Bite-Sized Game History: The True Meaning of 1-Up, Wipeout’s Controversial Ad Campaign, and Luigi’s Debut

A good introduction can work wonders for getting an audience interested in your game. Just look at all the words written about the importance of World 1-1 in Super Mario Bros. (not to mention all the video essays and podcasts and infographics and interpretive dance performances).

Not every game can feature such a crackerjack introduction, and even if it did, most people will often first experience a game through some encouraging words from a friend or some kind of advertisement. This first impression is no less important, and we’ll look at three of them in this edition of Bite-Sized Game History.

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