Wonder no more: Queen West becomes 8-bit video game on Youtube

Having grown up with the sore thumbs that only the original Nintendo controllers could give, we always wondered what Queen West would look like if we could run and jump, Mario-style, through the foot traffic and over the streetcars.

Thanks to Brett Lamb, an animator and artist, we don’t have to wonder any longer. Lamb told Torontoist a bit about why he created this clip, including why there are so many black SUVs: “Each appearance of the black SUV marks a location where I saw a cyclist get whacked by a black SUV—except for the one in front of the Citytv building. That’s where I myself was doored by a black SUV.”

Yikes. We hope that doesn’t dampen Lamb’s enthusiasm for creating a sequel to this game: one in which every store on Queen West is a Starbucks would be chillingly accurate.

• Queen Street West Toronto Scroll [Youtube]
• Queen West Like You’ve Never Seen It [Torontoist]