Now You Can Turn Your Screen Into a Game of 'Super Mario'

Impact

Forget about getting anything accomplished today: An independent software developer created a desktop app that turns any website into a playable Super Mario map. 

YouTube

Aaron Randall, who works for the London-based music startup Songkick, created the app Screentendo with the coding programs Cocoapods and Sprite Kit.

How it works: When Screentendo launches, you're presented with a box that can be scaled and placed over your browser window. When the box is in place (in this case, over the Google homepage), clicking on the window will make Screentendo create a game map based on what's onscreen. Here, Google's letters turn into the smashable boxes in Mario's world.

YouTube

What's even cooler: Randall posted the code for free, so it can be edited and modified.

The game itself is pretty simple, and there isn't much to it besides jumping around and smashing boxes. But it could be applied to just about anything. A boring bar graph for work can become an unsolvable quest to save Princess Peach.

And if your job involves building bar graphs, you probably need Screentendo more than anyone.

Aaron Randall
Aaron Randall

Installing Screentendo is a little complicated, though. Amber Leigh Turner at the Next Web breaks it down. It requires Apple's Xcode app for developers and a few Terminal commands. But it's worth it.

When you finally get bored turning your desktop into Mario levels, there's more: You can play every classic video game on your smartphone.

h/t The Next Web