Super_Mario_.pdf
super_mario_.mp3
BBC LEARNING ENGLISH
6 Minute English
?Why is Super Mario so popular
Rob
Hello This is 6 Minute English from BBC Learning English I’m Rob
Georgina
And I’m Georgina
Rob
Now, Georgina, you recently mentioned in one 6 Minute English programme
about NFTs and that you had a collection of Pokemon cards when you were
younger
Georgina
Yes – I did, and I still can’t find them Why did you bring that up?
Rob
Well, Pokemon started out as a video game series that turned into anime movies
and trading cards among other things – and in this programme we’re talking
about a video game character that is iconic – a word which means widely known
and recognised That character’s name is Super Mario
Georgina
Ahhh I spent many hours of my childhood playing with Nintendo’s Super Mario or
his rival, Sega’s Sonic the Hedgehog
Rob
Now, these days, video games are everywhere, and people of all ages enjoy
playing them There’s also competitive e-sports events where gamers compete
for what are often considerable amounts of money
Georgina
Yes, and there are also streamers that appear on platforms like Twitch and
YouTube who have become celebrities in their own right
Rob
Talking about celebrities, I have a question about the famous character we’re
talking about in this programme Many people remember Super Mario Bros as
being the first time we saw Mario, but he first appeared in another game – which
was it? Was it:
a) The Legend of Zelda
b) Donkey Kong; or
c) Pokemon
Georgina
I’m not sure about that – I can’t remember him being in Pokemon, so I’ll go for a)
The Legend of Zelda
Rob
OK, Georgina, we’ll find out if you’re right at the end of the programme So, we
established at the start of the programme that these days the video games
industry is thriving
Georgina
True – but it wasn’t always that way It’s hard to imagine now, but in the 1980s
the console market was struggling, particularly in the US
Rob
Keza MacDonalds, video games editor for the Guardian newspaper, explains what
was happening in the early 1980s Here she is on BBC World Service programme
You and Yours, speaking with Peter White
Keza MacDonald
Well, back then, especially in America, there had been a flood of games that
were just not very high quality One of the games that’s often cited as a factor in
the collapse was this game called ET on the Atari, which was so bad they ended
up burying thousands of copies of it in the desert, because nobody liked it
And, so we’d had that, especially in America, this didn't happen so much in
Europe, but in America just been lots and lots of software None of it was all that
great There hadn't been anything really revolutionary in some years, so the
video game boom was really falling off a cliff and Nintendo is what rescued in the
US especially
Georgina
Keza MacDonald used the term a flood of – meaning a large number in a short
period of time – to describe the number of games that were coming out
Rob
She used cited, which means referenced or noted, when talking about the game
ET being a reference for a factor in the collapse of the console market
Georgina
And she said boom – a sudden period of growth So as ET was mentioned as a
factor in the collapse, many people say that Super Mario Bros was the reason
that video games really took off, especially in the US
Rob
It’s interesting to consider what might have been if his creator, Shigeru
Miyamoto, had never created that character The question is, why is that game so
popular, what made it so fun to play?
Georgina
Here is Keza Macdonald speaking again with Peter White, on BBC World Service
programme, You and Yours, explaining why Mario is just so popular and what
makes the original game so satisfying to play
Keza MacDonald
It’s just such a joy to play It's running and jumping, and it's the joy of movement
When, when you play, even the original Super Mario Bros, you just feel this sense
of joy in your movement, and it's one of the greatest games ever made And a lot
of games from 35 years ago are basically unplayable now They might have been
a step to something greater, but Mario was one of those few that really holds up
today as it did then
Rob
Keza Macdonald said that some games from 35 years ago are unplayable – so,
not possible to play them
Georgina
But she said that Mario holds up – a term used to say that something’s standards
or quality has not lessened
Rob
It certainly does hold up – in fact, I played it the other day and I had lots of fun
with it – it reminded me of my childhood, and it’s still as good now as it was then
Georgina
Which reminds me of your quiz question, Rob
Rob
Yes, in my quiz question I asked Georgina which game had the first appearance of
that famous plumber, Mario
Georgina
I went for a) The Legend of Zelda
Rob
Which is wrong, I’m afraid! Mario’s first appearance was in Donkey Kong, and his
creator, Shigeru Miyamoto, never thought he would be that popular
Georgina
Well, I guess we’ve all really learnt something today Let’s recap the vocabulary
from today’s programme about Super Mario, starting with iconic – famously
associated with something and instantly recognisable
Rob
Then we had a flood of which means a large amount of something in a short
space of time
Georgina
Cited means reference as or noted
Rob
Boom relates to explosion and means a short period of sudden growth
Georgina
Unplayable describes something that can’t be played or a game that is very
difficult to enjoy
Rob
And finally, holds up means that the quality or standards of something hasn’t
changed and still looks good or plays well
Georgina
That’s all for this programme
Rob
Bye for now!
Georgina
Bye!
VOCABULARY
iconic
famous for being connected with something or instantly recognisable
a flood of
large amount of something in a short period of time
cited
referenced or noted
boom
short period of sudden growth
unplayable
not able to be played
holds up
standards or quality of something is still as good now as when it was made
