"Ragtime was a fanfare for the 20th century" – J.
In addition to motion picture scores, ragtime is present in other media such as video game background music and themes. Although influencing the music industry in multiple ways, ragtime's greatest impact can be seen in jazz music. Ragtime music has impacted the entertainment industry greatly and has had a lasting presence since its creation. .
Movie soundtracks, old and new, have featured ragtime tunes in their track listing. The first movie to do so was "The Sting" with music by Marvin Hamlisch (Berlin). The ragtime hit "The Entertainer" by composer and musician Scott Joplin was used as the movies main theme, along with song "Solace" (Paterson). A more recognized movie, "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button", also featured the composition "Bethena: A Concert Waltz" by Joplin (Paterson). Versions of ragtime works are included in the films "The Gremlins" and "Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope" (Paterson). Overall, a variety of motion pictures of different genres have contained a form of ragtime in their musical selection. .
Considering its jazz-like sound, it may be surprising to some that ragtime has been used in video game background music and computer games. The BBC Microcomputer System included the series "Repton" (Characteristics of Ragtime). The original game used the "Black and White Rag" by George Botsford, while the sequel contained yet another Scott Joplin song, "The Chrysanthemum" (Paterson). Koji Kondo of the widely known Nintendo, encompassed a combination of ragtime and calypso styles for the music to the original "Super Mario Brothers" (Characteristics of Ragtime). A third example of ragtime in video game music would be a short piece in the chase music of the arcade game "Ms. Pac-Man" (Paterson).
