There are few who would deny that Nintendo‘s Mario Kart is one of the best video game franchises ever. The various Mario Karts titles have an almost endless replay value among friends, and they’re just freakin’ fun. This week, some lucky Mario Kart fans got the chance to play the game on perhaps its largest stage to date: the surface of the ice at the Amalie Arena in Tampa.
During last Wednesday’s NHL playoff game between the Pittsburgh Penguins and the hometown Tampa Bay Lightning, a Mario Kart race was projected onto the ice between periods. Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reporter Seth Rorabaugh managed to capture a few seconds of the race on video, which he posted to his Twitter account.
This place is like a big Dave and Busters. They’re playing Mario Kart on the ice: pic.twitter.com/G3Qbu8PzgS
— Seth Rorabaugh (@emptynetters) May 19, 2016
Via Deadspin and other media outlets, Rorabaugh’s footage has gone viral. It says something about the power of Mario Kart that we kinda want to see the entire race just to know who won. Unfortunately, there don’t seem to be any other videos from that night on YouTube or the additional video sites. So that glimpse is all we get for now!
This was a simple idea that was well executed by the Amalie Arena’s team. Given the response from video game and sports fans, perhaps it is something that will be revisited by other teams in other arenas across North America.
What did you think about the Mario Kart game on the open ice? Lace up your skates and share your thoughts below!
Image: Seth Rorabaugh
