Menu
Home
People
Places
Arts
History
Plants & Animals
Science
Life & Culture
Technology
Reference.org
Cacowards
open-in-new
<h2 id="history">History</h2> <p>In 2003, Doomworld celebrated the 10th anniversary of <i>Doom</i> with "10 Years of Doom", a series of articles and reviews written by Mike "Cyb" Watson and Andrew "Linguica" Stine, discussing the history and legacy of the <i>Doom</i> modding community across the prior decade. The event was continued in 2004 as the Cacowards, with an emphasis on discussing the year's most notable contributions to the <i>Doom</i> modding community.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:1" href="#fn:1"><sup>1</sup></a> The name of the Cacowards stems from <i>Doom's</i> "Cacodemon" monster, whose likeness is present in the award's design. </p> <h2 id="categories">Categories</h2> <p>The primary category of the Cacowards is the Top Ten, which discusses ten of the most notable <i>Doom</i> WADs of the year. </p> <ul><li>Multiplayer Awards: Awarded to exemplary <a href="/facts/Multiplayer/8CC60Nwj">multiplayer</a>-oriented WADs.</li> <li>Gameplay Mod Awards: Awarded to high-quality mods which modify or transform <i>Doom'</i>s base gameplay, such as by adding or altering weapons and enemies.</li> <li>Mockaward: Awarded to the "best comedy WAD of the year"; such WADs are often designed with humorous intent, with a diminished focus on gameplay balance and longevity. The Mockaward category was discontinued in 2017.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:2" href="#fn:2"><sup>2</sup></a></li> <li>Mordeth Award: Awarded to the year's released project with the longest development time. The category's name references <i>Mordeth</i>, a total conversion mod for <i>Doom</i> which has been in development since 1997.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:3" href="#fn:3"><sup>3</sup></a></li> <li>Worst WAD: Awarded to WADs of exceptionally low quality. The Worst WAD category was discontinued in 2011, following concerns that the category rewarded users for low-effort content.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:4" href="#fn:4"><sup>4</sup></a></li></ul> <h2 id="legacy">Legacy</h2> <p>The Cacowards have been critically praised as a resource for high-quality <i>Doom</i> modifications. Commenting on the event, <i><a href="/facts/PC_Gamer/1gokYs0P">PC Gamer</a></i> stated: "If you want a direct route to the best Doom maps and mods, the place to go is the Cacowards."<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:5" href="#fn:5"><sup>5</sup></a> <i><a href="/facts/Rock%2c_Paper%2c_Shotgun/N33qTXAa">Rock, Paper, Shotgun</a></i> shared a similar sentiment, commenting that the Cacowards are "often a handy pointer towards good and fun new things."<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:6" href="#fn:6"><sup>6</sup></a> Numerous award recipients have received additional commendations by journalists covering the Cacowards, who often review highlights from the year's ceremony.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:7" href="#fn:7"><sup>7</sup></a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:8" href="#fn:8"><sup>8</sup></a> </p> <h2 id="notable-winners-and-runner-ups">Notable winners and runner-ups</h2> <ul><li><i><a href="/facts/Brutal_Doom/okKNotKL">Brutal Doom</a></i> – 2011 Cacoward winner in the "Gameplay Mod Awards" category<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:9" href="#fn:9"><sup>9</sup></a></li> <li><a href="/facts/Sigil_(mod)/6K2MlWlP"><i>Sigil</i></a> – 2019 Cacoward runner-up<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:10" href="#fn:10"><sup>10</sup></a></li> <li><a href="/facts/MyHouse.wad/Hmh1z80D">MyHouse.wad</a> - 2023 Cacoward winner<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:11" href="#fn:11"><sup>11</sup></a></li></ul> <h2 id="see-also">See also</h2> <ul><li><a href="/facts/Doom_modding/7jVdksW3">List of WADs</a> – Examples of the most popular and historically significant WADs, many of which have won Cacowards</li> <li><a href="/facts/Cyriak/zspq6fYU">Cyriak</a> (Mouldy) – Winner of 2012, 2014, and 2022 Cacowards<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:12" href="#fn:12"><sup>12</sup></a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:13" href="#fn:13"><sup>13</sup></a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:14" href="#fn:14"><sup>14</sup></a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:15" href="#fn:15"><sup>15</sup></a></li></ul> <h2 id="references">References</h2> <ol> <li id="fn:1"><p>"Doomworld -- The