Reason.com - Free Minds and Free Markets
Reason logo Reason logo
  • Latest
  • Magazine
    • Current Issue
    • Archives
    • Subscribe
    • Crossword
  • Video
    • Reason TV
    • The Reason Roundtable
    • Free Media
    • The Reason Interview
  • Podcasts
    • All Shows
    • The Reason Roundtable
    • The Reason Interview With Nick Gillespie
    • Freed Up
    • The Soho Forum Debates
  • Volokh
  • Newsletters
  • Donate
    • Donate Online
    • Ways To Give To Reason Foundation
    • Torchbearer Society
    • Planned Giving
  • Subscribe
    • Reason Plus Subscription
    • Print Subscription
    • Gift Subscriptions
    • Subscriber Support

Log In

Create new account

Culture

Beware Pending Facebook Wall Share Titled 'OMG! Video Games Literally Make Kids High!'

Mario gives up mushrooms for Molly

Scott Shackford | 1.24.2014 4:50 PM

Share on FacebookShare on XShare on RedditShare by emailPrint friendly versionCopy page URL Add Reason to Google
Media Contact & Reprint Requests
Large image on homepages | Andrea La Rosa / Foter.com / CC BY-NC-ND
(Andrea La Rosa / Foter.com / CC BY-NC-ND)
I don't get it.
Credit: Andrea La Rosa / Foter.com / CC BY-NC-ND

Top video game blog site Kotaku has taken note of an ecstasy/MDMA-based street drug making the rounds in Europe called "Nintendo," with pills even stamped with the company logo. It's been seen in Belgium.

For gamers, the news has resulted and lots and lots and lots of jokes about Mario and mushrooms and the old Nintendo Tetris-knockoff called Dr. Mario. Some Kotaku posters also joked about how selling the drug could be an actual revenue strategy by Nintendo, given that the company is not doing very well right now on the market with its most recent console.

Given the recent Smarties "scandal" it's worth nothing the existence of the drug variation in the event coverage spreads through the media and, as inevitably as the telephone game, morphs into somebody half-reading something and trying to claim that Nintendo itself is trying to turn little kids onto drugs. After all, that's what some people say about Walt Disney. (Warning: previous link is like a TV Tropes site for conspiracies and you may never, ever escape, especially when you get to the one about Beyonce being possessed by a demon named Sasha Fierce during her 2013 Super Bowl halftime show.)

Start your day with Reason. Get a daily brief of the most important stories and trends every weekday morning when you subscribe to Reason Roundup.

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

NEXT: Dow Down 300 Points, Worst Week in 18 Months

Scott Shackford is a policy research editor at Reason Foundation.

CultureWar on DrugsWorldSynthetic DrugsVideo GamesEuropeDrugs
Share on FacebookShare on XShare on RedditShare by emailPrint friendly versionCopy page URL Add Reason to Google
Media Contact & Reprint Requests

Show Comments (12)

Latest

Americans Will Never Shut Up or Do As We're Told

Matt Welch | 7.3.2026 7:45 AM

After 250 Years, Are America's Best Days Still Ahead?

Steven Greenhut | 7.3.2026 7:30 AM

What Makes Someone American? It's Neither Creed Nor Bloodline—It's a Spirit

Jack Nicastro | From the July 2026 issue

On America's 250th Birthday, Celebrate Liberty

J.D. Tuccille | 7.3.2026 7:00 AM

Review: Gore Vidal's Burr Is the Anti-Hamilton

Jesse Walker | From the July 2026 issue

Recommended

  • About
  • Browse Topics
  • Events
  • Staff
  • Jobs
  • Donate
  • Advertise
  • Subscribe
  • Contact
  • Media
  • Shop
  • Amazon
Reason Facebook@reason on XReason InstagramReason TikTokReason YoutubeApple PodcastsReason on FlipboardReason RSS Add Reason to Google

© 2026 Reason Foundation | Accessibility | Privacy Policy | Terms Of Use

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Reason's July 4 Special!

For America's 250th, Get 2 Years of Reason for $17.76

Celebrate your independence with a subscription to Reason magazine, your most trusted source of honest, insightful news and analysis.

Subscribe to Reason