Game Theory: Mario CAN'T Feel Pain?

TL;DR

Mario likely has Congenital Insensitivity to Pain (CIP), a real genetic condition explaining his blank reactions to electrocution, drowning, and crushing damage.

Key Points

• 1.Nintendo's own answer on Mario's pain was unsatisfying. Senior designer Tekashi Tazuka, when asked in 2024, only said 'It may be that Mario does feel pain' — prompting this two-year investigation.
• 2.The PACSLAC checklist is used to assess pain in non-verbal patients. It covers involuntary noises, facial expressions, physical movement changes, and behavioral/social changes — and was applied systematically to Mario across 3D games.
• 3.Mario passes some pain criteria but fails others inconsistently. He makes involuntary sounds, falls asleep randomly (a pain-disrupted sleep indicator), and shows aggression — but displays blank expressions during electrocution, freezing, and drowning deaths.
• 4.Mario's facial and physical pain responses are deeply inconsistent. He screams jumping into fire but looks merely 'shocked' when dying from it; he walks away from massive falls with zero limping, which is physically implausible for a normal human.
• 5.Congenital Insensitivity to Pain (CIP) best explains Mario's behavior. CIP is a real genetic mutation affecting nociceptors, preventing the nervous system from sending pain signals to the brain — explaining why Mario can still die but never reacts to pain.
• 6.CIP also recontextualizes Mario's apparent sociopathy and learned pain reactions. CIP patients can't empathize with others' pain due to decreased visual brain activation, and many learn to fake pain responses socially — meaning Mario mimics pain just to fit in and be seen as a hero.