With over 40 million sales in North America alone, Super Mario Bros. for Nintendo Entertainment System is definitely responsible for igniting the video game craze that now has millions of people worldwide addicted to electronic entertainment.

The two Italian plumbers, Mario and Luigi, introduced gamers to a world of fantasy, which led to the expansion of the gaming world today. Mario and his pasta-loving pal Luigi, the main characters of the game, were barely recognizable on the eight-bit system that, in 1986, seemed like a magical plastic box.

After years of advancements in technology and advertising, electronic entertainment has become more than just a hobby: It has become an addictive lifestyle.

Today, there are several video game systems that enable gamers to access a virtual life outside of reality. Sony&s Playstation 2 features a CD/DVD player with a 128-bit universe that produces a Dolby Digital 5.1 theater-quality sound. This highly advanced console has the capability to play over 2,000 games, including those of the original Playstation. Users are encouraged to &Live in your world. Play in ours,& according to Sony. This innovative machinery has led many gamers to play in the fantasy world almost as often as living in reality.

&The more real a game is, the better & it&s a total escape,& Sacramento State student Aaron Rodriguez said. &Games are a lot more advanced nowadays. You can have 30-45 seconds of fun repeatedly, compared to the old school games where you had five seconds of fun. Before it was just push a button and jump and that was it.&

Becoming addicted to video games can possibly have repercussions that affect the way gamers live their lives. The Media Awareness Network of California has conducted studies that it believes show that males are more likely to become addicted than females. The network also believes that gamers need to experience more powerful images when away from the game in order to respond emotionally to the game after a long period of addiction.

In the article &Violent Video Games and Stimulus Addiction& on the Media Awareness Network Web site, it said that gamers &seek out more and more violent games to hold their interest.&

Another study conducted by the American Physiological Association and ABC showed that Internet gaming addiction is beginning to be considered psychological disorder. The study showed that nearly 30 percent of people questioned said that Internet gaming was used in order to conduct some sort of escape.

With the continually increasing capability of video games, users will continue to seek out the virtual life and escape that these systems provide. Although out of the hands of Mario and Luigi, their influence on the gaming world will go down in history as one of the most influential and evolutionary games ever to fall into the hands of gamers.