It kind of boggles my delicate little brain that “Are video games art?” is still a thing people feel compelled to argue in 2020. Even if you’re not a gamer, I think it’s fairly obvious that video games have come a LONG way since those of us who grew up with the medium spent our childhood afternoons smashing buttons and watching pixels collide.

Games can be gorgeous, immersive, emotional journeys – often in deeper and more meaningful ways than a film or novel can be. One of the most significant ways games can invade our sensitive emotional spaces is via music. Just as films rely heavily on their scores (try to imagine Star Wars without John Williams), so too do games bank on the quality of their music.

Outer Wilds, from Mobius Digital and Annapurna Interactive, debuted on PS4, Xbox One, and PC last year and almost immediately soared to the top of many game of the year lists. And if you’ve played it, you know why.

Storytelling and gameplay aside, Outer Wilds is equally about its compelling and immersive music, composed by Andrew Prahlow. Indeed, Prahlow’s score also received numerous Video Game Music of the Year accolades. If you’re unfamiliar, check out the trailer below or listen to the full soundtrack, streaming on Amazon Music, Spotify, and most other platforms.

It’s a sonic dreamscape that will positively lift your quarantine days.

We caught up with Andrew Prahlow to talk about Outer Wilds, composing for video games versus films, interning under John Powell, and the catchiest banjo riff in the galaxy!

Roarbots: Is scoring a video game much different from scoring a film or show? What about working in that format would surprise people unfamiliar with the process?

Andrew Prahlow: Scoring a video game can be quite different since the music is non-linear a lot of the time. One of the most exciting parts about writing the music for games is crafting creative ideas that can be used for extended periods of time. Sometimes, combining pieces of cues can be really beneficial and help create cohesion to the score so there is a thru-point within the game’s music, and I love writing ambient music, which there is a ton of in most video games.

Roarbots: Are you a gamer yourself?

Prahlow: I grew up playing a lot of video games, so transitioning back and forth between film/television and games comes pretty naturally for me. My first game ever was Super Mario Land for Game Boy, and I still play games to this day whenever I have a break between projects.

Roarbots: What about this project appealed to you?

Prahlow: Honestly, the simple idea of camping in space and roasting marshmallows had me hooked from the very first meeting with Alex [Beachum, the game’s designer] for this project. I really think he stuck to his vision, and the game has a lot of personality and uniqueness because of that.

Roarbots: How much of the game was complete when you were brought on board to score it?

Prahlow: The game was completely conceptual when I was brought on board. It started as a series of conversations about where we could take the music, connecting it to Alex’s new ideas. Alex was prototyping a lot of concepts as I was working on composing the main themes.

Roarbots: Whose idea was the banjo?

Prahlow: I originally thought that it would be cool to use banjo instead of guitar, because guitar felt very standard for campfire tunes. The banjo captured that backwoods quality we all loved about the Hearthian backstory.

Roarbots: I understand that you worked as an intern in John Powell’s studio. What did that entail? What were the biggest things you learned from that experience and from Powell?

Prahlow: I was an intern at his studio for around a year while attending USC. Most of what I did was attending to the daily odds and ends needed to help keep the studio running and cutting up samples. I was a simple intern, but it was very valuable to have an inside look at the day-to-day of a top composer’s studio. The main thing I learned from working there was how to organize larger productions, labeling systems, saving systems, and the format of how the bigger teams work together. Also, project workflow on a larger scale was very interesting to see.

Roarbots: If you weren’t a musician, what would you be doing?

Prahlow: My other option was to finish grad school as an orchestral trumpet player and start auditioning the orchestra circuit, but composing ended up being my strong point. Without music, I have no idea what I’d be doing. I do take comedy improv classes at UCB from time to time for fun, but by no means am I a professional comedian. I just love hanging out with hilarious friends!

Roarbots: Who’s the one composer working today that everyone should listen to?

Prahlow: I’m a big fan of Keith Kenniff. His instrumental projects Helios and Goldmund are very emotionally moving to me. His album Eingya is for sure one of my top favorite records of all time – I think he does a wonderful job finding the space between the notes, and his textures are intricately detailed. He crafts a very delicate sense of beauty with all of his music.

Roarbots: From where you’re sitting now, what advice would you give to your 10-year-old self?

Prahlow: I would tell my 10-year-old self to keep practicing every day, because it will eventually pay off, especially the hours and hours I put into trumpet. Playing in orchestras and wind bands all the time made orchestration and composition so much easier for me in the end because I subconsciously learned the traditional purpose of each instrument in the orchestra, and this translates extremely well into soundscape composing – as well as mixing and mastering.

I’d also tell myself to not be afraid of being who I am and to continue listening to the music that I love, regardless of what other people think of it.

Roarbots: What are you working on now?

Prahlow: I’ve been putting together an Outer Wilds live concert that I hope to perform once the quarantine is over, and I’ve also been working on my own album that I hope to release by the end of the year. Everything else is top secret!