A lot of people like to work with music playing in the background – it's easy to see how a favourite tune can inspire you to increased productivity or get you through a particularly tough day. However, a new craze has surfaced online which is based around using Mario Kart's more strident songs to encourage people to work faster.
As reported by Polygon, a TikTok video went viral recently which showed the effects of Mario Kart's "invincibility star" tune on the essay-writing prowess of one individual. "My stress levels went [up] but so did my word count,” was the caption.
This appears to the origin point for what Polygon calls a "boom" in people listening to Mario Kart music online – so much so that songs from the game are now entering the streaming charts:
Interestingly, Polygon also notes that most of the songs in question have been uploaded by third-parties and not Nintendo itself – which means the company is potentially missing out on a big growth area.
It's also noted that while this strident and tense music may well inspire people to type faster, it doesn't necessarily mean what they're putting down on the page is any good. Still, it's clearly working for some people:
https://twitter.com/AniyaArnold4/status/1320540635540107264
Do you find that working to intense music helps your productivity? Let us know with a comment, which we want you to type out whilst listening to the drowning music from Sonic the Hedgehog.
[source polygon.com]
Comments (40)
If it drives then drive it....
A lot of Youtubers, well-known for uploading Nintendo music, are very familiar with the ccopyrights issues, effectively getting the videos taken down, and re-uploaded, or uploaded under a different account.
I really enjoyed when Nintendo put out soundtrack cds, during the SNES/N64/NGC era.
Maybe this can convince them to start sharing the music properly then. Wouldn't mind seeing a few Zelda/Pikmin soundtracks on streaming services.
https://youtu.be/1IdN4mJ4y7g
MvC2 - Clock Tower
The ultimate study/work song, right there.
Wait, Nintendo doesn't have their music on streaming services?....do they not like free money?
Hey, I used to work out in the gym to the original StarFox OST from the SNES because I had the CD.
Can we just say Nintendo soundtracks are just damned good music already?
@Capt_N
They did that in mario all stars 64 sunshine galaxy music i find galaxy music to be the most calming
I can’t say I’m that surprised by this, my old high school had a rule where you could listen to instrumental music during study hall periods.
@StefanN Not outside of Japan, but Nintendo seems to be “fixing” this for international audiences by adding a music player option to some of their games.
This is old news every gamer knows videogame music is the best for productivity but I suppose it's good for new switch gamers to join in too (and put their hands together).
Mario Kart Wii is in Spotify?
Generally listen to video game music while doing homework, and it goes pretty well
@EngineerMario That's a really cool feature.
Nintendo needs to put their music on Spotify like Sega and others have. I love listening to Sonic music on there and Shenmue.
I could definitely listen to the Mario Kart 64 credits music on a loop. It’s so awesome!
I had a playlist of music that went well with Mariokart... I never thought about what kind of powers I could harness if I reversed the process.
I think Nintendo's got enough content over the last 3+ decades to host their own music app. The content is there, they just need to create the app for it. Make it part of Nintendo Online, maybe?
Some people get motivated by certain types of music. Classical music was very helpful in getting quite a few long papers done for me.
@KingBowser86 Turns out, you're right : it's a far better music to study than for a fighting game.
(i hate this soundtrack. I hate it I hate it I hate it I hate it. But to listen while working or studying, ok, I can agree here)
I listened to the MK8D soundtrack while driving for 2 hours
Big mistake
Last 5 minutes of a test play the speedup Mario brothers music. It doesn't help scores but it makes for a dramatic finish.
I knew this info before reading this info!
@smashboy2000 It is a very, very unusual soundtrack for a fighting game (especially with Marvel characters!!!), but the tracks by themselves have a nice jazzy vibe.
Is there a Nintendo Life music playlist?
@KingBowser86 Thanks to you, I'm gonna do something I never thought I'ld do one day : listen to MvC2 soundtrack. Thanks for the advice
As for the game, I dream so much of a hacked version with different musics haha.
Music helps a lot of folks with this sort of thing. It's not limited to Mario Kart songs.
@Desrever Actually, that would be an awesome feature. Granted, many would complain that other game companies make their music freely accessible, so why doesn't Nintendo. It would still be a really neat feature. Even better, if it can play in the background of the Switch UI (menu/user interface).
I am now getting anxiety due to you telling me to listen to the Sonic 1 Drowning them, thanks.
Me pulling out computer to try the mario kart music
I actually studied with gaming music in the background when I was in uni. I listened to a couple internet radio stations, WTMK Mario Radio and The Spinning Stream. Helped keep me focused, silence is maddening.
why Nintendo is waiting to put the soundtrack of it franchises in Spotify or her own music streaming app/Channel? there some music of Nintendo franchises like Calamari Inkatation and others that i listen to severals days/months, why not make her own music label?(Nintentunes or Nintendo Tunes, here we can listen to our favorite Nintendo franchises soundtrack like Calamari Inkatation and others).
I’ve recently been listening to the Rivals of Aether OST while doing homework and I’ve found that it’s worked well for me...I think it’s less that it’s Mario Kart music working for all these people and more that listening to music without lyrics helps you focus more (i think)
@MH4 You're absolutely right. I tell people ny favorite music genre is video game water music. I've been using DKC, Dire Docks, Zora's Domain, etc in my study playlists for years for this exact reason. No words to distract me and I rarely have to look up new music.
Always listen/listened to Mario Kart music when i'm working and get judged lol
I sometimes put on music to help with homework or just use The Lord of the Rings as background noise. Lord of the Rings and rain sounds help me sleep too.
I need Nintendo music on iTunes!
I have a 6+ hour SSB Ultimate playlist playing as background music everyday while I'm streaming class. It really helps with the boredom.
@KingBowser86 I've listened to the MvC2 ost at work too. 😯 It's good for driving too.
Super off topic, but I loved MvC2 but have never been as interested in the sequels. I think it's because the music and tone seem so different. I don't think I ever really wanted MvC3. I want MvC2 2. 😝
@Aerona For sure, anything that requires lengthy focus, it can be used. There are some others "loopable" songs throughout gaming, too. Korobeiniki while playing 20 levels of Tetris springs to mind (but CD-i Tetris Level 0 is better for general use like study, work, driving, etc.).
As for MvC2, I guess that I wasn't phased by the soundtrack because my focus was on characters that accompanied the jazz well enough — Spiderman, Gambit, Felicia, Morrigan, Mega Man, Roll, etc. I remember wanting MvC3 a year or so before we actually got it on account of playing DMC extensively, but I too was not prepared for the art style and musical tone shift. Was hoping for middle ground between the two approaches. Who knows what the future holds!
The power of Mario can do anything..
MEGALOVANIA Works
The last time I had to do homework was about a quarter of a century ago but I am currently working from home and I'm not convinced that listening to Mario Kart music would be productive for me. I'm pretty sure it would just make me think 'I could turn the Switch on and just have one quick game.' 😆
I like listening to the Final Fantasy: Distant Worlds soundtrack while working for a mix of relaxing and heart pumping songs. Also I often listen to Lara6683 while working. She can play songs from some of my favourite video games on piano extremely well. I often enjoy having her youtube channel playing in the background while working. Good stuff.
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