John and his best friend Chris love skateboarding but when they’re not skating, they’re glued to the Nintendo video game Super Mario Brothers. It’s the best-selling game ever, and players spend hours trying to rescue a princess from bad guys. John even claims he scored 10 million points, playing for five days straight! The game’s counter stops at 999,950, but his friend helped count the rest.
Nintendo says 10 million isn’t a world record, but it’s still an impressive achievement. Experts explain that kids love video games because they offer adventure and excitement, especially when they’re bored.
Stores like Children’s Palace make a fortune selling Nintendo products not just games, but also clothes, cereal, and toys. The reporter calls it a fad with no limit, showing how powerful video game culture had become. Even in the 1980s, Nintendo was already shaping how kids spent their time and money.
Vocabulary :
• skateboard (verb/noun): to ride on a small board with wheels.
• mesmerised (adj): completely focused or fascinated by something.
• rescue (verb): to save someone from danger.
• score (noun): the number of points in a game.
• bad guys (noun): villains or enemies in a story or game.
• achievement (noun): something you succeed at after hard work.
• fad (noun): something popular for a short time.
• addict (noun): someone who can’t stop doing something.
• trinket (noun): a small object, decoration, or toy.
• counter (noun): a display that counts numbers in a game.