Episode #59: Video Games - The Next Artistic Super-Medium

When you think of video game music, you might hear Koji Kondo’s Super Mario Bros. original score, or maybe FlyLo FM from Grand Theft Auto’s licensed soundtrack. Either way, video games have long held promise for composers and musicians. Like movies, video games are naturally a broad medium with room for different musical experiences. Games also provide a lucrative revenue stream for some artists. One composer, Chris Remo, who has worked on recent hits like Gone Home and Firewatch, joins us to talk about how he got into the video game industry. We also hear from Steve Gaynor, co-founder of indie game studio, The Fullbright Company. Kotaku editor-at-large Kirk Hamilton gives us a rundown of current and past trends in game music. To end the show, we get an idea of how video game music has influenced an entire music genre, and hear from Spencer Seim of Nintendocore band The Advantage.