Hidden Levels: Mr. Boomshakalaka

Here & Now Anytime

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4.1 • 953 Ratings

🗓️ 18 October 2025

⏱️ 42 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

“NBA Jam” was beloved by players and served as an introduction to basketball for many of them. The game didn’t mirror the sport, though, allowing users to do crazy moves and trick shots. But what really helped capture audiences was the game’s sound design. Commentator Tim Kitzrow became iconic with catch phrases like “He’s on Fire!” and “Boom Shakalaka.”

This episode of “Hidden Levels,” a podcast from 99 Percent Invisible and Endless Thread, explores the importance of game sound design and how Kitzrow helped define the sports game subgenre.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Support for here and now anytime comes from MathWorks, creator of MATLAB and Simulink software for
0:06.2	technical computing and model-based design. MathWorks accelerating the pace of discovery in engineering and
0:13.0	science. Learn more at MathWorks.com. WBUR Podcasts, Boston.
0:21.9	Hey there. Chris Bentley here.
0:23.9	Today we've got a special episode of here and now anytime for you.
0:27.2	It's from our friends at WBUR's podcast, Endless Thread.
0:31.3	They've got a new limited series with another podcast, you might know, 99% invisible.
0:36.4	And today we're bringing you the first episode.
0:39.2	The series is called Hidden Levels, and it's about video games.
0:43.4	I think it's got something for you, whether you're already into video games or not.
0:47.6	And this first episode will definitely get at least one iconic phrase stuck in your head.
0:56.6	But don't worry, you'll have a lot of fun saying it. Hosts Ben Brock Johnson and Roman Mars get us started.
1:06.8	Hey y'all, it's Ben Brock Johnson from Endless Thread, and I'm here with my friend.
1:11.5	I'm Roman Mars from the podcast, 99% Invisible.
1:15.2	And today we're bringing you the first episode for our new collaborative series called Hidden Levels.
1:20.5	It's about how the world of video games has changed the world beyond video games.
1:25.1	In the next six episodes, we'll get deep into how games are made and designed.
1:30.3	Everything from the history of the joystick to how nature is faithfully recreated in the digital world
1:36.3	to a dispatch from the front lines of the console wars.
1:41.3	So, Roman, when did video games first change your world? I mean, probably when I was in elementary
1:47.7	school in the 80s, the arcade that I went to the most was a small section in a skating rink in Newark,
1:54.2	Ohio. And so I first learned playing video games on roller skates, actually. That sounds impressive.
	...

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