Happy birthday Super Mario Bros.

Today, September 13th, is the day that Super Mario Bros. came out in Japan 30 years ago.

The game that changed and arguably saved the video game industry turns 30 today. The game was designed by the immortal Shigeru Miyamoto, with Super Mario Bros.‘ iconic music composed by Koji Kondo.

Super Mario Bros. made the side-scrolling platformer a genre and was the starting point for games like Super Mario Bros. 3 and Super Mario World to be made. Thanks to Mario’s popularity Nintendo made 3D platformers such as Super Mario 64 and Super Mario Galaxy.

Super Mario Bros. is the most important video game ever created. It set the bar, the expectation that games can be intelligent and well-designed. Our industry has grown mightily, and it is thanks to great games that set the bar like Super Mario Bros.

If you love video games, then you probably have Super Mario Bros. to thank. So happy birthday Super Mario Bros.! I’ll continue celebrating your birthday weekend by playing Super Mario Maker.