Life-Sized Mario Kart Proves to be a Success

On Friday, March 24, Stafford Commons was crowded with students eager to participate in Life-Sized Mario Kart. With the video game’s soundtrack playing on the speakers and participants in vibrant colored boxes lined up on the race track, it was a hard sight to ignore.

There  were a multitude of people gathered around the racetrack watching as participants competed to win an intramural championship t-shirt. From children touring Talley with their parents to High Point University’s Track and Field team the event intrigued a broad spectrum of observers.

The large turnout for the event was encouraging after the last Life Sized Mario Kart event didn’t draw as many people as anticipated; due to rain it was rescheduled and had to be held inside. In contrast, this year’s event fell on a day with clear skies and holding the event outside seemed to peak the interest of onlookers and participants alike.

Boxes decorated with different Mario character’s faces were worn by the participants as they took part in the race. The goal was to be the first person to cross the finish line.There were different rest points along the way where racers picked up different objects. These ranged from “shells” to hinder their opponents to stars that allowed them to sprint ahead of the pack.

Although many believed the race would be easy at first, they found it was more difficult than they had originally anticipated. Throughout the race they talked about how the boxes restricted more of their movement then they originally thought they would. In addition, they became a little dazed and dizzy after their opponents hit them with shells. When a contestant was hit the requirement was to spin around a certain number of times depending on which shell was used.

The event drew a large crowd of both participants and onlookers making it a fun and upbeat time for students. All in all it was a great way to wrap up the Life Sized Games Series. If you missed out on this years events look out for registration for the Life-Sized Series coming up in Fall 2017.