Angry Birds Could Be This Generation's Super Mario Bros.

MasonicGamer.com - Okay, hear me out on this one, for my meaning may not be immediately apparent, but I think Angry Birds could be this generation’s Super Mario Bros. Sacrilege, I hear you cry, for how could I possibly compare a mobile phone title to one of the most iconic and influential video games ever created? Understand that I’m not comparing quality or gameplay, but simply the degree to which Angry Birds has gained public mindshare.

Super Mario Bros. is the game that everyone knows. Adults who don’t even play games are sure to be familiar with Mario, and probably have fond memories of playing as a child. Now, the adults who’ve long left their gaming childhoods behind have children of their own. They probably couldn’t name most of the games and characters their kids are into, but I’ll bet they could name Angry Birds.

[OneAboveAll]

lolnope

[Alos88]

Yeah no.

[digger18]

Ask around and everybody knows and plays angry birds. So i would say yes. Only nerds would say no

[PS3Freak]

People still play Angry Birds?

[rezzah]

People still use computers?

[TopDudeMan]

Just because everyone knows it doesn't mean it's good.

Look at Justin Beiber, for instance.

[KillerPwned]

Stereotype much? Go play your Angry Birds and GTFO...have a nice day :)

[rezzah]

It could be, based on how much of a impact it has on the younger generation.

You will see people who deny this, these people are those who were very much like today's children with Mario instead of a round bird.

All is speculation, but outright denying the possibility without thought is immature.

Only the future will tell.

[bicfitness]

+1 for being reasonable on N4G.

We'll have to wait another generation (not gaming, but population) to find out, but it could indeed be true. Just as it could not be. We'll have to see where the franchise is in a few years, and compare that to Nintendo's current (at that time) success with Mario.

[Alos88]

Mario was a unique phenomenon; there was nothing like it at the time it came out, and so it left a huge impression on a generation of children.
Angry Birds will not have the same impact because we are living in a society now where gaming is much more mainstream, and where we have seen games like Angry Birds a thousand times before.

[rezzah]

I agree to some degree.

But the problem is we don't accept the possibility of how society perceives things each generation. The way which something may become popular back in the 80s isnt the same how something else will be popularized in the future. Mario is still a creation of a single generation. When 80 years or more have passed after Mario's "birth", then we may notice the biggest change.

Every 10 years after the creation of Mario, the strength of his iconic view will lessen. This is because children do not grow up with Mario, they have other images to cling on. In this case Angry Birds is this imagery.

The strength of Mario's effect on society will slowly die overtime.

[Alos88]

That seems sensible enough, but I doubt children are going to remember Angry Birds in the same way, our society has the internet now, our attention spans are more about looking for the next big thing, spending 5 minutes on it and then moving on.
And that's what I think will happen to Angry Birds; it will be an amusing distraction, a mere footnote compared to legacy of Mario.

[dark-hollow]

Come and talk when angry birds stay relevant for five more years, let alone 25!

[KillerPwned]

The though of this is just disgusting....

[Zodiac]

Super Mario is this generations Super Mario. This is a terrible joke.

[shannon_hanson15]

Any of us who played Mario as kids would say no because we are biased. We like Mario, there is nothing wrong with being biased about your own opinion

but if I were to think of my little cousins who are 6 and 9, they play a lot of Angry Birds. They do know Mario and play Mario because of their dad, my dad and me. Because we play it when we are at their house on holidays. Another example is one of the little girls I nanny for loves Angry Birds. Again she knows what Mario is but since she knows Angry Birds better/more of it, she enjoys it better.

I do have to say that this seems about accurate. So many younger kids and families play Angry Birds. People don't need to get all worked up about a younger generation liking a different video game than us. I mean, come on, Mario is still so vastly popular there is no way he is leaving. So what I am saying is, I agree with Angry Birds being the Mario of this new younger generations. No need to get all pissy and angry about something newer rising above something old. It happens all the time. Just learn to deal with it. Mario will never go away.

Long Live Mario!

[kane_1371]

it is not about being biased, i dislike every other nintendo game, but i can't resist the scroller platformer mario, it was and is the greatest scroller, i play generally ps3 and pc, but only cuz of that i bought a Wii.

It is not about being biased, it is about how much impact a game made on the world.
Mario is in a level that no arcade game like Angry birds or any other of those on smartphones can even come close to.

You could argue that angry birds is popular, but i would say it has high number of dls, and most of that is for the free versions, ppl dl it, play 1 world and stop playing, it is the same trend with all the mobile phone games.

[shannon_hanson15]

I'm not trying to say that it is solely on Bias. I would hope that almost everyone knows that Mario basically was the revolution of video games. There is never going to be anything like it. But I feel people are getting sour over a new game emerging. Yes Angry Birds is a stupid phone, tablet, and I-Pod game, but that doesn't mean it isn't revolutionary for some people. Its hard to argue that a video game that isn't really one, because it isn't played on a gaming system. But take in account the popularity. When people are still playing it/ it still exists in 25 years then my argument has been made. But its just a matter of time.

[Smashbro29]

The fact is, Mario practically invented gaming as we know it. Angry Birds is just some phone game.

[kane_1371]

agreed

[thaimasker]

Yeah talk to me if Angry birds is still popular 25 years from now.

[WeAreLegion]

I enjoy Angry Birds. Always have.

That being said...

How dare you?!?!?

Super Mario Bros. redefined platforming and made the world fall in love with video games. Angry Birds is a fun little physics-based title, but no way is it comparable.

Look at books. The Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter are two of the most beloved series' in the history of literature. Twilight was also very popular for awhile. However, it's obvious that it was just a fad, whereas LotR and HP are staples in literary history.