For my seminar class, I created an annotated bibliography and a thesis statement about the level and character design for Super Mario Bros, the first Super Mario game on a console. I talked to the librarian during the consultation and we looked at several sources together.
For my studio class, I created a box of curiosity in the shape of a Super Mario Bros cartridge and visual representations of my sources. I was really inspired by Cornell’s boxes. I was intrigued by the way he managed to create depth within a thin box and the fact that the boxes were 2D and 3D at the same time. Since in my topic, there is also a connection between 2D, the game, and 3D, people who create and those who play games, I decided to use similar ways with Cornell’s boxes to visually represent my thesis and sources.
My first primary source is the game Super Mario Bros, which I used as the background of the box. The other primary sources are two interviews with many other game designers, therefore I chose to use a hand holding a Goomba as the visual representation of it.
The first secondary source I used is a book called “The Gamer’s Brain: How Neuroscience and UX Can Impact Video Game Design”, represented by a brain with a light bulb. The second one is a newspaper article from 1986 talking about how popular the game was among children and teenagers, therefore I chose to incorporate a photo of a teenager playing with a Nintendo Entertainment System console. The third one is a book called “Level up! the Guide to Great Video Game Design.” I used a mushroom to symbolize it because the mushroom can power up Mario in the game. The fourth one is another game design book which discusses a lot of the game mechanics. I chose to use “the evolution of Super Mario” as the visualization because all Super Mario games share the same game mechanics. The last one is a book talking about the relationship between fandom and video games. I chose three characters from recent games that were heavily influenced by Super Mario Bros to represent it.
