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Amidst all the dark and gritty shooters that permeate the industry, Nintendo regularly stands as a ray of light. Whether it's the bright pallette characteristic of their titles or the sheer joy that playing them evokes, for better or worse, Nintendo understands their strengths. As if to expand upon this light-hearted joy, they have officially released the first episode of "The Cat Mario Show" for eShop users in Europe.

Available digitally on their eShop platform in Europe, "The Cat Mario Show" takes Nintendo icons Mario and Peach, puts them in cat suits, and give them the puppet treatment as they teach kids how to become a "Mario Expert." Focusing primarily on the recently-released Super Mario 3D World, the first episode tasks viewers with searching out a hidden Luigi in the game and provides tips for more effectively playing the game in a group setting.

As one might expect from the description, "The Cat Mario Show" is not aimed at the general gaming populac. Instead, it focuses on a much younger audience. In an industry dominated by very kid-unfriendly content, this is surely a breath of fresh air for parents of young gamers. Quality of the content aside, this could represent a positive movement if executed properly.

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With games consistently finding themselves on the receiving end of controversy concerning their allegedly damaging qualities, it could be good for the industry if other kid-friendly games begin providing additional content for younger users outside of their titles. Sure, content such as this will likely fly by the radar of the average "core" gamer, but providing a positive outlet for entertainment and learning to coincide for budding gamers could help in brightening the somewhat tarnished image that gaming can have.

This is hardly an admission of quality though. "The Cat Mario Show" is not likely to hold the interest of most gamers. Outside of some interesting facts like the tip that running into other players will share your star power with them, there's not a lot of substance to be had. For the much younger crowd? It's possible that this could turn into a regular and somewhat entertaining feature to add to their online consumption.

Do you think introducing more child-friendly content like "The Cat Mario Show" could help to improve the public's perception of the industry? How much does cat puppet Mario's voice unsettle you?

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Follow Ryan on Twitter @ThatRyanB.

Source: NintenDaan