Uploaded May 2015 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago

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The Mario theme song is HARDWIRED into our brains. It's SO CATCHY! You absentmindedly hum the first six notes in your head when you're doing laundry, or even find yourself hearing echoes of it in the modern music of today. What was it about your experience with games like Mario, Zelda, Final Fantasy, and Tetris that made their music so memorable? The Tetris theme? Classic! Final Fantasy Prelude? Famous! But why? There's an easy answer, and then there's the CRAZY answer that Jamin sheds light on in this week's episode of Game/Show. Watch it and find out what makes retro game music so memorable!

Check out Jamin and a few other PBS Digital Studios Hosts at Phoenix Comic-Con! Full details below:
azpbs.org/nerd/events.php

Check out Diggin' in the Carts, a documentary on the influence of Japanese videogame music on contemporary music!
daily.redbullmusicacademy.com/enhanced/diggin-in-the-carts

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ASSET LINKS:

Game Show
0:32 Super Mario Bros. Medley (Eminence Symphony Orchestra)
youtube.com/watch?v=kcKurvm_0oE

0:35 Tetris A Theme Guitar Cover
youtube.com/watch?v=ZO3CfP-eOLA

0:40 Overworld Theme (From Super Mario Bros.) Alto Saxophone Game Cover
youtube.com/watch?v=lLdlnh-oqKU

0:44 Super Mario Theme - Sungha Jung (Ukulele)
youtube.com/watch?v=T9WCM4CV5Iw

0:59 skrillex_the_hedgehog_by_nazothesuperhedgehog
nazothesuperhedgehog.deviantart.com/art/Skrillex-the-Hedgehog-350433788

01:01 Digging' in the Carts - The Rise of VGM - Ep 1 - Red Bull Music Academy Presents
youtube.com/watch?v=m8z8-SKg3WU

1:18 TEENS REACT TO NINTENDO (NES)
youtube.com/watch?v=bDOZbvE01Fk

1:27 beatboxing flute super mario brothers theme
youtube.com/watch?v=crfrKqFp0Zg

1:47 Super Mario World - Overworld Theme Acapella
youtube.com/watch?v=ndiD8V7zpAs

2:09 MinecraftEdu- The Craft of Digital Citizens
youtube.com/watch?v=LgTdmhV-Mxs

2:13 Neural Nostalgia on Slate
slate.com/articles/health_and_science/science/2014/08/musical_nostalgia_the_psychology_and_neuroscience_for_song_preference_and.html

2:49 The Evolution of Final Fantasys Prelude Theme (1987 - 2015)
youtube.com/watch?v=29WMFk3SFjY

5:20 SoundSelf - Part 6 - The First Full Soundself Trip on Youtube
youtube.com/watch?v=7sRUk8nUZE4

5:34 Lumino City - making of
youtube.com/watch?v=rTPQ0Mf3V18

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Comment Links

Gumbatei
youtube.com/watch?v=9COt-_3C0xI&lc=z12vhf2juwbcc5ycx223sbgaltfkvnyvr

Velocity Eleven
youtube.com/watch?v=9COt-_3C0xI&lc=z12qgfgozyufwbcjc04cejnittzshvvandk

SonOfAKing
youtube.com/watch?v=9COt-_3C0xI&lc=z12gxxywgnmgjzvbm04cf5a5szaxsnvg2fs

Joseph Allison (Reader92)
youtube.com/watch?v=9COt-_3C0xI&lc=z13vtjozrpqosjepz04ccnuyztilu5qwzwc0k


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MUSIC:

"Oh Damn!" by CJVSO
soundcloud.com/downpitched/cjvso-oh-damn

"Digital Sonar" by Brink

"Mindphuck" by Known To Be Lethal
youtube.com/watch?v=B-cyr7l9yBw

"After Hours"

"Lakes" by Chooga
youtube.com/watch?v=E8hnsQc9ST0

"Beautiful Days" by Extan
soundcloud.com/extandnb/beautiful-days

"Spectrum Subdiffusion Mix" by Foniqz
soundcloud.com/subdiffusion/foniqz-spectrum-subdiffusion

"Good Way Song" by Electronic Rescue

"Alice y Bob" by Javier Rubio and Parsec
archive.org/details/escala19_vvaa_escala_no_uniforme

"Sleet" by Kubbi
soundcloud.com/kubbi/kubbi-sleet

"Toaster" by Kubbi
soundcloud.com/kubbi/toaster

"Patriotic Songs of America" by New York Military Band and the American Quartet
freemusicarchive.org/music/New_York_Military_Band_and_the_American_Quartet/Edison_Amberol_457/cusb-cyl3890d

"Lets Go Back To The Rock" by Outsider
jamendo.com/en/artist/4402/outsider

"Run" by Outsider
jamendo.com/en/artist/4402/outsider

"Fame" by Statue of Diveo
jamendo.com/en/artist/352814/statueofdiveo

"Freedom Weekends" by Statue of Diveo
jamendo.com/en/artist/352814/statueofdiveo

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Hosted by Jamin Warren (@jaminwar)

See more on games and culture on his site: killscreendaily.com

Made by Kornhaber Brown (http://www.kornhaberbrown.com)