Mario Hedonic Threshold (MHT)

The point in a video game wherein the challenge exceeds the fun. Mario Hedonic Threshold or MHT is named for the world's favorite digital Italian plumber, but the term could apply to any challenge a gamer finds sufficiently frustrating. MHT value necessarily varies according to an individual gamer's psychological characteristics and skill set.

Subject M's Mario Hedonic Threshold (MHT) is as high as Rainbow Road. M didn't even break a sweat during that final lap! Subject L's low MHT, however, resulted in a broken TV screen and reports of a researcher being force-fed a Joy Con.