The screen flickers on, revealing a world of colorful blocks and characters. I press the start button, watching as the character named Mario jumps onto a springy block. He bounces up high, then lands on a platform with a question mark. I push A to make him jump again. The question mark pops open, and out comes a star! It glows brightly before disappearing back inside. Mario takes a step forward, and now he’s big and strong. With one hop, he clears the gap between platforms. I watch in amazement as he jumps over pipes and hits blocks to reveal coins. Each coin makes the total count rise on the screen. Suddenly, a Goomba appears! It rolls toward me, but Mario stomps on it with ease. The screen blinks and resets to the start. I try again, learning that I must press A at just the right moment to avoid falling into pits.