The pastime, known as “modding,” is still incredibly popular.
“This trio of male power fantasies helped to define and, arguably, tar, an entire medium.” “Gore, guns and braggadocio,” is how Simon Parkin summed it up for the Guardian. ( Doom was also revolutionary when it was released for free in 1992, a blueprint followed by games like Fortnite, because its accessibility made the first-person shooter popular.) There was suddenly a three-dimensional world where you could run around and explore, and you saw the muzzle of your gun flare as you blasted away hellspawn. Your mission: Kill demons, save Earth. Instead of popular games before it, where you watched characters like Mario jump through an 8-bit world, you were the character. Demons have attacked, and you’re one of the last four people standing. The game’s idea was simple: You’re a space marine stationed at a scientific research facility on Mars. This game-along with Call of Duty, Halo, GoldenEye 007 and nearly every other cash-cow title that gamers have sacrificed sleep and sanity to conquer-traces its lineage back to one major progenitor: Doom. Last year, Blizzard announced its first-person shooter Overwatch had earned $1 billion in revenue in its first year.
