Since Sept. 25, the app Mario Kart Tour has gone viral among teens at West Ranch. The beloved game was originally only on gaming consoles, but since it has been remodeled into an app, its popularity has significantly increased. 

The aim of the game is to race as a Nintendo character in a go-kart against other players around the track to pass the finish line first. However, there are obstacles along the way. Players can run into each other, pushing opponents off course. Collecting power ups can give players an advantage, such as a boost or sabotage towards other racers. The first to pass the finish line two times wins. 

So why is everybody rushing to play this game? 

West Ranch freshman Cody Imperial-Pham states, “Everybody started playing [the game] so I just got in on my phone to play when I’m bored.” 

Another West Ranch freshman, Vivian Kim, explains, “It brings back childhood memories of playing with friends and the good old days.”

  As students stare into their phones desperately trying to pass the levels, they are taking a break from their hectic lives to take time to revive their childhood memories. The characters from many students’ nostalgic pasts and the thrill of racing against others are causes for the growing demand to play Mario Kart Tour. It is free on the app store, which makes this childhood game easy for many to play.

A study written by inverse.com shows how when people play video games when they are kids, they make personal connections to the characters. They could remind these kids of themselves, friends and family they or the characters can become their heroes. Inverse asked 582 participants to take part in a survey on “how people think about certain gaming experiences.” This was designed to provoke nostalgia in these participants. Later, the participants could answer “intrinsic psychological needs” fulfilled by their experiences with their childhood games. 

Mario Kart was the favorite game of many of us when were younger, and to be able to play it again in our stressful high school years creates a joyful and nostalgic experience. However, there are a couple of differences between the app and the original version. There is no multiplayer mode yet, which is upsetting to many who downloaded the game to race with their friends. This aspect of the game will be available in later updates. In the meantime, one can currently add friends using a code and observe their points and try to earn more than them. 

In the app, there are many challenges for players to complete for rewards. Some of these include raising a driver, kart or glider’s points to a specific amount, collecting ten drivers and achieving first place 100 times. Finishing these challenges gives the player free gems and grand stars, which they may use to receive more rewards within the game. If a player completes three challenges whose badges are in a row, they will then receive a bingo and one hundred coins to use towards purchasing new items in the shop.

Besides the free version of the game, there is a gold pass that players can purchase with real money. This gives you certain advantages, such as receiving more rewards.

With more than 20 million downloads, Mario Kart Tour has impressively grown in popularity since its release. Many are dazzled by the exact details Nintendo replicated from the original Mario Kart. The excitement of racing against others and collecting all of the Nintendo characters is what many felt as a child and a feeling that they can feel again today.