Earlier this month, the Library of Congress announced that the DOOM soundtrack is among a list of 25 recordings they are adding to their collection for “cultural, historical or aesthetic importance in the nation’s recorded sound heritage”.

The Library of Congress is frequently adding to their archives, but DOOM in particular stands out as an example of American culture in the late 20th century. The soundtrack was composed by Bobby Prince, an American composer who has worked for id Software and 3D Realms, and has worked on music for game franchises such as Duke Nukem, Wolfenstein, Commander Keen, and more!

The government’s acknowledgement of video games as part of America’s cultural heritage is a step in the right direction, but it doesn’t negate a federal appeals court’s ruling against the Internet Archive back in 2024. Digital preservation remains a contentious topic, with rights-holders seemingly content to let old artwork fade into obscurity, or worse, total destruction as decay and degradation affect our oldest forms of data storage.

Sometimes it’s difficult to think of ourselves as living through historically significant times, but video games have only been mainstream for about thirty years. Luckily, DOOM has managed to cement itself as a foundation of the medium.