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Video game music has come a long way from the days of Space Invaders. As the technology evolved, so did the music.


It changed from being a simple melody that looped to being something a little more interactive.


How did this happen? It's all about logic. The game had to make decisions about where certain music was going to play.

• IF Mario eats a mushroom, THEN play this music.


• IF Mario jumps on Yoshi, THEN add percussion. 

So it's this logic in the software that makes the music interactive. To find out more about how logic works in today's games, listen to the audio to hear an explanation from Brains On! host Molly Bloom, kid co-host Henry Goldman, and special guest Emily Reese from 

, a science podcast for kids and curious adults

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Molly Bloom

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Video game music has come a long way from the days of Space Invaders. How does it work?

Brains On: How is video game music interactive?

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