Texas Legislator's Office Features Retro Mario Bros. Game

January 23, 2009

In most legislative offices, the most exciting thing you'll find are brochures.

In Rep. Joe Pickett's office, however, you can try your hand at classic Mario Bros.

As reported by the Austin American-Statesman, Mario isn't the only thing that's different about the Texas Democrat's office in the Capitol Building in Austin.

At his own expense, Pickett has remodeled his digs to look like a 1950s-era burger joint, complete with juke box. Visitors are offered free gumballs, soda and ice cream. As for Mario, the game helps keep state politics from getting too tense:

[Pickett's] chief of staff, says the old "Mario Bros. " video game is a mood elevator. One day a guy who wanted to argue some issue or other marched in with a fierce face, ready to rumble.

"He walked in and saw the old Mario Bros. video game," Chambers recalled. "He looks and says, `Awwwwwwww, I love that game.' It even destressed him."

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Re: Texas Legislator's Office Features Retro Mario Bros. Game

Submitted by Calling All Humans on Fri, 01/30/2009 - 01:33.

Interesting, but to me, bah. Big pieces of furniture to play one game? I'm from that gaming era also, but hey, if I can play that game on a device that can fit in my mind, I'd not be paying for the piece of furniture. BTW, I feel the same way about cds vs. mp3s.

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Re: Texas Legislator's Office Features Retro Mario Bros. Game

Submitted by Wolvenmoon on Fri, 01/23/2009 - 14:06.

That's just beyond cool. I hope we get a bunch of clean politicians in in Oklahoma too, our latest elections though were just mud slinging back and fourth.

Re: Texas Legislator's Office Features Retro Mario Bros. Game

Submitted by HarmlessBunny on Fri, 01/23/2009 - 08:41.

Ummmm wow... can Canada have politicians like that please?

==============

James Fletcher, member of ECA Canada

Re: Texas Legislator's Office Features Retro Mario Bros. Game

Submitted by Bennett Beeny on Fri, 01/23/2009 - 10:26.

Massachusetts too please!

Re: Texas Legislator's Office Features Retro Mario Bros. Game

Submitted by DeepThorn on Fri, 01/23/2009 - 08:36.

Wow... Donkey Kong is like $2,500 on E-bay... It seems these old farts are wanting to get the attention of gamers now... So what is next?

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Re: Texas Legislator's Office Features Retro Mario Bros. Game

Submitted by olstar18 on Fri, 01/23/2009 - 11:29.

I'm not so sure he's merely trying to get the attention of gamers. If that was true then why the 50's burger joint decur when he could have just left the office as is and put in a much cheaper wii.

Re: Texas Legislator's Office Features Retro Mario Bros. Game

Submitted by DeepThorn on Fri, 01/23/2009 - 18:41.

Public attention, everyone else is already doing the Wii thing.

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Re: Texas Legislator's Office Features Retro Mario Bros. Game

Submitted by barra_sadei on Fri, 01/23/2009 - 08:18.

Best... politician... EVER!

Alright, I'm overexagerating, but I think it'd be cool to go in to meet your politician, and there's an arcade game. Honestly, if I ever had to see him again, I'd go early!

Re: Texas Legislator's Office Features Retro Mario Bros. Game

Submitted by Doomsong on Fri, 01/23/2009 - 08:08.

Doesn't the presence of an arcade coin-op machine sort of throw off the whole 50s thing? I mean it's cool, but the only games they had in the 50s were lawn darts and brill cream....

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Re: Texas Legislator's Office Features Retro Mario Bros. ...

Submitted by jasonla on Wed, 06/24/2009 - 04:54.

I dont see the big deal i think it takes up a lot of office space and he should have just got a console game at staples or something and a nice LCD flat screen to play on. Why have this thing in the office just to take space up?

Re: Texas Legislator's Office Features Retro Mario Bros. Game

Submitted by GoodRobotUs on Fri, 01/23/2009 - 08:10.

I suspect that 'Mr Sandman' playing on a Wurlitzer would probably have just made people more stressed ;)

Re: Texas Legislator's Office Features Retro Mario Bros. Game

Submitted by Bennett Beeny on Fri, 01/23/2009 - 10:25.

I love 'Mr. Sandman'!

Re: Texas Legislator's Office Features Retro Mario Bros. Game

Submitted by E. Zachary Knight on Fri, 01/23/2009 - 08:04.

I like how you explicitly state that he used his own money to remodel his office.

E. Zachary Knight
Oklahoma City Chapter of the ECA
http://www.theeca.com/chapters_oklahoma

E. Zachary Knight
Divine Knight Gaming
OK Game Devs
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Sleaker: @PHX Corp, I can't take a person seriously that is less frightened at the possibility of privacy issues, and more scared about controller feedback technology05/25/2013 - 11:35am

PHX Corp: http://www.unwinnable.com/2013/05/24/trigger-warning/ Trigger Warning05/25/2013 - 6:37am

beemoh: Unless that pic of a Kinect taped to the underside of a phone is a joke05/25/2013 - 1:58am

beemoh: Kinect being used in prototype to stop people walking into people while texting: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-2263173105/25/2013 - 1:57am

Cecil475: @hellfire7885 - Makes me want to support Nintendo even more.05/24/2013 - 4:49pm

hellfire7885: Man, EA seems to be determined to destroy the Wii U ,and the evidently are so arrogant as to believe not making games for it will do that.05/24/2013 - 4:45pm

DorthLous: Pwahahahha http://www.destructoid.com/wii-u-sales-drastically-spike-after-xbox-one-presentation-254449.phtml#LlG8HEYbQj2krql5.0105/24/2013 - 2:23pm

james_fudge: she gets no credit until she employs some common sense. - 2 credits for her.05/24/2013 - 11:22am

Andrew Eisen: To Stender's credit, she did unmoderate my most recent comment within a day's time. There's even a couple other replies. None from her though.05/24/2013 - 11:18am

james_fudge: apparently gamers are all 14 - 21 years-olds living in basements according to her way of thinking...05/24/2013 - 11:11am

ZippyDSMlee: EZK: 0_o thier video card chipset is at the very least 3 versions behind the top PC video card.......05/24/2013 - 7:38am

MechaTama31: "You just wouldn't understand how my parenting preferences are more important than everybody else's freedoms."05/24/2013 - 7:37am

DorthLous: I love how she plays the "I'm a parent, you're a gamer, you couldn't understand" card... I'm a parent and I find her position despicable...05/23/2013 - 4:16pm

E. Zachary Knight: She didn't address your questions because she doesn't have any answers.05/23/2013 - 3:38pm

Andrew Eisen: I replied to her comment. Maybe in a few weeks I'll get a reply.05/23/2013 - 3:24pm

Thomas Riordan: @Andrew Eisen To what bowling alley does she go that puts sexual images in the faces of 6 year olds?05/23/2013 - 3:17pm

Andrew Eisen: Well, it took a month but Linda Stender finally replied to me... and didn't address a single one of my questions. http://aswlindastender.com/2013/04/23/follow-up-video-games-and-their-effect-on-children/05/23/2013 - 3:13pm

Imautobot: Also, from a tech perspective the PS4 is apparently already winning. http://bgr.com/2013/05/22/xbox-one-vs-playstation-4-specs/05/23/2013 - 3:12pm

Imautobot: Sony's PS4 motto should be "We play games." Microsoft's should be "We play games, when we're not rewinding your tapes."05/23/2013 - 3:11pm

Andrew Eisen: Oh look, Dying Light was just announced For Everything But Wii U. That's 73.05/23/2013 - 2:06pm

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