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.
«Is that the one with the mushroom? I don’t like him.» Zoe’s initial reaction to my suggestion that we should play Super Mario instead of Paw Patrol on the Nintendo Switch makes my heart sink. After all, my love for the moustache-sporting, red-capped plumber on mushrooms was kindled in my own childhood and has remained unbroken ever since. And now my soon-to-be five-year-old daughter doesn’t want to play Super Mario Bros. Wonder? Maybe it’s time to take a paternity test.
Source: Shutterstock/Konektus Photo
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!»
Source: Sofia Vogt
The first Goomba turns out to be Zoe’s final boss
And so, we set off on our adventure with Peach. Although Zoe seems a little overwhelmed by the Technicolour world on the screen, she takes her first steps all by herself and collects a few coins. In fact, she’s now fully figured out how to walk with her fingers. And how to jump. It’s combining the two that still proves a bit difficult for her. This becomes apparent when she has an encounter with the first Goomba, probably the most harmless enemy in the Mario world. I tell Zoe she can jump on him, but she refuses and turns to me for help.
Source: Sofia Vogt
Together and with four hands on the controller, we finally make it. We take down the evil Goomba and a few of his cronies. We make progress by running and jumping on enemies until we collect a fire flower. After that, we pave our way shooting fireballs. Not even a parade of singing piranha plants can stop us. In quick succession, our princess turns into an elephant, which Zoe acknowledges with a cry of joy. After a ride on a green tube that moves forward like a caterpillar, we finally finish the first level.
Source: Nintendo
Back to the Paw Patrol
This also marks the end of Zoe’s game session for the day. She’d like to keep on playing. The colourful and imaginative world of Super Mario Bros. Wonder seems to have struck a chord with her. But she simply can’t manage the controller alone. We’ll have to work on the control basics a bit. That’s why we’re sticking to Paw Patrol World for the time being, where you run, jump and collect coins from left to right without any enemies appearing. Zoe’s already looking forward to saving bunnies in the next level.
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.