I have many fond memories of the NES. I spent many hours in my friend's basement, playing Final Fantasy 1 and Mad Max. However, some of my most traumatizing memories come from that same console... brought forth by Super Mario Brothers.
The game featured worlds, which were levels within levels. Entire worlds could be skipped through the use of secret warp zones, allowing a knowledgable player to skip through a large portion of the game. However, this only hastened the horrible phenomena that was about to happen.
At the end of each world, the player had to face Bowser, who got harder each time. The last world was no different. Mario (or Luigi) would finally prevail however, sending Bowser sailing into the lava. The princess would be rescued, and all was well... or so you thought!
The player would gasp in horror, as the whole game started over again on level 1, now even harder then before. Sure, you can grit your teeth and beat all the levels again. Alas, the game will restart a second time, and be even harder. The game never ends, a true symbol of the infinite. As your thumbs become sore, and you cry out in pain as the blood drips from your fingernails, the cliff calls out to you. Over and over again, you plunge the hero into the depths, until you've got only one life left. You jump.
Game Over