As advertised across campus by a photo of Mario drifting in front of a Tokyo sunset with his leg up on the dash, Northwestern’s Student Activities Council put on a small Mario Kart study break for campus last Thursday evening from 7-8 PM on two TVs in the first floor of Ramaker.
Students are currently in one of the more intense weeks of the school year as Thanksgiving break approaches, and SAC acknowledged this by creating a space that, if even for a short one-hour period, encouraged students to put down their pen, pencil or laptop and relax their shoulders with some classic Mario Kart Wii.
Inarguably the most iconic title of the Mario Kart franchise, many students felt particularly drawn to attend this event whether due an interest in learning, a draw to nostalgic childhood memories, or somewhere in between.
Prolific Esports Smash Brothers Ultimate player Corey Buckholtz had the following to say on his reason for attending as well as his experience throughout the event: “When I first heard about this, it felt like a once in a lifetime chance. It felt like a time where I could be myself. I did not have to second guess myself on if I wanted to go because it is something I truly enjoyed. Even though there was only around 10-13 people, just the small experience I got was enough to make my night and create one of the few awesome memories I have from doing things with others.”
Although this event did not have nearly as much draw as a more annual attraction like Clash of the Classes or the revered Humans Versus Zombies, everyone in attendance rivaled these events with the sheer passion with which they played this game.
Many of the students in attendance were quite experienced with the optimization of this game, so many of the four-player races were dominated by statistically significant kart-rider combos like Funky Kong and the Flame Runner or Daisy and the Mach Bike.
Some players aimed to enjoy themselves by selecting sillier combos like any of the baby characters and the Booster Seat, a kart that imitated a baby stroller and, as such, took up a significant portion of the screen and caused many indignant cries when it inevitably caused the player to miss a green shell or drive off of the track.
Map selection included most of the classics, with Mushroom Gorge, Coconut Mall, and Wario’s Gold Mine all being regularly selected as maps that allowed new players to get a feel for the game while simultaneously having many shortcuts that more experienced students used to gain an advantage on the competition.
Occasionally, someone would select Rainbow Road, commonly known as the hardest Mario Kart Wii map, to prank their competition by bumping them into space constantly due to the barrier-less track.
This event was widely reported by everyone who attended as a wonderful time and attendees were excited to see what SAC plans next.
