Doom (1993 video game)

Doom is a 1993 <a href="/facts/First-person_shooter/LQQX6yAw">first-person shooter game</a> developed and published by <a href="/facts/Id_Software/NsbHCMsV">id Software</a> for <a href="/facts/MS-DOS/fVrrz1uN">MS-DOS</a>. It is the first installment in the <a href="/facts/Doom_(franchise)/fkA6GKgJ">Doom franchise</a>. The player <a href="/facts/Player_character/YAfuo6f2">assumes the role</a> of a <a href="/facts/Space_marine/Sq1cpbjU">space marine</a>, later unofficially referred to as <a href="/facts/Doomguy/GWqV5yYj">Doomguy</a>, fighting through hordes of undead humans and invading <a href="/facts/Demon/eAz75uzo">demons</a>. The game begins on the <a href="/facts/Moons_of_Mars/h7Bq1RUz">moons of Mars</a> and finishes in <a href="/facts/Hell/2nIkoYTB">hell</a>, with the player traversing each level to find its exit or defeat its <a href="/facts/Final_boss_(video_games)/0emjxCls">final boss</a>. It is an early example of <a href="/facts/3D_computer_graphics/zlWW6eaF">3D graphics</a> in video games, and has enemies and objects as 2D images, a technique sometimes referred to as <a href="/facts/2.5D/yYrVGBAY">2.5D</a> graphics.
Doom was the third major independent release by id Software, after <a href="/facts/Commander_Keen/oMKeBN1l">Commander Keen</a> (1990–1991) and <a href="/facts/Wolfenstein_3D/7sPdmrwV">Wolfenstein 3D</a> (1992). In May 1992, id started developing a darker game focused on fighting demons with technology, using a new 3D <a href="/facts/Game_engine/lojx7lTG">game engine</a> from the lead programmer, <a href="/facts/John_Carmack/PKRfqBQn">John Carmack</a>. The designer <a href="/facts/Tom_Hall/7gl5alDx">Tom Hall</a> initially wrote a science fiction plot, but he and most of the story were removed from the project, with the final game featuring an action-heavy design by <a href="/facts/John_Romero/b6WzIRqv">John Romero</a> and <a href="/facts/Sandy_Petersen/pPzkLH5U">Sandy Petersen</a>. Id published Doom as a set of three episodes under the <a href="/facts/Shareware/TAhIvJXt">shareware</a> model, marketing the full game by releasing the first episode free. A retail version with an additional episode was published in 1995 by <a href="/facts/GT_Interactive/p72osEvS">GT Interactive</a> as The Ultimate Doom.
Doom was a critical and commercial success, earning a reputation as <a href="/facts/List_of_video_games_considered_the_best/aMlP63ff">one of the best</a> and most influential video games of all time. It sold an estimated 3.5 million copies by 1999, and up to 20 million people are estimated to have played it within two years of launch. It has been termed the "father" of first-person shooters and is regarded as one of the most important games in the genre. It has been cited by video game historians as shifting the direction and public perception of the medium as a whole, as well as sparking the rise of online games and communities. It led to an array of imitators and <a href="/facts/Video_game_clone/gCMDXVeR">clones</a>, as well as <a href="/facts/Doom_modding/7jVdksW3">a robust modding scene</a> and the birth of <a href="/facts/Speedrunning/SmkCRDzX">speedrunning</a> as a community. Its high level of <a href="/facts/Graphic_violence/Wu4MllT0">graphic violence</a> led to controversy from a range of groups. Doom <a href="/facts/List_of_Doom_ports/BaKpCLPK">has been ported</a> to a variety of platforms both officially and unofficially and has been followed by several games in the series, including <a href="/facts/Doom_II/7CIAg82v">Doom II</a> (1994), <a href="/facts/Doom_64/0zccUj7y">Doom 64</a> (1997), <a href="/facts/Doom_3/np3bfurA">Doom 3</a> (2004), <a href="/facts/Doom_(2016_video_game)/tqCGk2hK">Doom</a> (2016), <a href="/facts/Doom_Eternal/19sm57mA">Doom Eternal</a> (2020), and <a href="/facts/Doom%3a_The_Dark_Ages/U0hRf68n">Doom: The Dark Ages</a> (2025), as well as the films <a href="/facts/Doom_(film)/a9QGvyke">Doom</a> (2005) and <a href="/facts/Doom%3a_Annihilation/zXBgNlEG">Doom: Annihilation</a> (2019).

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Doom (1993 video game)