Mario Teaches Typing

''Mario Teaches Typing'' is an educational video game developed and published by Interplay Productions for MS-DOS compatible operating systems, Microsoft Windows, and Macintosh. The game uses the Mario character, licensed from Nintendo, to teach keyboard skills. Featuring several modes of difficulty, the software taught typing letters, words and sentences using aesthetics from existing ''Mario'' games.

Conceived by Brian Fargo, the developer aimed to replicate the success of the ''Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing'' software. ''Mario Teaches Typing'' is notable for being the first time Mario spoke, featuring the voice of Charles Martinet in the enhanced CD release. Afterward, Martinet became the official voice of Mario, voicing the character for decades.

The game was well received by publications and went on to sell over 800,000 units. Praise focused on the title's competent yet enjoyable typing tutorials. Interplay continued the relationship with Nintendo to create additional Mario games. A sequel to the game, '' Mario Teaches Typing 2'', was developed by Brainstorm and published by Interplay in 1997.

Gameplay

''Mario Teaches Typing'' lets the player enter a name, select either Mario, Luigi, or Princess Peach as the player character, and set their target words per minute (WPM) rate. In the base mode, the player must type out a given text without additional decor. There are three difficulty levels of typing challenges based on ''Super Mario World'': the chosen character continuously runs to the right until encountering an obstacle or enemy adorned with a letter (level 1), word (level 2), or sentence (level 3). Entering this string correctly allows the character to proceed. At the end of either mode, the game presents the player with statistics, including the reached WPM and error rate. Localized versions exist, such as a German release that supports QWERTZ keyboards and umlauts.

Development and release

''Mario Teaches Typing'' was conceived and developed by Brian Fargo, who was the head of Interplay Entertainment at the time. Fargo was acquaintances with Les Crane, a talk show host and radio announcer, who had developed the educational typing game ''Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing''. The game's success inspired Fargo to create a typing game of his own. He had heard that the majority of the purchases were by parents wanting to teach their children how to type. After considering who could be the face and teacher of the game, Fargo concluded that Mario would be a good fit. Fargo pitched the idea to Nintendo, who was enthusiastic about the concept and agreed to Mario's inclusion. At the time, Nintendo felt that a few educational computer games would not damage their industry dominance. Mario's creator, Shigeru Miyamoto, was not involved with the ''Mario Teaches Typing''s development. The software reuses the title theme from ''Super Mario World''. The game was first released in the United States in 1992 and later in the United Kingdom in 1993. An enhanced CD-ROM version was produced in 1995 by Thomas R. Decker. A Macintosh version of the game was developed by Presage Software, who had also developed the 1995 '' Mario's Game Gallery'' for Interplay.

''Mario Teaches Typing'' was the first time the Mario character spoke in a game. Ronald B. Ruben provided the voice for the MS-DOS version and was replaced by Charles Martinet for the CD version. He also performed the motions and expressions for the character through virtual actor tracking sensors. Martinet considered ''Mario Teaches Typing'' to be one of his favorite projects using the voice, as well as one of the most important; it helped him understand the character from a child's perspective. He declared that Mario would never be in a negative headspace, and when he saw the script containing criticism for failing, such as "Oh that wasn't very good, try again", he suggested that the dialogue encourages the user to continue trying, such as, "Not as good this time, but you're gonna do it better this time, let's go!'"

Reception and legacy

The title sold more than 800,000 copies. According to PC Data, ''Mario Teaches Typing'' was the tenth best-selling Macintosh game of June 1996 as well as the eighth top selling software in the first half of 1996 for the Macintosh. The game ranked the 5th best selling educational software for the week ending December 19, 1992 at Software Etc chain of stores.

''Mario Teaches Typing'' was well-received by contemporary publications. Steve Fountain of the ''Evening Sentinel'' reviewed the Windows CD version. While pointing out that the premise seemed out-of-character, he wrote that the program is not as enjoyable as a normal computer game but a "better than ploughing through a dull typing manual". Fountain also criticized Mario's voice, calling the Italian accent "ridiculous". Heinrich Lenhardt, the co-editor-in-chief of German magazine '' PC Player'', regarded ''Mario Teaches Typing'' as a competent alternative to ten-finger typewriter courses, although he believed its usefulness would be limited to hobbyists as it could not satisfy the needs of experienced typers like secretaries. Writing for ''Electronic Games'', Laurie Yates noted that ''Mario Teaches Typing'' stood out among the rise of kid-focused typing programs at the time and recommended the title, saying that it is a contender as the sole typing program for families.

''The Oregonian'' writer Randy Chase praised the software for being engaging for kids as well as still practical for adults. He summarized his review commenting that the game can comfortably transition kids from familiar video games to the "sometimes intimidating world of home computers". Cameron Crotty of ''Macworld'' praised the software for providing challenges to all levels of typists while lessening the "drudgery". Writing for the ''The Daily Gazette'', Michael Himowitz noted that his kid enjoyed the title. He further complimented the inclusion of the 3D Mario head that offered guidance. Conversely, he criticized the character's Italian accent when speaking. Lonnie Brown of the ''Lakeland Ledger'' compared the game to ''Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing'', noting that while ''Mario Teaches Typing'' would appeal to children more, the other title provides more thorough lessons. He also commented that younger audiences would enjoy the 3D Mario head.

Fargo considered ''Mario Teaches Typing'' a success. After its release, Crane expressed dissatisfaction at Fargo for creating a title that was a successful competitor against ''Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing''. Following his performance in the game, Martinet would go on to become the official voice actor for Mario, voicing the character for decades in over 150 games. Fargo noted that Miyamoto was happy with the game. The success of ''Mario Teaches Typing'' prompted Nintendo to explore educational computer games further. Interplay continued its relationship with the company, releasing additional ''Mario'' titles: '' Mario's Game Gallery'' and a direct sequel, '' Mario Teaches Typing 2''. However, Nintendo ceased all such endeavors, including with Interplay, after another outside company produced a game that was not up to its standards.

The title has received an overall positive retrospective reception years after its release as well. In a 2016 retrospective of Mario games on non-Nintendo platforms, Vincent Ingenito praised the title for its use of the Mario franchise and being a capable typing tutor. Writing for NPR in 2021, Brittany Vincent noted that the inclusion of a kid-friendly character like Mario in an educational game makes sense now but acknowledged that it was strange at the time. She commented that one of the strange parts was the "creepy" 3D floating Mario head. In 2022, Dalton Norman of ''Screen Rant'' praised Interplay for integrating familiar Mario imagery. While he stated that ''Mario Teaches Typing'' could never be as exciting as a typical Mario game, the presentation was a "fair approximation of Nintendo's signature style".

References

External links

''Mario Teaches Typing''
at Interplay Productions
* (archived)
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{{Mario educational games

Mario educational games
Children's educational video games
1992 video games
Interplay Entertainment games
Typing software
Classic Mac OS games
DOS games
Windows games
Video games developed in the United States
Single-player video games
Presage Software games