Is there anything so satisfying to watch as a well-played Mario speedrun? What makes an expert run of Super Mario Bros. so eminently watchable, and how do the players master their moves so perfectly?

In Super Mario RPG, one of Mario's special abilities allows you to jump multiple times on an opponent to deal damage, with action commands letting you press the A button right as you land to do ...

It's hard to believe now, but Mario's jump was a platforming first when he and it were introduced in 1981's Donkey Kong coin-op, and his barrel-smashing hammer attack was equally novel. In his first ...