If games were dreams, what would they mean?

Dreams have been pondered for hundreds of years. Their bizarre iconography and hidden meanings are the subject of many a thesis and internet discussion. Some people have even had a stab at creating dream dictionaries to categorise common dreams and symbols to give a clue as to how to interpret your own.

But what if games were dreams? We've put several famous games through the system to see whether any of it makes sense. And here are the deep, meaningful and sometimes painfully accurate results...

Super Mario Bros
Mario's a hoarder. He collects shiny gold coins, which supposedly indicates he missed opportunities that came his way. Are they saying he had grander ambitions than being a plumber? Or that he's really a very bad plumber and should have done better? Incidentally, the mushrooms all around him represent negative emotions that are growing and expanding in his unconscious and need to be addressed. Maybe he's growing tired of appearing in the same games over and over again?

However, way back in the original Super Mario Bros, there were castles. To see a castle in your dream is said to signify reward, honour, recognition and praise for your achievements. It foretells that "your future will be a happy one, surrounded by the love of your children, generosity of neighbours, and comfort of friends. You are destined to a position of power, wealth, and prestige." If that's not completely true of the Mario success story, we don't know what is.

And the end-of-level fireworks? These symbolise enthusiasm, creativity and talent. They may also indicate that the dreamer (in this case Miyamoto) is showing off and making a spectacle of himself. Well, he had good reason to!
Finally, to see a shell in your dream is said to signify an inner desire to be sheltered, nourished and protected from life's problems. Sounds like the cosy idealism of the Nintendo fan. Don't be offended, it applies to us too.

World of Warcraft
Seeing a troll in your dream is said to suggest that you have an inferior self-image of yourself. We can't believe for an instant that any MMO player has low self esteem in the real world. Seeing a dragon, also, is a sign that you're heading for trouble and that maybe you need to exercise some self-control.

Interestingly, seeing many people you don't know (such as all the other players in this wildly popular MMO), 'denotes hidden aspects of yourself that you need to confront'. Hmmm... like pretending to be a goblin and being comfortable with that, maybe?

Above: It's a Troll in the Ghostlands. He doesn't get out much and isn't very good with people. In fact, he's not worth talking to at all. Or so he thinks