Minecraft soundtrack among 'defining sounds of history' added to Library of Congress

WASHINGTON (TNND) — The Library of Congress on Wednesday announced the soundtrack to the popular sandbox survival video game Minecraft is now among some of the “defining sounds of history and culture” included in its National Recording Registry.

The complete Minecraft: Volume Alpha album is now enshrined alongside defining cultural anthems such as John Denver’s “Take Me Home, Country Roads,” Jimmy Buffet’s “Margaritaville,” and “The Rainbow Connection” by Kermit the Frog. Also included in the registry are the Super Mario Theme and Microsoft’s reboot chime.

“Key to the game’s early success is the ambient-style soundtrack, created by German producer Daniel Rosenfeld under his alias, C418,” the Library of Congress wrote of the Minecraft soundtrack. “The influence of C418’s music can be traced through the proliferation of ambient scores appearing in video games since Minecraft’s initial release, as well as the cultural phenomenon of ‘lo-fi hip-hop,’ which grew in popularity during the late 2010s and shares many of the same calming and nostalgic musical aesthetics as those found in Minecraft’s original score.”

C418 described the move as “unique news” in a post via X. Minecraft creator Markus Persson, known as Notch, also reacted by sharing “<<>3,” an emoticon representing a heart.

The recognition comes amid the release of “A Minecraft Movie,” a big-screen homage to the game’s sustained popularity. Fans of the film have sparked concerns from movie theaters over an ironic internet trend causing audiences to become loud and disruptive during a scene featuring an in-game enemy character called a “chicken jockey.”

Washington Township Theatre in New Jersey said the trend led to “completely unacceptable behavior” in its theater.

“We also received multiple complaints from other moviegoers who were trying to enjoy the film with their families,” the theater wrote via Facebook about a screening of the film. “If your son was at Township Theatre last night, we strongly encourage you to have a conversation with him about his behavior.”

Follow Jackson Walker on X at @_jlwalker_ for the latest trending national news. Have a news tip? Send it to jacwalker@sbgtv.com.