10 Little-Known Decisions That Changed The Course Of Gaming History

7. Mr. Video Becomes Mario

Mario is, without question, the most iconic video game character of all time. The moustached hero, who first appeared in arcades as the adversary of Donkey Kong (under the moniker of 'Jumpman'), has now thrived as Nintendo's mascot for more than thirty years, appearing in everything from traditional platformers and kart racers to party games and an assortment of sports titles. Without the dependable success of the Mario franchise, it's debatable as to whether Nintendo would still be a major player in the industry today, given some of their console woes in the last decade or so. It's also debatable as to whether they would've managed their ascendancy and longevity in the first place if the character hadn't been the subject of a name change. Shigeru Miyamoto originally christened his creation 'Mr. Video', though by his own admission, he would've 'disappeared off of the face of the Earth' had the North American team responsible for localising Donkey Kong not opted to change his name. He certainly has a valid point, as I'm sure nobody can imagine playing 'Mr. Video Kart' after all. Interestingly, Miyamoto only even created original characters because he couldn't get the rights to Popeye, Olive Oyl and Bluto, who presumably would've played the Jumpman, Pauline and Donkey Kong roles in the original arcade game.