World 2 -- Going Through the Desert

World 2 is a desert, which means we are likely to see some things. Ancient Egyptian themed music (absolutely), quicksand (definitely), Angry Sun (possibly), and strange block creatures (very likely). Things are going to get hard now, so I'm going to put off getting Star Coins until I beat the game. I can only save after beating a Fort or a Castle, so I need to conserve lives to get to those points. I will get a Star Coin if it can be easily obtained by a jump or two, or if I find it by accident in a secret area. Another reason I'm doing this is because when I try to get the Star Coins, it reminds me of a time I went to summer camp. We were doing trust-building/ learn-about-yourself activities. One of them involved swinging on a rope (at ground level) into one of three rings on the ground. Two of them could fit multiple people, but one could only fit one person. One person in my group kept going after that small ring. Eventually, the group decided to give up on that ring and we soon completed the challenge of getting everyone in the rings. Afterwards, the camp counselor told us that the small ring was just a distraction to see who would be distracted by a difficult goal that was not necessary to complete the task (everyone could fit into the two larger rings just fine). I realize that these Star Coins are my distraction, taking my attention away from completing the level, which is more important and that the Star Coins aren't necessary to do this. I am also going to find a direct path to the next Castle or Fort, instead of trying to beat all of the levels before it.

In terms of flow, I am not in a state of flow yet for this game. I still have not quite mastered the controls and am having difficulty with some of the levels. I am still motivated to play the game. I will be in a state of flow once I fully master the controls. 1-Castle seemed at the far outer edge of my regime of competence, but it only took 4 tries, which isn't so bad. This game keeps the gamer interested not because of a mysterious storyline as its Gap Theory. At the beginning, we see the Koopalings and Bowser Jr. capture the Princess. There is only one villain who could be behind such a dastardly deed- Bowser! Anyone who's been playing Mario games should not be surprised that Bowser is the main villain. So why do players remain interested in the game if they already know the beginning and the end? The mystery of the game lies in the levels themselves: what terrain will there be, which enemies will I face, what sort of surprises, secrets, and items will I find (or at least, will be there)? The level and world design, and their challenges are what really hook players to Mario games that aren't RPGs, which have plots and mysteries.

Alright, let's start World 2!