"Computer games don't affect kids"

"If Pacman affected us as kids, we'd all be running around in darkened rooms, munching magic pills and listening to repetitive electronic music". Kristian Wilson, Nintendo, 1989.

In a straight fight, as depicted by this White Riot t-shirt, Pacman would win. Mario took mushrooms for crying out loud -  his whole world of saving princesses and fighting turtle like things is some kind of trippy hallucination. In reality he's just a tubby plumber, sighing when he tells you "it'll cost ya love" when he floods your kitchen trying to repair a simple blockage. Pacman, on the other hand, is clearly into the Donk scene - those pills aren't Es, more likely steroids (or perhaps some kind of cocaine laced steroid substance). I think you'll agree its not even a contest.