It always seemed like a kiddie game that’s not meant to be taken seriously, but apparently a bunch of people in their 20s and 30s take it very seriously.
Why? Isn’t it pretty much random and unfair by design?
Do people really get hours of fun out of losing races due to catch-up mechanics?
In a way it’s more fair by design. In a completely fair game the most skilled player will always win. In a game like Mario Kart everyone has a chance to win.
As a kid my family wouldn’t play most games with me because I won every time. If we couldn’t do co-op mode we didnt play, and they’d still get grumbly on co-op because I’d be doing the heavy lifting and showing them up. They’d play Mario Kart and Mario Party with me though.
As an e-sport or “compare your online rank to mine and weep” dick-measurer it sucks. As a video game its very good.