mario Bros., Donkey Kong, and The Legend of Zelda franchises. This book rightfully puts Miyamoto’s name besides other renowned masters of their crafts such as Steven Spielberg and Vincent Van Gogh. As game studies becomes increasingly relevant within academia, it’s great to see the talent behind everyone’s favorite games be recognized by scholars.

Falvey Library may specialize in books, but our walls are well acquainted with gaming since the Library hosts the Villanova Gaming Society (VGS) on a weekly basis.

So to celebrate Mario Day tomorrow, do as VGS would and indulge in your favorite Mario game!


Headshot of Ethan SheaEthan Shea is a first-year English Graduate Student and Graduate Assistant at Falvey Memorial Library.


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Last Modified: March 9, 2022

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