PBS takes a look at the science of video game soundtracks.

The latest episode of PBS Digital Studios’ Game/Show focuses on why game soundtracks are so memorable, keying in on Koji Kondo’s legendary score for Super Mario Bros and using Andrew Schartmann 33 1/3 book about the score as a guide.

In short: because of hardware limitations of the NES processor, all actions, sound effects and music had to be synchronized to the “beat” of the chip. Realizing this, Kondo programmed Mario’s jump noise to last one beat; the fireball noise is an eighth note. Underwater, fish swim in time with the tempo, and the coin counter flashes like a metronome.

Therefore, the music isn’t just memorable on its own, but it is an intrinsic part of the game experience, rather than an extra layer of art. Watch the video below and read an excerpt from 33 1/3’s book on the music of Super Mario Bros. And of course, there’s always our list of the 100 greatest video game soundtracks of all time. [via GamesRadar]

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