The fingerless gloves have padded palms.

Tug o’ War’s warning in Mario Party Superstars explicitly says “do not rotate [the stick] with the palm of your hand.” But 2000s kids remember that, in the cold, cruel world of Mario Party, where you don’t get participation trophies, you had to be willing to sacrifice a hand. Now that they’re adults, I expect them to pass this lesson along to the next generation.

As CNET reported way, way back in 2002, Spitzer’s office negotiated an agreement with Nintendo for the company to provide four (4) pairs of sports gloves to every Mario Party owner who wanted them. (This request had to be accompanied by some rather onerous proof of ownership and purchase information.) Very few parents were believed to have actually taken up Nintendo on this offer. Fewer than 100 complained directly to Nintendo.

2000 - Nintendo agrees to supply protective sports gloves to American owners of the Mario Party video game for the Nintendo 64. The Attorney General's office of New York had complained to the company after hearing many reports about children being injured playing the game.

I can’t say I’ve ever hurt myself, but I had a friend who got one nasty blister in the palm of his hand from playing the orignal Mario Party on the N64. I remember he was going around showing it to everyone at school the next day. He was so proud of himself.

Llewelyn described the gloves as "similar to weight-lifting gloves" with padded palms. The Attorney General's office estimated the cost per user could be as much as $18.

Nintendo will provide each family with up to four gloves as part of the settlement. In addition to the cost of the gloves, Nintendo has also agreed to pay for the state's legal fees, totaling about $75,000.

While no case was actually filed, the New York attorney general's office has received almost 100 complaints from consumers whose children had sustained hand wounds from playing any of five different levels of the Nintendo 64 game. The injuries ranged from friction burns and blisters to lacerations and punctures.

"This settlement is good news for the parents throughout the nation," said New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer. "Nintendo has agreed to take responsibility for the effect of its games on young people."

Video game maker Nintendo of America Inc. agreed on Thursday to provide protective gloves to approximately 1.2 million children who play the game Mario Party. The agreement is part of a settlement with the New York state attorney general's office and could cost Nintendo (ntdoy) up to $80 million.

The gloves offered to players resembled that of a weight-lifting glove, similar to the Harbinger brand, with thick padding on the palms. The Attorney General’s office at the time estimated the cost per user was about $18 USD in damages (And gloves).

Beth Llewelyn, a spokeswomen for Nintendo at the time, stressed that the total cost to the company will more than likely be much less then $80 million USD. “We have had only 90 or so complaints in the year that the game has been on the market,” she said. “We don’t know how many people are going to take advantage of the offer.”

The 5 mini-games in question were Paddle Battle, Tug O’War, Pedal Power, Cast Aways, and Deep Sea Divers, and children needed to rapidly rotate the joystick to succeed at the activities. In many cases, children (And adults) developed horrible blisters on the palm of their hands.

As of December 1999, about 1.15 million copies of "Mario Party" had been sold in the United States, according to the AG's office, which estimated the offer could cost Nintendo $80 million if every consumer takes advantage of it. The actual cost is expected to be much lower, however, as fewer than 100 parents have complained directly to Nintendo since the game went on the market a year ago.

Under the settlement, Nintendo agreed to provide four sets of sports gloves to each "Mario Party" owner who sends in a request. The rather elaborate proof-of-purchase requirements are detailed at (800) 521-0900.

The recorded message on the company's "Mario Party" hotline, however, recommends that players avoid injuries simply by manipulating the joystick with their thumb and forefinger rather than the palm of the hand.

"The alarming thing was how little time some of these children spent playing the game before they were injured," Pritchard said. "One parent said their child had been playing the game for 15 to 20 minutes when they got a second-degree burn."

"One kid got a tetanus shot," said Christi Pritchard, a spokeswoman for New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer.

Mario Party might be accused of producing the same concepts over and over again, but it has a storied and interesting history to it. Most older gamers will likely remember the “glove” incident, where the Nintendo 64 controller was so tough that it damaged player’s hands, forcing Nintendo of America to provide protective gloves and paid $75,000 in legal fees.