Then, As Now, Mario Was All About the Benjamins

How was Mario created? It’s common knowledge that his hat-and-moustache appearance were due to graphical limitations that made it hard to otherwise distinguish facial features. But what was at the root of Mario’s origins? Why was the character, originally dubbed Jumpman, created to begin with? Money.

The story, as legendary game designer Shigeru Miyamoto tells it in a rare interview by Nintendo President Satoru Iwata, is pretty long-winded. Essentially, then-president Hiroshi Yamauchi decreed that Nintendo’s arcade games — this was before the Famicom and Nintendo Entertainment System — needed to make more money. So Miyamoto played a ton of arcade games, trying to figure out what causes people to pop in more coins.

A basic principle of game design emerged: A simple challenge, when combined with other simple challenges, creates an altogether trickier situation. So in Donkey Kong, the point was to maneuver towards the goal quickly, but also to strategically pick the best route to avoid barrels. Jumping was added as a solution for barrels coming right towards you, and Donkey Kong addiction was born.

Also worth noting: Miyamoto liked the idea of having Mario appear in every game he made, in the same way that Alfred Hitchcock appeared in all of his movies. That wasn’t so much motivated by money back then, but there’s no denying that everything Mario touches turns to gold. [Interviews here and here]