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Super Mario
Super Mario: How Nintendo Conquered America | Jeff Ryan
14 posts | 16 read | 10 to read
The story of Nintendo's rise and the beloved icon who made it possible. Nintendo has continually set the standard for video-game innovation in America, starting in 1981 with a plucky hero who jumped over barrels to save a girl from an ape. The saga of Mario, the portly plumber who became the most successful franchise in the history of gaming, has plot twists worthy of a video game. Jeff Ryan shares the story of how this quintessentially Japanese company found success in the American market. Lawsuits, Hollywood, die- hard fans, and face-offs with Sony and Microsoft are all part of the drama. Find out about: *Mario's eccentric yet brilliant creator, Shigeru Miyamoto, who was tapped for the job because was considered expendable. *Minoru Arakawa, the son-in-law of Nintendo's imperious president, who bumbled his way to success. *The unexpected approach that allowed Nintendo to reinvent itself as the gaming system for the non-gamer, especially now with the Wii Even those who can't tell a Koopa from a Goomba will find this a fascinating story of striving, comeuppance, and redemption.
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Sharpeipup
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What a fun & interesting read! Thanks to #blameitonlitsy

24 likes2 stack adds
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Megabooks
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Pickpick

An interesting look at the history of Nintendo in America through the lens of the company‘s super famous mascot. I‘ve had Nintendos on and off. I‘ve owned an NES, SNES, and a Wii, but I wouldn‘t say I‘m obsessed. Ryan captures what makes Nintendo special and why consumers still flock to it. What he shared makes sense as to why I‘ve preferred N over the Xbox One and PS3 I‘ve owned. Games are higher in entertainment over skill. #roll100

PuddleJumper Sounds interesting! I'll keep an eye out for that 8mo
rabbitprincess Thanks for the tag! This does sound interesting. We‘re mostly a Nintendo family (N64, Wii, Game Boy Colour, and now Switch) so I‘m sure this will be a good read! 8mo
Cinfhen Nintendo makes me think of my kiddos! They loved ALL the game systems but I agree…Nintendo really was the MOST ENTERTAINING 8mo
Chelsea.Poole We have a Switch and it‘s definitely my favorite! Animal Crossing is so relaxing ✨ 8mo
81 likes1 stack add4 comments
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BC_Dittemore
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Mehso-so

With Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow still fresh in my mind, I think this account of not only Nintendo‘s rise but video game culture in general makes a nice companion. Supposedly, there are some factual errors, which is a shame because I quite enjoyed it. It‘s not a deep dive, but it gives a casual gamer like myself a bit of insider information and like Zevin‘s novel, a warm fuzzy feeling of nostalgia.

BC_Dittemore Also Ray Porter narrates the audiobook; he does Project Hail Mary as well. I‘m telling you that dude could read the phone book to me and I‘d be on the edge of my seat 1y
6 likes1 comment
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WeAreLegion
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Mehso-so

Light and fun, this history of Nintendo is an easy read. Look elsewhere if you want in depth reporting, but as a primer, you could do worse.

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DaveNeufeld
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Mehso-so

This was at its best early on when describing the lesser known years of Nintendo and of Shigeru Miyamoto, but it devolved into a pretty droll recitation of more modern hardware specifications and fairly common knowledge about gaming in general. Also the author kept saying “a” instead of “an” preceding an acronym like “snes” for example (a ess-enn-ee-ess) which drove me nuts, compounded by the fact that I listened in audio.

DaveNeufeld Ryan also really glossed over what a remarkable individual Satoru Iwata was, and how important he really is to Nintendo‘s more recent history, which is disappointing. 6y
14 likes1 comment
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DaveNeufeld
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This audiobook has some egregious mistakes in proper names and titles. Referring to the “Mario Party” series as “Mario‘s Party” and misnaming Samus Aran as Samus “Arau” are enough to make even a casual fan cringe. I‘m not sure if these mistakes were in the print or misread by the narrator, but wow, either way... You can‘t write a history book while continually confusing proper names throughout and expect to be taken seriously. 😳

britt_brooke This sounds interesting, but I‘ll definitely go with print when the time comes just in case. 6y
18 likes1 comment
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saguarosally
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#24in48 #readathon #betterthanzero

I may have to plan this readathon down to the minute next time. I do worse each time!

GAustin Well done! 7y
MrBook Fantastic achievement! 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 7y
monkeygirlsmama It surprising how easy you think it will be, then life crops up on you. 😜I missed the mark this time too, but had a great time all the same. 7y
See All 6 Comments
saguarosally @GAustin @MrBook Thank you! I'm just such a Type A that I must...read...more... 7y
saguarosally @monkeygirlsmama Every time! And I took over part of a friend's house, so I couldn't not watch tv w my friend. I really messed up time management in that I get horrible fatigue if I push myself too much in fitness and slept half of Saturday. Sigh... 7y
GypsyKat You did so well! 👏👏👏 7y
63 likes6 comments
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saguarosally
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The current #24in48 #audiobook . Need to sleep and need to read more. Dilemma!

Tcip This any good? I was wondering about it. . 7y
saguarosally @Tcip I'm about halfway through. Interesting so far! 7y
46 likes3 stack adds2 comments
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saguarosally
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Time for some sleep. Most of the past few hours I have just spent listening to audiobooks. I just can't get into print books much lately. #24in48 #readathon

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BookMusings
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I can't be the only one who loves MARIO run on here!

