“Playing Mario Party single player is like drinking alone.” –Scott Wozniak, 2020
Multiplayer games– games that can be played by two or more people together– have always been a staple of the video game industry. Games played entirely by one player are arguably more prominent, but people always reminisce on their favorite childhood memories playing games like “Wii Sports” or “Mario Kart” with their friends and family. What, then, happens when you take a game meant to be enjoyed by many and you give it to one lonely college student? You get my average weekend.
“Mario Party” games are infamous for destroying friendships– causing the best of pals to turn on each other for the sake of winning a round. Of course, that sounds like a very fun way to spend a Friday night, but that’s not how I play. No, ever since I was young, I have always been a fan of single-player “Mario Party.”
Despite being the youngest of five children, I always found solo gaming to be more my speed. My siblings and I would get together and play “Mario Kart Wii,” “Mario Super Sluggers” and so on, but I would always come back to those games without them to play a few rounds against the computer. Though I enjoyed having fun with other people, I learned that I did not need them to enjoy a multiplayer game.
That is a sentiment that I still hold to this day. While playing “Mario Party Superstars” on the Nintendo Switch, I’ve found myself playing the typical party mode intended for multiple people, only without any others. Though this may seem like the epitome of loneliness, I find it to still be a thoroughly enjoyable experience– not in spite of the solitude, but because of it.
Of course, “Mario Party” is intended as a multiplayer game and is enjoyed best as such. However, the game still works really well against computer players. Aside from the incentives of achievements and new musical pieces to listen to, simply playing the game alone is fun by itself. The core gameplay is so well-made that it does not need other people to be fun. In fact, playing against artificial characters makes the game more enjoyable in some ways.
I have mentioned that the game series ruins friendships and many people adore it for that reason. I, however, have seen far too many arguments, shouting matches and controller throwing in my life. I love a friendly competition, but I know that it rarely stays friendly. When competing with computers, however, all anger is essentially harmless. If Yoshi steals all of my stars, there’s nothing stopping me from cursing him out. If I did that to one of my brothers during a game, teeth would be knocked out and property would be damaged.
I am no psychologist, so all I can say is that there’s something very cathartic about directing all of my anger onto one fictional adversary and proceeding to demolish them. There’s no shame or guilt involved, no relationships to be ruined, no feelings to be hurt. There is only the game. Any anger begins and ends in the game. Anyone I completely screw over won’t resent me for the rest of their natural life because the computer doesn’t have a natural life!
Though games like “Mario Party” are best appreciated with friends, they are by no means a requirement. If you’ve lost one too many friends in a violent minigame-related incident, consider going solo next time. Say what you will about Donkey Kong, but he can’t yell deeply personal insults at you.
