• Question: Do games like Super Mario Galaxy actually have any sort of scientific basis in them? (Y'know, if we ignore the fact that Mario's a plumber who spends most of his time running around tunnels...)

    Asked by felizadam to Adam, Catherine, Karen, Leila, Nazim on 13 Mar 2012.
    • Photo: Adam Stevens

      Adam Stevens answered on 13 Mar 2012:

      Well, obviously games like Mario are mainly fantasy, but they have some elements of physics in. Computer games designers usually deal with a lot of physics.

      Think about something as simple as jumping in a game – the programmers need to code how an object behaves when it jumps and then falls down again. They might be able to tweak how this works so the player can jump really long distances, but the underlying principle is just the same as Isaac Newton wrote about.

      Then again, I don’t think I believe in flowers giving you the power to shoot fireballs, mushrooms making you grown bigger, or stars that make you turn rainbow colours and play disco music whilst anyone that touches you dies…. Not that it wouldn’t be fun is science was more like that!

      PS. I just remember more about Super Mario Galaxy specifically. The gravity engine is really good, especially when you get the little planets and can jump higher. I seem to remember one where you can pretty much go into orbit? It’s a bit exaggerated, but pretty awesome.

    • Photo: Catherine Rix

      Catherine Rix answered on 13 Mar 2012:

      The technology used in games consoles is really interesting. There is a researcher at my university who is interested in taking the technology that is similar to the Wii controller and using it for remote monitoring of patients and people working in dangerous environments – to check if they are moving, lying down etc.

    • Photo: Leila Battison

      Leila Battison answered on 13 Mar 2012:

      I didn’t know about Super Mario Galaxy! Now you have told me about it, I’m probably going to spend too much time playing it and not enough time doing my work!

      Computer games usually have to have some realistic physics in them, because if not, it can be really difficult to get your head around, because it is so different to what we are used to. In SMG, gravity makes Mario stick to the world, and heat sensors make the Bullets chase after him. I’m not sure spinning stars could launch you between planets ina few seconds though 😉

    • Photo: Karen Masters

      Karen Masters answered on 13 Mar 2012:

      I have never played that game.

      I have played Angry Birds and while it’s fun to try to figure out how to get those pesky pigs, I was disappointed that the physics of projectiles seems to have been coded a bit differently to how it actually works. But then I suppose they are birds, so maybe they’re flying not just projectiles. I did recently hear something about Angry Birds in space, and when I have time to think instead of answer all your questions I’ll be looking into that! 😉

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