I think they probably like playing it.

If it's random and unfair, why do I consistently win more than others I play with?

Many good games have some luck, some skill, and some strategy. Mario Kart has all of these. Strategy in how and when to use your items, skill to drive/drift/etc, and luck in which items you get. It strikes a really good balance of this, which results in me, someone who's an above average player, winning most of the time, but keeping it fun for those who aren't as skilled, like my parents, where sometimes they can get one over me due to some luck, strategy, or a mistake on my part.

Finally, let people live their lives, and maybe git gud. It kinda sounds like you just suck, and are salty about it.

Not sure if you're trolling or what, but I still play MK Wii regularly with friends on local co op. Used to play it on the console, I now emulate it on a steam deck. There's nothing that matches the quality and charm of the game on any platform and I say this as a regular opponent of Nintendo. I don't find it unfair as it strikes a good balance between skill and luck. Everyone I've played with, gamers or not, pretty much agree.

• People who don't play games because they are too grown-up to have fun aren't grown-up but sad.
• Catch-up mechanics even the playing field, so that people of different skill levels can have fun together.

If we're sharing honest opinions minus filter here: if you worded your question differently, more people would answer, and they would be less defensive and have more interesting answers. You've limited the people who will reply.

Condescensing and annoying people like myself will still have a lot to say, but people with fun stories and heartwarming anecdotes will not want to put themselves out there for what seems like will be a snarky put-down as a response.

Specifically, the "kiddie game" opening was fine, but the way you worded the followup came across less like you were confused and more like you wanted to have a group shit-on of adults who play mario kart. Being a little more vague would've been your friend here. "but it looks like i was wrong" might've convinced people who don't want to be shit on to give an answer.

The part about it being unfair by design was fine, but the last paragraph again comes across as "anyone want to hang here and make fun of the losers who like this obvious bullshit?"

anyway, i don't play party video games generally but my impression is they want to appeal to different skill levels, abilities, and ages, so they often have additions that level the playing field so it's not just Gamer Frieda winning while everyone else gets bored and gets out the playing cards (which can also have a random quality that means sometimes the newbie will win or at least not be bored and frustrated).

These catch up elements add extra elements for dedicated players to account for, which is more memorization and reflex training, which is a kind of fun for the type of people who play outside parties.

Children can consistently win in Mario Kart. Adults shouldn't have trouble seeing how the RNG works and acting accordingly.

I’m 40, and I enjoy doing my taxes, choosing colors of paint, and reading the business section of the newspaper. I don’t listen to music or watch television or play video games.

It's fun because you never know what will happen. It's not totally random, the more skilled players will tend to win more often than not, just not every time. Also there are other game modes than just racing. Back when me and my friends played on SNES and N64, it was almost always battle mode.

Why? Isn’t it pretty much random and unfair by design? Do people really get hours of fun out of losing races due to catch-up mechanics?

skill issue tbh

Are you really unable to understand why other people enjoy things? Is this a serious question?

Are you talking about Mario Kart World or Mario Kart as a franchise?

If you're not having fun with Mario Kart you should play Drinking Mario Kart. Everyone gets a beverage of their choice. By the end of the race it has to be empty. But because we are all responsible adults we don't drink and drive. In order to take a sip (or down the whole thing) you have to drive off the track (or to the side, whatever is possible) and come to a complete halt.

Loser drinks one more because they are a loser. And the winner drinks one more to celebrate.

In a way it's more fair by design. In a completely fair game the most skilled player will always win. In a game like Mario Kart everyone has a chance to win.

As a kid my family wouldn't play most games with me because I won every time. If we couldn't do co-op mode we didnt play, and they'd still get grumbly on co-op because I'd be doing the heavy lifting and showing them up. They'd play Mario Kart and Mario Party with me though.

As an e-sport or "compare your online rank to mine and weep" dick-measurer it sucks. As a video game its very good.

Why do people like video games?

It always seemed like a kiddie hobby that's not meant to be taken seriously, but apparently a bunch of people in their 20s and 30s take it very seriously.

Do people really get hours of fun out of losing races due to catch-up mechanics?

I regularly get blue shelled and I still smoke people. There’s still lots of strategy in the game and randomization is something that keeps games fresh. At the end of the day it’s an arcade racer, not everything has to be Gran Turismo

It's just a fun party game.

I don't like Mario kart.. but I'm guessing other people think it's... You know.. fun. Lol

I’ve been playing racing games ever since I was a kid but was never into Nintendo. I played everything from Crash Team Racing to Assetto Corsa and everything in between, but never own a Mario Kart game.

Just in the last year my roommate picked up a Wii U and I played through 8. It doesn’t necessarily do anything that other racing games haven’t individually done better and there’s nothing truly unique.

That being said, the one thing it does better than anyone else is precision and feedback. It is exceptionally tight and responsive compared to others like it. It’s also just incredibly well animated and visually consistent. The game still looks good a decade later, no issues.

I would akin a lot of what Nintendo does to Apple. Not necessarily the first, or the most powerful, but almost always the most polished.

Mario Cart was never great, It was OK.

It was the game you put on in pre-internet years for your younger relatives, so they don't have to just sit and fester all day while listening a story about your aunts hip surgery.

It was something anyone could pick up in a second and still be a challenge for anyone.

For most of them this was the only time they were able to play games with a larger group without their mothers bitching about game time. Many kids didn't even have gaming systems, because they were expensive and many parents thought they were a bad addictive influence, so for them this was an absolute delight.

So, fun memories about the game, even though the game itself isn't much.

Somehow those cultural influences still echo in the modern world. Dads with all that nostalgia convince their kids that Mario Kart is absolute classic.

When the Nintendo kids were playing that, i was hitting Sega Rally, Geoff Crammond's Formula One Grand Prix, and Destruction Derby.

Let's just say Mario Cart was not for me.

It's the only racing game I've ever been good at. 🤷🏻‍♂️

Whacky Wheels forever! Fuck Nintendo!