Why Super Mario Galaxy is a wake-up call for developers

Fun and happiness are fun and make you happy

Why are the most beautiful modern games often so crushingly dull to look at? We currently have the design and rendering technology to create almost anything we want, so why are we limited to gritty realism in a variety of exciting shades of grey and brown? A game of any kind is by definition supposed to be an enjoyable experience, and there’s no need to hide that fact behind a veil of “maturity” and darkness.

Doesn’t waking up on a sunny day make people happier than walking to work in the rain? And aren’t fun and quirky characters more enjoyable to surround oneself with than dour-faced, troubled anti-heroes? You know which answers you’d give in real life, so why is it that in a medium that’s supposed to be fun we’re surrounded by so much soul-sucking misery? Super Mario Galaxy is unashamed to be beautiful in aesthetic terms as well as on a technical level, and there’s no reason in the world why things should be any other way.

What’s wrong with the sun? Why no blue skies? And what happened to good old fashioned frivolity? We’re talking about videogames here. Let’s lighten up a bit shall we?

Click below for someunashamed smile-inducement.

Why are the most beautiful modern games often so crushingly dull to look at? We currently have the design and rendering technology to create almost anything we want, so why are we limited to gritty realism in a variety of exciting shades of grey and brown? A game of any kind is by definition supposed to be an enjoyable experience, and there’s no need to hide that fact behind a veil of “maturity” and darkness.

Doesn’t waking up on a sunny day make people happier than walking to work in the rain? And aren’t fun and quirky characters more enjoyable to surround oneself with than dour-faced, troubled anti-heroes? You know which answers you’d give in real life, so why is it that in a medium that’s supposed to be fun we’re surrounded by so much soul-sucking misery? Super Mario Galaxy is unashamed to be beautiful in aesthetic terms as well as on a technical level, and there’s no reason in the world why things should be any other way.

What’s wrong with the sun? Why no blue skies? And what happened to good old fashioned frivolity? We’re talking about videogames here. Let’s lighten up a bit shall we?

Click below for someunashamed smile-inducement.

David Houghton
Long-time GR+ writer Dave has been gaming with immense dedication ever since he failed dismally at some '80s arcade racer on a childhood day at the seaside (due to being too small to reach the controls without help). These days he's an enigmatic blend of beard-stroking narrative discussion and hard-hitting Psycho Crushers.