Were you ever scolded for wasting time playing Nintendo games? Do you chew out your kids now for too much gaming? You may be surprised at the life lessons that are often sneaked into the storylines of these games.
Check out these classic Nintendo games and the hidden moral messages within them.
Super Mario Sunshine: Do the right thing
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The game Super Mario Sunshine focuses on the misadventures of Mario on a polluted island. On vacation, Mario travels to the remote island paradise of Isle Delfino, only to find the island polluted with sludge and plastered with graffiti.
Framed by a shadowy doppelganger, Mario is blamed for the catastrophe plaguing the isle. Mario is arrested by the island authorities and sentenced to clean up the island by using a mysterious talking water gun named F.L.U.D.D.
This game teaches that even though Mario didn’t commit the crime and create the ugly graffiti and pollution, he cleans up the island because it is the right thing to do.
Kirby’s Dream Land: Stand up to bullies
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The classic Nintendo Game Boy game Kirby’s Dream Land features the lovable pink puffball Kirby. When King Dedede of Dream Land steals all his subjects’ food on a midnight raid, the people of Dream Land are left with nothing to eat.
Faced with starvation, the townsfolk employ a local hero, Kirby, to steal it back from the king. Kirby sets off on a journey to defeat Dedede and reclaim the villagers’ food. The life lesson is about standing up for the little guy and bringing justice upon bullies.
Animal Crossing: Community matters
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The game Animal Crossing lacks a single “quest” but nevertheless teaches an important lesson. In Animal Crossing, you create a character who is moving to a new town. You buy a house from friendly neighborhood merchant/creepy loan shark Tom Nook.
To pay back the loan, you work for Nook and run errands for the locals (who are all animals). You can also befriend your neighbors and participate in town events. This emphasizes the importance of community and has some life lessons about financial responsibility.
Zelda series: Perseverance
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The Legend of Zelda features classic RPG hero elements. You play as Link, a young boy turned adventurer, whose sister has been captured by a giant bird. You join up with a band of pirates to save your sister.
When you are defeated and expelled from the evil lair, you sail across the vast ocean, sword in hand, in search of the mystical Triforce, a magical artifact that will allow you to enter the Forsaken Fortress. This game is about adventure and not giving up when you are pushed down.
Pikmin: Lend a hand
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In Pikmin, you play a tiny astronaut, Captain Olimar, returning home from a mission in space. When a meteorite hits his spaceship, he crashes on a mysterious toxic planet. There, Olimar discovers the Pikmin, adorable plantlike beings who immediately befriend Olimar and aid him in recovering the scattered pieces of his spaceship.
With only 30 days’ worth of oxygen left, Captain Olimar must use the Pikmin’s help to rebuild his spaceship and return home.
This game is about the importance of building allies and how sometimes we get by with a little bit of help from our friends.
Luigi’s Mansion: Finding your inner strength
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In the game Luigi’s Mansion, the player controls Mario’s cowardly brother, Luigi. After winning a mansion in a contest, Luigi travels to his new home to find it overrun with ghosts. Even worse, his brother Mario has been kidnapped and turned into a painting.
Despite his dread of ghosts, Luigi dons a ghostbusting vacuum and goes in search of his brother. Luigi sets an example of conquering fears to help others and get oneself out of a mess.
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