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Super Mario Wonder: Bowser wants Peach – but does she feel the same?
by Anika Schulz
Gaming with Zoe: my daughter’s first time playing Super Mario Bros. Wonder
25/11/2023
Translation: Jessica Johnson-Ferguson
Our daughter’s successfully taken her first steps in the world of video games. Armed with a new release, I go one step forward with her, only to go one step back again soon after. While I get all misty-eyed, Zoe reaches her limits with Super Mario. At least for now.
Call me retro
My first encounter with Super Mario was in the 80s. Back then, when owning a Game & Watch console was the cat’s whiskers. The visuals, colour spectrum and controls of these LCD handhelds were modest, and you could only play one pre-installed game. But hey, we could play!
A few years ago, Nintendo started a revival of the Game & Watch console. Some of the new devices include several games with much better graphics but still a retro look. I feel old.
But back to the present. These days, I game on Switch. The console’s by Nintendo, just like when I first got into gaming. Old love never dies. We wanted to find out if the spark was about to be ignited in my daughter too, by letting her use a console for the first time and play Paw Patrol.
The resistance crumbles
Since then, we’ve let Zoe play a few more times. Always with a parent and only for a short time – and always with Paw Patrol. She did great every time and reacted well when it came to turning off the Switch. That’s why we’d like to try something different now. I’m thinking Super Mario Bros. Wonder.
But of all games, Zoe’s not feeling the one Dad really wants to play. But not for long. The intro already has her spellbound. She then realises she can choose from several characters and exclaims: «I’m playing with the princess!»
The first Goomba turns out to be Zoe’s final boss
Back to the Paw Patrol
That might not be a bad thing for me either. I’ll be able to fully immerse myself in the latest adventure of my childhood hero. Obviously, I’ll select Mario. The one with the mushroom.
Header image: Sofia Vogt
I'm a full-blooded dad and husband, part-time nerd and chicken farmer, cat tamer and animal lover. I would like to know everything and yet I know nothing. I know even less, but I learn something new every day. What I am good at is dealing with words, spoken and written. And I get to prove that here.
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