Super Lehman Bros.

In our mod of Super Mario Bros. Mario dons a top hat and a monocle and assumes the role of a big investment banker, whose primary goal is to make a profit by any means necessary.  We chose to alter the primary objective of the original game, shifting the focus away from pure platforming and instead requiring the player to complete a level with a certain amount of coins.  This represents the profit margins Mario must present to the board of trustees, but the player is actively encouraged to collect as many coins as possible, as Mario is rewarded with an “annual bonus” (in the form of an extra life) for every 50 coins collected past the required amount.  In order to collect coins Mario must jump underneath question mark blocks, which in this mod are redesigned as small houses.  Upon hitting the house blocks the words “FORECLOSURE” appear above the house, the lights in the house go dim, and Mario collects a coin.  Foreclosing on houses can result in powerups as well, such as a “government bailout” (whose sprite is a big bag of money, monopoly style), which temporarily renders Mario “too big to fail” and invincible for a short period of time.

Mario’s search for coins throughout the level however is hindered by a government oversight committee, who is responsible for investigating Mario’s questionable banking practices.  Starting on the left side of the level, the sprite for the oversight committee slowly proceeds to the right, and if at any point and time it catches up to Mario, the player loses a life and has to start at the last save point.  In this way the player is forced to make choices between searching for additional or hidden coins and running with the coins they have to escape the committee.  Further complicating Banker Mario’s path is the “Occupy” protesters and homeless people who have been evicted from their homes.  As sprite replacements for the goombas and koopas throughout the level, any contact with these characters will cause the player to lose coins, and if the player reaches zero coins it results in a game over.  The player can choose to quite literally squash the resistance by jumping on them, but this results in outrage over Mario’s strong arm tactics, and increases the speed as which the oversight committee proceeds.  In allowing the player to assume the role of Big Banker Mario, we attempted to address our issue of economic inequality by forcing the player to confront the unethical decisions that are made by big banks and corporations.