Persistence. That's what I've learned from playing Super Mario World.
My nifty little bro had gracefully hooked me up with an SNES engine that runs a variety of Super Mario games on my mac. That way, after checking my monster account, editing my resume and CV billions of times, browsing craigslist for random temp job openings, and watching almost every video available on youtube, I have the option of running my SNES engine to revisit my childhood and attempt to put a stop on King Koopa's regime. I get so into it that I don't notice how much time I spend searching for the "blue yoshi" and making Mario "fly". Of course, when the going gets tough, I tend to get discouraged. Like when I start hearing the threatening sound motif for the "dark stages" (babies of the 80s all know what that sounds like), or when I start entering the castle, or the abandoned ship filled with enraged ghost balls. When it comes to these levels I have the nifty little bro deal with it because he usually gets us through to the next stage. But then I've discovered that if I kept trying I could actually figure out a way to beat whatever level I find particularly difficult. I mean, that's essentially what video games are about --- trial and error. But when all I get is ERROR, I have to admit, I get pretty damn erratic. It's funny how a menagerie of awkward-looking villains could actually drive me crazy. Especially those damn plants.
Nonetheless, I play. As frustrated and agitated as I get, I continue to fight the fight with Mario and Yoshi, getting nothing but satisfaction from saving Princess Peach. Or a tiny bespeckled egg. I guess it's a fun way to practice persistence. That, or I'm really just a bored college graduate. I most definitely prefer the latter.
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