It’s been a long time since the glory days of my 8-bit Nintendo Entertainment System. I still remember being an asthmatic child, helplessly blowing dust out of a cartridge so it would play. It was frustrating then, but looked upon with fondness now. It’s a badge of honor more significant than any Playstation Trophy or Xbox Achievement.

That’s why I really appreciate when nostalgia inspires a bond between creativity and logic. FreddieW uploaded a “First Person Mario” 3D rendering on Mar. 17 and, with an assist from Engadget, turned out a wildly popular 88-second video that triggers a variety of thoughts — all of which could improve the future of a classic franchise. More than six million views and 92,000 likes to the video should prove people are interested in new angles for the Mario we all know well.

Nintendo has carried the Mario franchise through all their platforms. Their dedication to the portly plumber makes the character synonymous with the brand. But the fun factor hasn’t remained consistent amongst most growing gamers.

Mario Kart Wii and Super Mario Galaxy immersed fans into the latest generation with updated graphics and the motion-control innovations that made the Wii a monster success. But even then, the replay value for me as an adult didn’t compare to the simpler days with a directional pad and two buttons on a rectangular controller.

In 88 seconds, FreddieW’s first-person perspective made me realize that Mario isn’t finished. Does a first-person recreation of Mario have to be just a YouTube video?

The intensity of watching Mario in first person navigate a classic level that older gamers know well is beyond exciting. It’s temptation. I watched that video and wanted a controller in my hands. I wanted to jump into the pipes and explore secret areas.

Then I remembered the later, darker levels of the game. Imagine the fires and lava pits in gloomy castles from a first-person perspective; imagine working to perfect your timing in jumping over ghosts and sprinting beneath a collapsing ceiling to survive. This is the kind of innovation the Mario franchise needs.

In my logical brain </Stephen Hawking>, I can’t see how a well-executed, bug-free game with that approach isn’t monumentally successful. With that effort, the dust will blow away from my Wii and receive a place in the living room once more.

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I’m just brainstorming out loud right now, but what about a third-person perspective, a la Sam Fisher in Splinter Cell?

Stay with me. We all know Nintendo isn’t arming Mario Mario with deadly weapons anytime soon. He won’t break necks or be immensely violent. We know there will be no gruesome death, or bloodshed. But is an espionage Mario too farfetched?

Can we see a Mario who lurks in the shadows of King Koopa’s castle, emerging only to bounce on patrolling Goombas? A Mario, who if he sets off an alarm, consumes a star for momentary invincibility, eats a flower for fireballs, or takes a mushroom for super strength to kick down doors and break through walls?

If that works, maybe we can seriously discuss the potential for a game based on the “Grand Theft Mario” video that took YouTube by storm last year.