This weekend, independent video game developers and fans gathered for the international IndieCade Festival in Los Angeles.

One of the featured speakers Saturday was sound designer Ben Prunty, who integrates audio into some of the most popular independent video games. Prunty composed the soundtrack to the computer game Faster Than Light, which was nominated for IGN’s Best Overall Music and Best PC Sound of 2012.

In the spaceship simulator game, players get to explore the galaxy, while acting as captain of the ship. “You’re commanding your crew, you’re telling your crew to go fix the engines or go put out this fire in the room,” Prunty tells NPR’s Arun Rath.

Prunty says he aimed to create a retro sound in the overall feel of the game. “The game itself looks retro,” he says. “It looks like a PC game from the ’80s.” —NPR.