The game that truly ignited the first-person shooter genre, Doom is in a league all its own. Developed by id Software in 1993, it was definitely not the first shooter out there. Early pioneers such as Wolfenstein(also developed by id) and Blake Stone laid the foundation that showed the potential for the first-person genre. Doom however, took all that a step further with an immersive 3D graphics system that combined networked multiplayer gaming and customized expansion. Releasing Doom as shareware eventually turned it into a phenomenon. An estimated 10 million people downloaded Doom within two years of its release.
The game play and plot were fairly straightforward. Place a grizzled marine inside a planetary installation that has been taken over by a horde of blood-thirsty demons. What other choice was there but to blast your way out? Doom spawned several sequels over its life, the latest being Doom 5 with the release date yet to be announced. New Doom releases are always marked by the introduction of a new innovative graphics engine designed by the team at id ,and notably, John Carmack, known as the master of 3D programming. As such, Doom’s reputation for continually launching graphical revolutions is assured.
The game that truly ignited the first-person shooter genre, Doom is in a league all its own. Developed by id Software in 1993, it was definitely not the first shooter out there. Early pioneers such as Wolfenstein(also developed by id) and Blake Stone laid the foundation that showed the potential for the first-person genre. Doom however, took all that a step further with an immersive 3D graphics system that combined networked multiplayer gaming and customized expansion. Releasing Doom as shareware eventually turned it into a phenomenon. An estimated 10 million people downloaded Doom within two years of its release.
