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Silly 3 minutes of reading

And what if Mario was also superstitious?

Article author :

Lucie Roulet

Lucie a 23 ans et est actuellement en bac 3 à la HEAJ en relations publiques/journalisme et communication. Ce qu'elle aime ? La musique, faire la fête, lire, aller au cinéma et par-dessus tout... Whitney Houston, son idole. Autonome, efficace et très drôle, elle excelle dans son stage chez kingkong.

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We know masses of them, the superstitions which are part of the fabric of everyday life. The one which has us avoiding walking under a ladder, or the one which prevents us from opening an umbrella indoors. Nobody is spared their influence … not even gamers.

Being a gamer isn’t exactly restful, not all of the time, anyway. A moment of relaxation for some, a video game also generates an avalanche of emotions. Some gamers have their own very specific way of playing and managing this whirlwind of adrenaline. Whilst superstitions are a source of anxiety for some, for others they can be a means of putting themselves at ease.

Many players have superstitions concerning the ‘position.’ We’ll explain. If the player is not in their usual position, their game will be inconclusive. Freeing your feet can also be vitally important for video game specialists. Please note, you have to distinguish socks and shoes. For some, taking off their shoes is indispensable – It’s a question of comfort, you get it? On the other hand, keeping your socks on can be crucial. – Again, a question of comfort … and warmth.

When I am on live, before taking
on a boss, I go and find my cat
and if it licks my hand, that means
I will succeed in beating it.

Chloé

Chloé (aged 26), a streamer and the founder of Stream’Her, loves games with a challenge, such as Dark Souls. She doesn’t have a particular position when playing. What counts … is the reaction of her cat. ‘I have a slightly weird superstition, but, when I am on live, before taking on a boss, I go and find my cat and if it licks my hand, that means I will succeed in beating it.’

Stereotypes are also a part of the game. For certain gamers, playing online is jinxed in advance if one of their team has an anime profile photo. Unfortunately for them, these people are seen as whiners… And yes, exclusion is a thing, here as well. Conversely, if an A team takes on a B team which consists of players who have an anime photo, the B team is considered very skilful and the game promises to be a pretty tough one – Yes, it can all get pretty confusing…

Justine (aged 20) has experienced this type of stereotype whilst playing Fortnite. She explains: ‘One day, I played with a young lad. He must have been 7 or 8. I thought to myself straightaway that we were going to lose the game, but I was wrong because he turned out to really very good at it.’ Which just goes to show, appearances can be deceptive…

Some gamers don’t necessarily have superstitions, but rituals instead. That is true of Aude, who, when she plays, makes a point of beginning her game by searching all the corners of the map. ‘When I start a game, I will tend to carry out a search of everywhere to make sure that I am well equipped and to be ready for what is coming. I love the fact that the developers have thought of including small details, such as little things which you can collect.’ François (aged 40), for his part, likes to know a game inside-out, even if it means replaying it. ‘I will often start one part, play for 3-4 hours, and then start again. After that, I will have understood a section of the rules, of the game play, which I hadn’t fully grasped at the beginning. I think there are certain games for which the prologues are really interesting and when you don’t know it, you don’t do things the way that you should. I find it frustrating.’

Others quite simply have no superstitions, such as Marc (aged 25), an avid player of Hearthstone, an online card game. Or they have them in other areas of their lives, as Alessandro (aged 24), a fan of League of Legends and a video editor, explains. ‘I get that other players have superstitions; I have some concerning my editing. Personally, for me video games are forms of entertainment and relaxation.’

To conclude, let us imagine that a certain Francis decides to play Mario Bros. Right in the middle of the game, on level 2 of world 5, he is on the brink of reaching the flag when, suddenly, … a LADDER! Can Mario go underneath it or will that bring him bad luck? Watch this space…

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