DOOM (1993)
| Video game fandom | |
|---|---|
| Name | DOOM |
| Developer(s) | id Software |
| Publisher(s) | id Software |
| Release date | 10 Dec 1993 |
| Platform(s) | MS-DOS, NeXTSTEP, OS/2, IRIX, Solaris, Sega 32X, Atari Jaguar, Mac OS, PC-98, SNES, PlayStation, 3DO, Windows, Sega Saturn, Amiga, RISC OS, Game Boy Advance, Xbox, Xbox 360, iOS, Linux, PlayStation 3, Android, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One |
| Genre(s) | First person shooter |
| See also | It runs DOOM, DOOM franchise |
| Related articles on Fanlore. | |
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DOOM is a FPS game where players become an unnamed character known as Doomguy and fight demons from hell. It is one of the most ported video games of all time[1], which is the source of the popular video game fandom meme It runs DOOM, and is well loved among both fans and the video game industry.[2] The game spawned the larger DOOM franchise, which includes video games, TTRPG modules, novels, and a movie.
History
Released in 1993, DOOM is one of the most beloved and influential video games of all time. It is frequently put on "greatest games of all time" lists[3][4][5][6] and spawned an entire genre of games known as DOOM clones, a precursor term to first-person shooter. Because it was initially released as shareware, the game was immensely popular and made as much as $100,000 a day from users purchasing the full game for $9(USD), having sold somewhere between 2 and 3 million copies by 1999.[7]
Fandom
This article or section needs expansion. |
Fanworks
| Examples Wanted: Editors are encouraged to add more examples or a wider variety of examples. |
Early DOOM Fandom: Fan Comments
1995
... being online is a great deal of fun. There seem to be message boards for just about everything. I was particularly happy to find so many other people discussing DOOM, my favorite computer game. (Though I suspect that most of those I'm talking to are pre-teen boys. They probably think I'm one of them; they keep calling me "dude." But hey, that's one of the advantages of cyberspace: no one needs to know your gender, age, race, etc., unless you want to tell them!) [8]
The appeal of DOOM - you may be sorry you asked! You're probably right that most Doomers are male, though I know quite a few female players. There's even the FemDOOM patch, that changes the face of the macho manly Marine into that of a woman. And while there are a lot of young players, the best players tend to be middle-aged; it takes brains and perseverance as well as quick reflexes to win at DOOM. The game appeals to all kinds. I was at Media Play one day and a bunch of senior citizens ran up to the DOOM II display, yammering about how great a game it was and how they were going to buy it as soon as their next Social Security check arrived!I used to play network DOOM, but don't anymore; the powers-that-be decided that the taxpayers might object to such use of government equipment, even during lunch break. (And they're undoubtedly correct!) Most Doomers play in singleton mode. However, most hardcore Doomers prefer modem play, in Deathmatch mode.
(In a network, up to four players can play at the same time; modem play is strictly two-player.) Deathmatch is preferred over Cooperative because it's more challenging; you're matching wits and skills with a human opponent, not the dumb computer. In fact, many Deathmatch WADs have no monsters to kill; players would much rather kill each other!
When id Software came up with DOOM, they were nothing short of brilliant. I'm not a big fan of shoot 'em up computer games, so I didn't expect to like DOOM. But the virtual-reality graphics were so stunning that I played it just to watch them. (The fact that it was shareware with no obligation to register didn't hurt!) Before long I was hooked by the puzzles: how to get through the maze-like levels, what would be on the next level, how it would end. And even after I made it all the way through, it was still fun to play (quite a rarity for a computer game). There are different skill levels, plus "secret areas" -- hidden bonus sections that can only be found if you figure out the secret. They aren't necessary to finish the game, so they can be quite challenging to find without getting frustrating. It took me months of playing an hour a day before I found them all. (The toughest one was getting to the secret level in Mission 3.
Another reason DOOM is so endlessly fascinating is that id made their programming software freely available early on and encouraged users to play around. Thus, you can download thousands of unofficial DOOM programs from online services and bulletin boards: patches that change the monsters to look like Beavus and Butthead or Bill Clinton, patches that change the music to Phantom of the Opera or Aerosmith, patches that upgrade weapons, and, best of all, WADs ~ entire levels or even groups of levels designed by users. It's like fandom, really.
Some WADs are really bad, full of bugs or not very playable, while others are great. People who are good at it get reputations, and users rush to download their latest as soon as it's available. Some WADs become so popular they get followings of their own. And id has recently begun buying the best of the "fan WADS" for commercial release, paying $1,000 each. (I haven't tried designing my own WADs yet, though I'd like to. Sarah gave me a Waldenbooks gift certificate for Christmas, and I used it to buy a copy of The DOOM Hacker's Guide, which comes with a CD full of DOOM design and editing programs. I'd like to give DOOM a B7 twist; hey, there's DW DOOM, Aliens DOOM, SW DOOM - why not B7 DOOM?
For me, DOOM complements fandom in a peculiar way. While fandom provides characterization and relationships, DOOM provides plot and action. Some people like books or movies with a balance of action and characterization. I tend to find that insipid. I prefer mine separated out; it makes each that much more intense. And both fandom and DOOM are interactive in a way a book or movie can never be. [9]
Controversies
Doom was a big example of the 'violence in video games' controversy. This was further spread when it was revealed Doom was a popular video game of one of the perpetrators of the Colombine School Massacre, Eric Harris, who created several mods collectively known as the Harris Levels, with some false rumours claiming one of them resembled the high school.[10] The FBI removed these levels from the internet, though many have since been found in the meantime.
See Also
References
- ^ Knee-Deep in the Ports: Ranking the Best (and Worst) Versions of Doom. Posted 17 Mar 2020. Accessed 6 Jun 2023.
- ^ The 100 greatest video games of all time, ranked by experts. Posted 10 May 2023. Accessed 6 Jun 2023.
- ^ Top 100 Video Games of All Time from IGN. Published 2019. Accessed 8 Dec 2021.
- ^ The best FPS games of all time. Posted 25 Sept 2021. Accessed 8 Dec 2021.
- ^ Surprise! Doom Is Still An Incredible Game. Posted 17 Mar 2016. Accessed 8 Dec 2021.
- ^ List of video games considered the best. Accessed 8 Dec 2021.
- ^ Knee deep in history: 20 years of "Doom". Posted 10 Dec 2013. Accessed 8 Dec 2021.
- ^ from Strange Bedfellows (APA) #8 (1995)
- ^ from Strange Bedfellows (APA) #10 (1995)
- ^ Columbine Doom Levels - Snopes