The Minecraft soundtrack has always stuck with me. It's an amalgamation of sounds that I can recognize in an instant, from simple plucky acoustic strings to long droning atmospheric noises reminiscent of Brian Eno. My two favorite songs from the original soundtrack, Moog City 2 (a surprisingly good workout song) and Sweden (absolute classic) in particular invoke a strong feeling of nostalgia.

During his talk at DevGAMM in 2015, Daniel Rosenfeld (aka C418) explains how the development of the game's soundtrack came to fruition. He touches on topics such as the games that inspired him and the scope of limitations that he had to work with at the time as the composer. Rosenfeld and Minecraft creator Markus Persson (aka Notch) share a long history. The two initially met on the independent game forum TIGSource, where Persson's original thread regarding Minecraft's Alpha version is still available to peruse. https://forums.tigsource.com/index.php?topic=6273.0.

Rosenfeld posted music on the forum in search of being hired for a game. "We basically both met...and kind of got into talking for making music for [Minecraft]." At the time, the game was incredibly limited. Rosenfeld mentions that there were just three different blocks, and the game had not yet been developed to have the ability to regenerate infinitely, which is arguably one of it's most compelling features today.

A common experience arises when playing the game; you roam the world participating in mundane tasks, which may feel a bit boring. Suddenly the soundtrack will start to kick in, and that same task will take on a new meaning or reinvigorate the player. Rosenfeld explains this phenomenon, stating that "we basically made music randomly happen between 15 or 30 minutes, for no reason at all. And what happens because of that is...if the music just randomly happens...it makes [the player] remember that moment more specifically."

Like an alternate reality, players become immersed within the game world with the aid of the soundtrack. Something as simple as digging straight down to lava (ouch) or shearing sheep can become a memorable experience. Players are situated at their individual computers, yet the connection invoked by such an experience is undeniable. No doubt, the soundtrack (and its sound effects) have helped the game garner fans around the globe and contribute to its billion dollar valuation. Rosenfeld has set his sights on other ventures apart from Minecraft in recent years, though his contribution to the game as the original soundtrack's composer remains grand.