Koji Kondo
Koji Kondo: The Scores of Games Video game composers are in many cases the unsung heroes of the video game franchise. Many people don't realize that the best games happen because of that sensational feeling when you fight off a horde of difficult enemies only to be elevated by the euphoric symphony of a master composer. Koji Kondo is one these people, only he has received much recognition for his many achievements. Most famously known for his role in the composition of Legend of Zelda and Super Mario music, Koji Kondo is a world renowned composer and a household name in the video game industry. Born on August 13, 1960, Koji Kondo grew up in Nagoya, Japan, where he started his musical career at a young age. Beginning at 5, Kondo took lessons for the electronic organ, which was the start of his journey. He later went on to join several cover bands that furthered his interest in music as a career. Later in his life, Kondo decided to attend Osaka University of Arts, specifically the Arts Planning Department. Kondo’s decision has been considered peculiar considering even his early introduction to music, he was never classically trained nor did he ever show a real commitment. Even though his choice was unique, Kondo made a very smart decision as by his senior year, Nintendo sent a letter to the university asking for students to hire. In 1984 Kondo’s career took off when he was hired by Nintendo to compose music and sound program without the need of any demo tapes. The avid arcade gamer became the first employee to be hired to only compose music for the company; Kondo was coming off the fresh success of Nintendo after the crash of Atari Inc,. Kondo started by working on small, yet difficult projects like Golf and Punch-Out, since he had so little experience in sound design. Literally a year after Kondo joined the team he was given two major assignments: Super Mario in 1985 and The Legend of Zelda in 1986. He did not know at the time that those two