8 Crazy Video Game Fan Theories That Actually Improve Games

1. Mario Is The Villain

For years, Nintendo have been ramming the idea of the jovial plumber who never seems to actually fix any pipe as the archetypal video game hero - he conquers evil lands, vanquishes a beastly foe and saves the girl (eventually.) But has Mario been hiding a deep dark secret from the earliest days? There is a theory that Mario never quite evolved from his days as the monkey-capturing, animal-controlling devil who tried to make Donkey Kong Jr an orphan, and the hints are all there for us to see.

Consider how peaceful the goombahs and koopa troopers are in the first Super Mario Bros game: what was initially perceived as comical ineptitude is in fact tactical naivety when faced with an invading force. They don't know how to defend their homes, and are forced to offer themselves as cannon fodder as the little Italian mercilessly takes over every one of their lands, conquering every castle under the thinly veiled guise of rescuing the princess.

Mario is an anarchist, intent on deposing King Koopa, and flying the red starred flag of Communism in place of his flags of Peace, and we're all enabling his evil empire. That sort of complexity is exactly what the little moustachioed weirdo needs.

Did we miss any of your favourite video game theories? Share your thoughts below.