Mario Kart Game

Phei Yi Lim (Malaysia)
Honorable Mentions

3…2…1…Go! Mario’s adrenaline soared as he accelerated off the starting line with a speed boost, leaving the rest of his competitors behind. This vivid rendition of one of our all-time favourite games, Mario Kart paints a picture of our world today dealing with environmental issues, including air pollution. Mario characterises the developed countries in this race of economic development and growth against second world and third world nations.
Before the race, Mario splurged his coins on upgrading his car’s engine, suspension, speed and traction. He clinched the upper hand as he had deep pockets for vehicle’s upgrades. Mario’s desperate desire to win the race became discernible when he utilised powerups such as banana skin, thunderbolt and mushroom during the race. The cacophony of deafening applause and cheering filled the stadium as Mario effortlessly reached the finishing line first.
While Mario was celebrating to his heart’s contents, Luigi struggled to keep up with his pace. He staggered a step or two and tumbled over as he slipped on the banana peel employed by Mario. Luigi could not afford to flop the race, so he used his powerups, hoping to maintain his position behind Mario as developing nations.
Lagging, breathless and gasping for oxygen was Toad. He only had one powerup left to spare. Even if he brought the powerup into play, it would be redundant because there was no one behind him. He was the last. His fans cheered on him tirelessly although there was not even a glimmer of hope. The engine of Toad’s vehicle started to break down and a mist of billowy black smoke appeared. Toad brought no glory to the underdeveloped countries as he never reached the finishing line.
After the race, the emcee announced the winner for the kart race, “…and the champion goes to Toad! Congratulations!” Toad was dumbfounded as the crowd cheered……
The immense pressure from a raging sea of anger prompted Mario to consult the judge furiously. Little did he know that he was penalised for throwing too many powerup items on the ground, polluting the arena with his upgraded car engine’s emission, thus toxifying the air and environment.
Mario bit the judges’ head off, “Try to fathom this: Reaching the finishing line first in a race does not make you the champion. This is absolutely ludicrous!”
Luigi who was eavesdropping immediately jumped into the conversation, “Mario, are you aware that rapid industrialisation, globalisation and urbanisation in first world countries like yours are bloodthirstily torturing the environment?”
“Luigi is right. As far as I’m concerned, in developed nations, industrial wastes and affluent are perpetually flowing into the water bodies. Poisonous gases like carbon monoxide are discharged ceaselessly, causing a vast blanket of pollutants hanging heavy over the bustling cities,” Toad seconded Luigi.
With a remorseful yet defensive tone, Mario replied, “But…but there have been commendable efforts to combat environmental problems, particularly air pollution.”
“Well, do you think your policies and proposed actions in status quo can compensate the emissions when you steer your country at warp speed in present-day economical race, just so you can reach the finishing line first?” The judges questioned Mario.
Before Mario expressed his stance, Luigi voiced his concerns, “Mario, look at the bigger picture here. You undoubtedly can put up a good fight against pollution with technologies and sustainable resources. However, economies in developing nations still highly pivot on natural resources. In other words, we are put in between a rock and a hard place. We are unable to terminate economic growth for the sake of environment.”
“Luigi, that is a tactless remark. What about poor countries? We must take poverty into consideration in our national development. We desire to maintain the price of energy to sustain economic growth and achieve poverty reduction. To boost the standard of livings of our citizens, we opt for choices that promote economic growth. In many cases, this leads to environmental pollution.”
The head judge glanced at Mario, Luigi, Toad and all the other participants who joined in the discourse and said firmly, “We have to realise that everybody shares a common plight when it comes to the environment. The aftermath that were initially negligible and localized, are now becoming consequential globally, in every country. These environmental problems neither affect only the rich, poor, nor people of certain countries but have significant reverberations on everybody.”
 Mario opined, “I agree with you. It is indeed not Sisyphean to protect the environment, all we really need is combined efforts from everyone. In the face of trade wars, upsurge in poverty, paucity of education and a myriad of global issues yet to be addressed, we can, and we will work together to protect the environment!”
Cheers and hurrahs resonated across the stadium. A different perspective on the race was formed; it is not about reaching the finishing line first, but about lending each other a helping hand to reach our economic goals together without harming the environment.
From that race onwards where Mario finally got defeated after 6 years, he decided to spend his money not on upgrades, but on helping others. Since then, he worked together with Luigi, Toad and many others to upgrade their racing arena (representing Mother Earth) and created a pollution free environment for the audience. The races in the arena was no longer called the race of economic development and growth but the race against time to save Mother Earth.
In 2020, the annual Mario Kart race is highly anticipated. The emcee announced the winner once again, “Everyone’s a champion because Mother Earth is saved! Thank you for putting aside your egos and personal agendas for the race, we hope to see everyone winning again next year.”