10 Video Game Myths We All Stupidly Believed As Kids
2. Super Mario Bros Flagpole
The flagpole in Super Mario Bros. is the source of one of the most oft-attempting tricks in gaming history - jumping over the flagpole. Now, it is actually possible to jump over the flagpole in two very controlled situation. One involves a glitch on World 1-1 that abuses the vertical and horizontal looping that occurs when playing the game on a widescreen TV and the other, less "cheaty" way, involves using a platform on a string on World 3-3. However, the myth that we all believed about the flagpole as kids was that this amazing leap could be accomplished at the end of any given level at any time. This simply wasn't and still isn't true. Hours of frustration at failed attempts at leaping over the pole any-old-where were really for naught. We could have been saving the princess in another castle or trying to get into the "Minus World" or the hidden 256 levels in the game.
Brandon grew from the awkwardness of his youth into the awkwardness of his adulthood. He is the author of the Eat Your Serial Press title "Ten Years Gone: Pomp and Circumstance" and is a contributor on Maglomaniac, Polite on Society, and What Culture.
