First look: Universal Studios Hollywood powers up with Super Nintendo World

In 1981 Shigeru Miyamoto created a video game character whose entire personality was contained in what the designer first described as “16 dots by 16 dots.” As that character evolved, those pixels would comprise red suspenders, a pouch of a tummy, an oversize nose, a bushy mustache and eventually a whole lot of jumpy pluckiness, making him an unlikely but confident hero as he sought to rescue a damsel in distress. “They could have made Super Nintendo World a big arcade,” says Jesse Schell, a game designer and longtime advocate for interactivity in public spaces, having worked with theme parks around the world. Universal Studios Hollywood’s Super Nintendo World is filled with hidden nooks for guests to discover — and play in. Asked once for an explanation for the enduring power of Mario, Miyamoto had a simple yet ambitious answer: “The more creative the player is, the more things that they try, the more fun the game becomes.” INSIDE THE CASTLE Mario Kart: Bowser’s Challenge is a first for a theme park attraction in North America — an augmented reality-enhanced game-inspired ride. Bowser’s obsessions are shown throughout the ride Mario Kart: Bowser’s Challenge at Super Nintendo World at Universal Studios Hollywood.