We’ve all heard of the Mario video game franchise, whether it’s Mario Kart, Super Mario Bros, Super Mario Galaxy, or one of the many other video games in the series. And most of us have probably played one of them at some point. But do you know which of these games has broken the record for being the most expensive video game in the world?

Since 1983, over 200 different games in the series have been sold, and they are considered some of the best video games that were ever created, being recognized as the best-selling video game franchise of all time. And on Friday November 20, a rare copy of Super Mario Bros. 3 was sold at an auction in Texas for $156,000! It broke the previous record of $114,000 that was set early this year in July, ironically, by a copy of 1985’s original Super Mario Bros. It is the second time in 2020 that Super Mario Bros. has set a world record for the highest price paid for a video game. The bidding started at $62,500 which was already an impressive amount and over $23,000 more than what the last variant sold for in July. But after 20 different bidders, the price was raised to $156,000. But what made the price of the game get so high?

A few factors went into making this game so expensive. One reason was its rare box design. Later versions of the game’s box design were formatted so that the word “Bros.” was more towards the center of the box, whereas on early versions the word was more towards the left of the box, slightly covering Mario’s hand. These versions of the game are extremely hard to find, and Heritage Auctions, who sold the game, stated, “Collectors have spent years looking for such a version- the earliest in production history- and usually come up empty-handed.”

However, this wasn’t the only reason it was so expensive, seeing as another copy with this cover was previously sold for only $38,400. The other reason is believed to be the excellent condition that the game was sold in. The condition of a sealed video game can be rated using the Wata scale, and the Super Mario Bros. 3 copy that was sold at the auction was given a Wata 9.2 A+. This is a very high rating for a video game and paired with the rare box design, the game was worth a lot. These factors are what gave the game the new title of the most expensive video game in the world.

Would you have paid so much for a video game?