Nowadays, I hate this kinda stuff for a different reason. I realize now that it was exploiting children — or, more accurately, their parent’s wallets — using psychological manipulation. Same goes for trading cards, and all the blind boxes you see on store shelves these days. And — when it comes to video games — loot boxes, microtransactions, and cosmetic DLC. It’s all scummy, and should’ve never been allowed to be a thing. I remember having a Transformers one when I was a kid. I hated it. All I wanted was a full set, but even with trading with friends, it wasn’t something I could achieve. Having blank boxes just irritated the crap outta me.

EDIT: forgot to add that, in all fairness, the aforementioned Topps apps also allow you a variety of conversion options for the duplicate cards you can't trade off. But that just rests the case about the modern approach to this domain. Mario made his debut in the 1980s in arcades around the world and has since gone on to star in many adventures, evolving into the beloved icon he is today. He is a video game sensation, appearing across all genres--from action platformers to sports, kart racing, and beyond.

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