Princess Peach loves him, but goombas fear him
Student beats Super Mario Brothers world record
To set world records some people hit home runs, some people break the sound barrier in jet-powered cars and some people fly planes across the Atlantic. But some people stomp goombas.
Nate Parkinson, a senior from West Bend, Wis., is the latter, holding the world record for beating Super Mario Brothers for Super Nintendo in the shortest amount of time.
Like the Olympics, video game records are separated into different classes. The classes are distinguished according to how the player completes the game.
Parkinson’s particular event
is the Minimalist Speed Run,
where the player uses the warp pipes
to move quickly through the levels.
Since 2005, the world record had been held by Andrew J. Gardikis of Quincy, Mass., for his time of 6 minutes and 30 seconds.
That all changed one fateful day last November when Parkinson captured his potentially record-breaking time of 6 minutes and 28 seconds on videotape.
It was only potentially record breaking at first because in order to be recognized by the video game community and the Guinness Book of World Records, Parkinson had to submit his tape-recorded performance to Tom Votava of Twin Galaxies, www.twingalaxies.com, for review and approval.
Twin Galaxies has strict rules that dictate how the game must be played and how potential records must be submitted.
On Feb. 20, 2007, Votava finished his review and posted the results on the scoreboard of www.twingalaxies.com, declaring Parkinson the new World Record Holder for the Minimalist Speed Run of Super Mario Brothers for Super Nintendo.
Parkinson trained
for breaking the world record by playing Super Mario for an average of eight hours a week, coupled with playing other games for 16 hours a week, but it is mostly a talent Parkinson says he was born with.
It just comes naturally to me,
Parkinson said.
And to beat the Super Mario world record means that Parkinson logged a lot of hours practicing. I started playing Super Mario when I got a Nintendo when I was little kid,
Parkinson said.
Parkinson is currently off track and can devote the majority of his time to gaming. I have two jobs, and then in my free time I can play as much as I want,
Parkinson said.
Parkinson has also posted his winning video online for the world to see at www.youtube.com. 