You can add me:
9070-1947-7156

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BookBabe
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YES! My awesome friend surprised me with an original refurbished Nintendo system, along with 5 Of my favorite games! @MrBook and I are taking a break from reading to play. 😁 Takes me right back to those glorious uncomplicated childhood days! 🙌🏻🎮

britt_brooke I can't love this enough!! 7y
MrBook 😁👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 7y
mostlycatsandcoffee Awesome! 🍄⭐️ 7y
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Zelma That is super awesome!!!!! 😍👍👏 7y
Soubhiville Fun! The music is playing in my head, lol... 🎶 7y
NerdyRev Loved my NES! I hunted for that dang mini one all Christmas. 7y
kspenmoll Great gift! 7y
MicheleinPhilly YES! I'll never forgive myself for selling my old one. 😕 BUT you can download a lot of the original games to play on the Wii. This, Metroid, and Castlevania were my JAMS! 7y
LA_Mead Awesome! 7y
LitsyGoesPostal 😊👍🏻 7y
LauraBrook Yes!!! ❤️ this game! 7y
BookBabe @NerdyRev I heard about that on the same day my friend gave me this! How's that for timing. Lol 7y
171 likes2 stack adds13 comments
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MrBook
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Guess what @BookBabe & I are playing?! 😁👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻!!! Wonderful #Christmas gift from a good friend of ours ☺. Anyone wanna come over and play? We also have Super Mario Bros. 2 & 3, Paperboy, and Duck Hunt. Come on over & we'll have a #LitsyTournament!!! (BookBabe says I lean as I play 😆.)

CallMeIshmael So jealous 7y
Godmotherx5 Duck Hunt!! 7y
MyNamesParadise I was never good at those games! (Hand eye coordination major issue) 😜😜 7y
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erinreads I am the master at Super Mario 3! 💁🏼 (edited) 7y
TsahaiMakeda Best. Game. Ever. Have you ever beat the whole thing? 7y
BookBabe Yes! 😁🙌🏻 7y
Yournewfriendsams Gahhh! Amazing! So jealous! Fun fact: my mom can beat #MarioOG in less than 30 minutes 😂 7y
Zelma Super Mario 3 was my favorite!! And original recipe, of course. 7y
Zelma Super Mario 3 was my favorite!! And original recipe, of course. 7y
Nonaroo Paperboy!!! Now that takes me back! 7y
TheBookAddict 😂👍🏽🙌🏽 I lean too!!! 7y
britt_brooke I loved Mario so much when I was younger. Enjoy!! Now, all you're missing are Zelda and Excite Bike! 7y
prowlix Oh that damn dog on Duck Hunt! I would get so upset when he laughed at us 7y
Serotonin Awesome classics 👍 🎮 ❤ 7y
kristina_with_a_k Duck Hunt!!! 7y
Reviewsbylola I forgot about Duck Hunt!! 🦆 🔫 7y
Coleen Doesn't everyone (lean)??? 😜 7y
Gayan What, no Contra? 🙀 7y
LitsyGoesPostal 😊👍🏻 7y
MrBook @Callmeishamael 😁👍🏻! You're always welcome to visit 😊! @Godmotherx5 😎👌🏻🙌🏻! @MyNamesParadise 😂👏🏻! I've always been okay, nothing amazing 😊. @erinreads Good, come show us how it's done then 😂👏🏻🙌🏻! @TsahaiMakeda I can't recall if I ever did 😊. @BookBabe 😻! @Yournewfriendsams Your mom rocks 😁👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻🙌🏻!! You both should come show us how it's done 😊. @Zelma Of course 😉👍🏻! @Nonaroo It was my favorite for Gameboy 😁👍🏻! 7y
MrBook @TheBookAddict Ohh yeeaah 😎🙌🏻👏🏻! #KindredSpirits 😊! @britt_brooke Zelda!!! Yessss 😁👏🏻👏🏻! @prowlix 😂😂😂👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻! @Serotonin 😊👍🏻👍🏻! @Graciouswarriorprincess Thank you ☺! @kristina_with_a_k 😊😉👍🏻! @Coleen Someone should do a study on this 😂👏🏻🙌🏻! @Gayan Looovvved Contra! And Double 🐉😊👍🏻! 7y
Gayan @MrBook YES! 7y
173 likes1 stack add23 comments
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Abby-J
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Pickpick

Though a little out of date, this book provides a great history of the Nintendo Corporation focusing its narrative on Mario and the games in which he appears. I enjoyed the concept tremendously. I was, however, upset by Ryan, who had earlier panned the sexualization of female avatars, frequently using the term "casual gamer" interchangeably with "women," and the implication that women were not interested in games with "too many buttons." #gaming

DuckOfDoom That would make me angry too :/ 7y
Abby-J @DuckOfDoom Right? I spent the majority of my yesterday playing Fallout 4. While I understand that I'm not the game's target market, that doesn't mean that I don't exist. 😖 7y
LindsayReads That's grody. You should start a campaign wherein women just send him pictures of themselves casually gaming. 7y
DuckOfDoom @Abby-J and I will spend the week replaying Dishonored to be ready for the sequel 😊 But I think the gaming industry is shifting (ever so slowly). Now the people should shift, too. There is so much hate out there :( At least most of the people I met in reality don't see any connection about being a gamer and being a woman. 7y
21 likes1 stack add4 comments
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jmtrivera
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I haven't read this, but I was looking around for an #80stoyinbookform for the #Octphotochallenge and came across a book about Mario and Nintendo. I realized video game history would be really interesting to read about more! Something to consider for the future! Any recs?
@LibrarianRyan