STACK #140 Jun 2016

GAMES FEATURE

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DOOM Developer: id Software YEAR: 1993

PART 2

By John Roebuck

GAMES

I n December, 1993, DOOM was released for MS-DOS and Mac. In a press release dated January 1, 1993, id Software had boasted that they expected DOOM to be ‘the number one cause of decreased productivity in businesses around the world.’ To an extent, their prediction came true. Intel, Lotus Development and Carnagie Mellon University are among a number of organisations that were forced to develop policies specifically disallowing the playing of DOOM during work hours. One Microsoft employee likened the culture of DOOM at their office to a ‘religious phenomenon’. One exceptionally popular element of DOOM was the ability for players to create custom levels and otherwise modify the game, in the fashion of customWAD files (short for ‘Where’s All the Data?’). Ostensibly, DOOM engendered the very first widespread mod-making community. The modding provision initiated by the developer irrevocably changed the video game industry landscape. Imagine Skyrim without a modding community. A number of future professional game designers of note started out creating

the first third of the game via shareware, reached an estimated 20 million players. That’s an impressive number even by contemporary standards. USA Today called it 'the most gripping computer game to date.' Dragon magazine gave it five out of five stars, noting the significant technical improvements over Wolfenstein 3D . But the accolades continued long after the initial frenzy of admiration subsided, and it still regularly appears on lists of top video games of all time. How do you measure a video game's legacy? After all the sequels, comic books, board games and films, perhaps the most significant indication of the impact of DOOM is its enduring appeal. People still play DOOM today, all over the world. And they play the games that DOOM paved the way for, like Call of Duty, Team Fortress, Counter Strike and Halo. Characters from Seinfeld , Friends and The Simpsons have paid homage to DOOM . The Smashing Pumpkins have used sounds from the game in their music. In 2004, Retro Gamer commented that ‘Only a handful of games can claim that they’ve changed the gaming world, and DOOM is perhaps the most qualified of them all.'

DOOM WADs as a hobby; among them was TimWillits, who would eventually go on to become the lead designer at id. DOOM received universal praise upon its release. It sold over one million copies and, thanks to the decision of id to release the most significant indication of the impact of doom is its enduring appeal.

JUNE 2016

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