UPDATE
What video game songs do YOU think should be put into the Library of Congress? Let us know in the comments below!
ORIGINAL STORY
For the longest time, video games were not recognized as true “pieces of art” or meaningful parts of society. They were toys, games, things to get distracted by, and little else. But over the course of generations, as technology evolved and the games grew more expansive in many metrics, people realized what they could be. Fast forward to now, and there are movies and TV shows with video game characters that get critical acclaim and are incredibly profitable. There’s a video game Hall of Fame! And now, the Library of Congress has inducted the first video game track into its ranks: The Super Mario Bros theme.
That may not sound like a big deal at first, but trust us, it is. But, again, this is the first time the Library of Congress has done this, and they’re very particular about what can and can’t go into their “vault,” if you will. They acknowledge, though, that the work of Koji Kondo, the composer of the Super Mario Bros theme, had not only created a beautiful track but one that has been recognized for decades. Not to mention, it has been used in numerous games after its original creation and was even featured in the Super Mario Bros Movie.
When Kondo heard about the achievement, he was, needless to say, thrilled, and surprised:
“The amount of data that we could use for music and sound effects was extremely small, so I really had to be very innovative and make full use of the musical and programming ingenuity that we had at the time. I used all sorts of genres that matched what was happening on screen. We had jingles to encourage players to try again after getting a ‘game over,’ fanfares to congratulate them for reaching goals and pieces that sped up when the time remaining grew short.”
His efforts worked, and an iconic theme was born and helped restart the gaming world for many. Mario remains one of the most important characters in all gaming, and his music has evolved with each title that comes out with him.
The question now is whether other video game tracks will be added to the Library of Congress. It does seem that we could be on that path. After all, many tracks after Mario’s debut are just as iconic and could be construed as “globally recognized” if you pick the right one.
Even if it’s only a few tracks, it further proves that video games are being recognized as the art that they are.
