The Hidden Levels Original Soundtrack is now available everywhere!
Welcome to our all-new, six-episode, collaborative series, Hidden Levels, in which we team up with Endless Thread to explore how the world of video games has impacted the world beyond. We’ll dive deep into how games are made and designed, with everything from the history of the joystick to how nature is faithfully recreated in digital spaces.
Whether you are a lifelong gamer or have never picked up a controller, Hidden Levels uncovers how games have quietly changed culture, technology, and the way we see the world…starting with a ’90s arcade classic.
Developer Mark Turmell worked at Midway, which was known for iconic ganmes like Space Invaders, Pacman, and Mortal Kombat. His creation of NBA Jam in 1993 pushed the company in a new direction. It debuted at the height of the Chicago Bulls’ dynasty, aiming to capture the energy of professional basketball in a high-octane, over-the-top format.
The game was a hit out of the gate, captivating players with its digitized graphics (with the heads of real NBA players) and fantasy gameplay where players could become “on fire.”
At the heart of the NBA Jam gaming experience was the voice of its announcer, Tim Kitzrow. Turmell and the game’s sound team had realized they needed a voice that could match the game’s energy and cut through the din of an arcade, without the budget for a professional NBA commentator. So they turned to Kitzrow, an improv comedian and journeyman actor, who was initially hired by Midway for pinball voiceovers—it was just a fun side gig. He had no idea that his work on NBA Jam would make such a lasting impact on the industry.
Kitzrow modeled his energetic, flamboyant delivery on NBA announcer Marv Albert, infusing it with his own ad-libbed, short, and punchy catchphrases like “REJECTED!” and the game’s most famous line, “Boomshakalaka!”—which was suggested by an artist and inspired by funk group Sly and the Family Stone. The game became a monumental hit, reportedly making $1 billion in quarters in its first year, with its catchphrases entering basketball vernacular.
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Fun episode, especially the special tweak which prohibited the Chicago Bulls from beating the Detroit Pistons in a last-minute play! Not mentioned, but a reminder of the animosity the teams had for one another, Michael Jordan told ESPN recently that he hated the back-to-back champion Pistons and that the hate “carries even to this day.” The Pistons knocked the Bulls from the playoffs three years in a row, and were eventually eclipsed by Jordan’s greatness, but plenty of diabolical dislike all around!
I lived in Tokyo as a kid in the 80s, and wandered into a “real arcade” with a buddy one night (lovely that the city was safe enough a couple of eight-year-olds were allowed to wander freely around the city). About the only thing I remember were a bunch of sad old Japanese men playing nudie hentai games. I was surprised they had those at a public arcade like that (and at how many people were playing them). Of course later I moved to Shanghai, and a buddy’s apartment complex had a hentai game, and can’t say I didn’t give a try…