When I refer to Super Mario 64 conspiracy theories, I am specifically referring to a popular image that has been passed around the internet as a meme. Nintendo’s innocent brand is so consistent, iconic, and omnipresent that subverting it is scary, or at least interesting enough to shareīefore I talk about anything else, I want to make one thing clear.“Every copy of Super Mario 64 is personalized”.“Wet-Dry World negative emotional aura”.A closer look at a few Super Mario 64 conspiracies.What is the Super Mario 64 conspiracy iceberg?.The Super Mario 64 conspiracy theories show us that compelling ideas naturally spread online, even when complex.Creepypasta isn’t just online weirdos telling ghost stories about video games.Super Mario 64 is not the first innocent video game to be reimagined as a horror story.The rise of creepypasta, or, middle class internet horror.Super Mario 64 is so old that Nintendo could not discourage alternative uses of its game.Speedrunning kept Super Mario 64 fresh for decades by adding new challenges.Speedrunning kept Super Mario 64 relevant in the 2000’s & 2010’s.The rise of 3D video games in the late 1990s.Why Nintendo’s branding so perfectly embodies innocence.Why Nintendo has been a household name for almost 40 years.If you have some of that knowledge already, then use these links to skip ahead! The simple fact is that understanding how Super Mario 64 conspiracy theories started, why they matter, and how they work requires at least a passing knowledge of decades of history. Trying to explain Super Mario 64 conspiracy theories to an unseen reader in a short post is a fool’s errand. The infamous “backwards long jump” glitch. And believe it or not, I think there are several powerful business lessons to be learned here about the importance of embracing change, the way the internet has changed storytelling, and the powerful endurance of Nintendo’s brand.Īnd you don’t even have to know what a “backwards long jump” is to understand! Yet somehow this old game, whose finite secrets should have long since been unlocked, has seen its cultural relevance extended yet again by online campfire stories. It’s a game that IGN considers to be one of the best of all time, beating Minecraft and barely sliding in below Tetris. This is a game, mind you, that people have been playing competitively for decades. The result was that this game made in 1996 saw a MASSIVE spike in Google search volume that hasn’t been seen since 2005. So what’s this all about, anyway? Somewhere in the heady days of the pandemic, bored Mario fans reimagined the classic video game as a horror story. Let alone on the paltry 8 MB that the cartridge was able to store. A 25 year old game like Super Mario 64 could never possibly have such a sophisticated AI. It’s so subtle you’d never notice it, until you try someone else’s copy and realize how strange and unfamiliar it is. It’s said that even back in 1996, Nintendo was able to create an AI that adapted to a player’s skill level, playstyle, and even desires.

Did you know every copy of Super Mario 64 is personalized?

Conspiracy iceberg image