Here's another fun excerpt from the forthcoming Newsgames book, from the chapter on "Platforms."

Once the playthings of children, characters like The Legend of Zelda’s Link and Super Mario Bros.’ Mario are now blank canvases ready to accept adult scenarios like political scandal, insurance fraud, dysfunctional health coverage, spousal abuse, and more.

I'd like to see a Mario Bros. game about the brothers falling upon hard times and losing their jobs. It would make sense, after all, they haven't worked as effective plumbers since the original Mario Bros. in 1983. All they do is galavant around chasing princesses.