Cacowards". doomworld.com. Retrieved April 15, 2018. <a href="https://www.doomworld.com/cacowards/" target="_blank">https://www.doomworld.com/cacowards/</a> <a href="#fnref:1" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:2"><p>"Doomworld -- The 2017 Cacowards - Other Awards". doomworld.com. Retrieved April 15, 2018. <a href="https://www.doomworld.com/24years/others.php" target="_blank">https://www.doomworld.com/24years/others.php</a> <a href="#fnref:2" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:3"><p>"The Mordeth TC Site - Back In The Days". mordeth.doomworld.com. Retrieved April 15, 2018. <a href="https://mordeth.doomworld.com/ancient.shtml" target="_blank">https://mordeth.doomworld.com/ancient.shtml</a> <a href="#fnref:3" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:4"><p>"Doomworld -- The 18th Annual Cacowards". doomworld.com. Retrieved April 15, 2018. <a href="https://www.doomworld.com/18years/" target="_blank">https://www.doomworld.com/18years/</a> <a href="#fnref:4" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:5"><p>"Why I Love: Doom WADs". pcgamer.com. January 14, 2015. Retrieved April 15, 2018. <a href="https://www.pcgamer.com/why-i-love-doom-wads/" target="_blank">https://www.pcgamer.com/why-i-love-doom-wads/</a> <a href="#fnref:5" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:6"><p>"Doom Over The World: The 2015 Cacowards". rockpapershotgun.com. December 10, 2015. Retrieved April 15, 2018. <a href="https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2015/12/10/doom-awards-2015/" target="_blank">https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2015/12/10/doom-awards-2015/</a> <a href="#fnref:6" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:7"><p>"2015 Cacowards". PC Gamer UK. March 2016. Retrieved April 15, 2018 – via Internet Archive. <a href="https://archive.org/stream/PC_Gamer_March_2016_UK#page/n117/mode/2up" target="_blank">https://archive.org/stream/PC_Gamer_March_2016_UK#page/n117/mode/2up</a> <a href="#fnref:7" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:8"><p>"Celebrate 24 years of classic Doom modding and mapping with the annual Cacowards". pcgamesn.com. December 10, 2017. Retrieved April 15, 2018. <a href="https://www.pcgamesn.com/Doom-2/Doom-2-Cacowards-2017" target="_blank">https://www.pcgamesn.com/Doom-2/Doom-2-Cacowards-2017</a> <a href="#fnref:8" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:9"><p>"Doomworld -- The 18th Annual Cacowards". Doomworld. Archived from the original on 2011-12-11. Retrieved 2020-12-27. <a href="https://www.doomworld.com/18years/others.php" target="_blank">https://www.doomworld.com/18years/others.php</a> <a href="#fnref:9" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:10"><p>"Cacowards - Runner-Up Spotlight". Doomworld. Retrieved 2020-12-27. <a href="https://www.doomworld.com/cacowards/2019/runnersup/" target="_blank">https://www.doomworld.com/cacowards/2019/runnersup/</a> <a href="#fnref:10" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:11"><p>"2023 Cacowards". Doomworld. Archived from the original on 2024-01-20. Retrieved 2024-01-21. <a href="https://www.doomworld.com/cacowards/2023/index/" target="_blank">https://www.doomworld.com/cacowards/2023/index/</a> <a href="#fnref:11" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:12"><p>Ryerson, Liz (29 January 2018). "The Doom Mod That Best Describes Our Uncanny Reality". Vice. Retrieved 5 January 2020. <a href="https://www.vice.com/en/article/alt-doom-mod-stalker/" target="_blank">https://www.vice.com/en/article/alt-doom-mod-stalker/</a> <a href="#fnref:12" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:13"><p>"Doomworld -- The 19th Annual Cacowards". Doomworld. Archived from the original on 2013-01-07. Retrieved 2020-12-27. <a href="https://www.doomworld.com/19years/best3.php" target="_blank">https://www.doomworld.com/19years/best3.php</a> <a href="#fnref:13" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:14"><p>"Doomworld -- The 21st Annual Cacowards". Doomworld. Archived from the original on 2014-12-25. Retrieved 2020-12-27. <a href="https://www.doomworld.com/21years/best1.php" target="_blank">https://www.doomworld.com/21years/best1.php</a> <a href="#fnref:14" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:15"><p>"2022 Cacowards". Doomworld. Archived from the original on 2024-08-15. Retrieved 2024-12-10. <a href="https://www.doomworld.com/cacowards/2022/best3/" target="_blank">https://www.doomworld.com/cacowards/2022/best3/</a> <a href="#fnref:15" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> </ol>