As I was browsing the Super Mario games that had not been claimed, I saw that Mario Golf: Advance Tour for the Gameboy Advance had not been claimed. When I saw this, I knew that I had to share a few words and memories about this amazing game.
As I mentioned in my memories about Super Mario World, video games when I was young was, in many cases, a family affair. In part because we only had one television and intermittent access to a video game console, but also because my brothers and I were close growing up. Playing together often meant that we video gamed together. From platformers like Super Mario Brothers 3 to battling it out on Super Mario Kart, many video games were played communally through controller-passing, and many of those games were about Super Mario.
However, me being the youngest, when my older brothers got, well, older, they started focusing on their own interests and, when I had access to video games, it was an activity that slowly grew into one that I did alone. So, usually my companions in my adventures were, well, literally the companions in my adventures. So, for that reason, many RPGs from that era do hold a special place in my heart because they were often solitary experiences where I learned new concepts of philosophy, religion, morality, governance, rules of law, good character, etc etc. That, or were just good stories where I connected with various characters in the game. Super Mario RPG is a good example, but I missed the bandwagon to wax philosophic about that one, so I’ll mosey on along.
Mario Golf: Advance Tour is a sports RPG, which may surprise those of you who thought it was just a portable version of the Nintendo 64 game. While not a true RPG in the spirit of Final Fantasy, you take the role of a player who wants to conquer the world of golf (a world that happens to be in the Super Mario Universe and populated by its characters).
Being able to place myself in the role of the character I was playing as was a fun extension of the RPG playing experience. Quite similar to Pokemon Red & Blue or Harvest Moon (both franchises which I love by the way). In fact, because of my enjoyment of both series on the Gameboy was what led me to looking into Mario Golf: Advance Tour when I saw it was more than simply a sports title. I’m a sucker for simulator-ish games then and now.
Beyond simply being a fantastic golfing game in the style of Mario Golf 64, the fact that the character is less defined allows for more identification with them, and more immersion. It allowed me to be a part of the Super Mario Universe, and take a role within it. The fact that this role was, well, golfing, didn’t matter much as I explored the world within the game and worked my way through the story.
As I am older now and more estranged with my brothers, the shift from video games as a family affair to video games as a solo experience truly does reflect the distance that grew between my brothers and me. The days where we’re on good terms and played crazy games whipped up from our imaginations, or made blanket forts with the couch, along with other countless childhood experiences are but a distant memory. Part of that which was lost was playing video games together. These days our interests are so far-flung that talking about modern gaming with them is almost speaking a foreign language.
Video gaming became a more and more isolated hobby for me, and RPGs allowed me someone to share my gaming experiences with, even if those people weren’t real. So, for many years I gamed alone and when the opportunities arose to place myself within the video game as a character, it was often an enjoyable one. Because sharing the experience, however remotely, brought back happier times when gaming meant I had two other players by my side.
As I have gotten older, I have found many outlets in person and online with friends and people who share my love for video games and, now that the internet is as ubiquitous as oxygen for the world, the idea of being isolated in a hobby may seem like an utterly alien idea to some. There are countless communities now where one can share their passion for practically anything. Gaming no longer needs to be enjoyed alone and, in many cases, is all but an impossibility in our interconnected age.
Whether it was farming potatoes, finding medicine in the Amazon, traversing the Oregon Trail, saving the world, or simply playing golf, simulator games and RPG games were ones that gave me a greater connection to the amazing worlds video games had to offer. Mario Golf, a lovely blend between several genres, was one that I enjoyed and look back on fondly now. I mean, who hasn’t imagined being sucked into the Super Mario Universe at some point as a child? (or adult?) To journey to the Mushroom Kingdom to take on Bowser? If something as banal as golf opens the gateway to that, who am I to decline that invitational?
The Arcade Mage loves video games new and old, cutting his teeth on the Atari 2600 and enjoying his senescence (i.e. 30s) with the Playstation VR. When he isn’t playing video games, or hanging out with his cat Belle (A level 17 Meowirror of Light), he can be found at www.arcadecastle.com. The Arcade Mage has the largest collection of video game licensed board games on the planet, and his website is the nexus of research into these games. How do you transform a video game into a board game experience? Can it be done? With a podcast, youtube videos, reviews, and news on this subject, The Arcade Mage attempts to understand video game history through the lens of the tabletop.
Wahoo! You are a Super Reader! But the adventure doesn’t stop here… There’s more of this project in another castle! This article is just one level in an entire Super Mario Multiverse, a galactic collaboration between writers around the world sharing a bit of our hearts and memories about our favorite Mario games. Visit the Center of the Multiverse to see more:
