Editing Doom (1993 video game) (section)

==Legacy==
''Doom'' has been termed "inarguably the most important" first-person shooter, as well as the "father" of the genre.<ref name="Father1"/><ref name="Father2"/> Although not the first in the genre, it was the game with the greatest impact.<ref name="Father1"/><ref name="Father2"/><ref name="Father3"/> Dan Pinchbeck in ''Doom: Scarydarkfast'' (2013) noted the direct influence of ''Doom''{{'}}s design choices on those of first-person and third-person shooter games two decades later, as influenced by the games released in the intervening years.<ref name="SDF157159"/>

''Doom'', and to a lesser extent ''Wolfenstein 3D'', has been characterized as "mark[ing] a turning point" in the perception of video games in popular culture, with ''Doom'' and first-person shooters in general becoming the predominant perception of video games in media.<ref name="GShistoriography"/> Historians such as Tristan Donovan in ''[[Replay: The History of Video Games]]'' (2010) have termed it as causing a "paradigm shift", prompting the rise in popularity of 3D games, first-person shooters, licensed technology between developers, and support for game modifications.<ref name="Replay261262"/> It helped spark the rise of both online multiplayer games and player-driven content generation, and popularized the business model of online distribution.<ref name="SDF165"/><ref name="DoomNextGen"/> In their book ''Dungeons & Dreamers: A Story of how Computer Games Created a Global Community'' in 2014, Brad King and John Borland claimed that ''Doom'' was one of the first widespread instances of an "online collective virtual reality",<ref name="DreamersCh15"/> and did more than any other game to create a modern world of "networked games and gamers".<ref name="DreamersCh12"/> ''[[PC Gamer]]'' proclaimed ''Doom'' the most influential game of all time in 2004, and in 2023 said its development was one of the most well-documented in the history of video games.<ref name="PCG123"/><ref name="PCG2024"/>

It has also been used in scholarly research since its release, including for [[machine learning]],<ref name="ResearchMachine1"/><ref name="ResearchMachine2"/> video game aesthetics and design,<ref name="ResearchAesth"/> and the effects of video games on aggression, memory, and attention.<ref name="ResearchViolence"/><ref name="ResearchMemory"/> In 2007 ''Doom'' was listed among the ten "[[game canon]]" video games selected for preservation by the [[Library of Congress]],<ref name="NYTcanon"/><ref name="Joystiqcanon"/><ref name="LOCcanon"/> and in 2015 [[The Strong National Museum of Play]] inducted ''Doom'' to its [[World Video Game Hall of Fame]] as part of its initial set of games.<ref name="HallofFame"/>

''Doom'' has continued to be included highly in [[List of video games considered the best|lists of the best video games ever]] for nearly three decades since its release. In 1995, ''Next Generation'' said it was "the most talked about PC game ever".<ref name="DoomRealism"/> The PC version was ranked the 3rd best video game by ''[[Flux (magazine)|Flux]]'' in 1995, and in 1996 was ranked fifth best and third most innovative by ''Computer Gaming World''.<ref name="Fluxranking"/><ref name="cgw199611best"/><ref name="cgw199611mostinnovative"/> In 2000, ''Doom'' was ranked as the second-best game ever by ''GameSpot''.<ref name="GameSpot2000"/> The following year, it was voted the number one game of all time in a poll among over 100 game developers and journalists conducted by ''[[GameSpy]]'', and was ranked the sixth best game by ''[[Game Informer]]''.<ref name=gamespy20010701/><ref name="GameInformer"/> [[GameTrailers]] ranked it the most "breakthrough PC game" in 2009 and ''Game Informer'' again ranked it the sixth-best game that same year.<ref name=gttopten/><ref name="gi_best"/> ''Doom'' has also been ranked among the best games of all time by ''[[GamesMaster (magazine)|GamesMaster]]'',<ref name="GamesMaster1994"/> ''[[Hyper (magazine)|Hyper]]'',<ref name="Hyper1995"/> ''[[The Independent]]'',<ref name="TheIndependent1999"/> ''[[Entertainment Weekly]]'',<ref name="EW2003"/> ''[[GamesTM]]'',<ref name="GTM2010"/> ''[[Jeuxvideo.com]]'',<ref name="Jeuxvideo2011"/> ''[[Gamereactor]]'',<ref name="Gamereactor2017"/> ''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]'',<ref name="Time2016"/> ''[[Polygon (website)|Polygon]]'',<ref name="Polygon2017"/> and ''[[The Times]]'', among others, as recently as 2023.<ref name="TheTimes2023"/>

===Clones===
{{See also|First-person shooter}}
[[File:Doom clone vs first person shooter.png|thumb|By 1998, the phrase "[[first-person shooter]]" had firmly superseded "''Doom'' clone".|alt=Double-line graph. X-axis is years from 1993 to 2002. Y-axis shows usenet post counts ranging from 0 to 1200 per month. Red line ("doom+clone" or "doom+clones") peaks at about 400 in 1996, and tails off to zero again by 2002. Blue line ("first+person+shooter" or "first+person+shooters") grows mostly monotonically to about 1120 by 2002, with an intermediate peak of about 850 in 2000. The two lines cross in late 1997. Both lines are close to zero before late 1993, when "Doom released" is noted with a visual marker.]]
The success of ''Doom'' led to dozens of new first-person shooter games.<ref name="DoomChildren"/> In 1998, ''PC Gamer'' declared it "probably the most imitated game of all time".<ref name="pcgtop50"/> These games were often referred to as "''Doom'' [[clone (computing)|clones]]", with "first-person shooter" only overtaking it as the name of the genre after a few years.<ref name="DoomClones1"/><ref name="DoomClones2"/><ref name="DoomClones3"/> As the "first-person shooter" genre label had not yet solidified at the time, ''Doom'' was described as a "first person perspective adventure" and "atmospheric 3-D action game".<ref name="GShistoriography"/>

''Doom'' clones ranged from close imitators to more innovative takes on the genre. Id Software licensed the [[Doom engine|''Doom'' engine]] to several other companies, which resulted in several games similar to ''Doom'', including ''[[Heretic (video game)|Heretic]]'' (1994), ''[[Hexen: Beyond Heretic]]'' (1995), and ''[[Strife: Quest for the Sigil]]'' (1996).<ref name="DoomClones2"/> A ''Doom''-based game called ''[[Chex Quest]]'' was released in 1996 by [[Ralston Foods]] as a promotion to increase cereal sales.<ref name="DoomChex"/> Other games were inspired by ''Doom'', if not rumored to be built by [[reverse engineering]] the game's engine, including [[Lucasfilm Games|LucasArts]]'s ''[[Star Wars: Dark Forces]]'' (1995).<ref name="DoomClones2"/><ref name="DarkForces"/> Several other games termed ''Doom'' clones, such as ''[[PowerSlave]]'' (1996) and ''[[Duke Nukem 3D]]'' (1996), used the 1995 [[Build engine]], a 2.5D engine inspired by ''Doom'' created by [[Ken Silverman]] with some consultation with John Carmack.<ref name="DoomClones2"/><ref name="BuildEngine"/>

===Sequel and franchise===
{{main|Doom (franchise)|l1=''Doom'' (franchise)}}
After completing ''Doom'', id Software began working on a sequel using the same engine, ''Doom II'', which was released to retail on October 10, 1994, ten months after the first game. GT Interactive had approached id before the release of ''Doom'' with plans to release a retail version of ''Doom'' and ''Doom II''. Id chose to create the sequel as a set of episodes rather than a new game, allowing John Carmack and the other programmers to begin work on id's next game, ''[[Quake (video game)|Quake]]''.<ref name="MOD180182"/> ''Doom II'' was the United States' highest-selling software product of 1994 and sold more than {{nowrap|1.2 million}} copies within a year.<ref name="Doom2sales1"/><ref name="Doom2sales2"/>

''Doom II'' was followed by an expansion pack from id, ''Master Levels for Doom II'' (1995), consisting of 21 commissioned levels and over 3000 user-created levels for ''Doom'' and ''Doom II''.<ref name="DoomMaster"/> Two sets of ''Doom II'' levels by different amateur map-making teams were released together by id as the standalone game ''[[Final Doom]]'' (1996).<ref name="FinalDoom1"/><ref name="FinalDoom2"/> ''Doom'' and ''Doom II'' were both included, along with previous id games, in the ''id Anthology'' compilation (1996).<ref name="Compilation1"/> The [[Doom (franchise)|''Doom'' franchise]] has continued since the 1990s in several iterations and forms. The video game series includes ''[[Doom 3]]'' (2004), ''[[Doom (2016 video game)|Doom]]'' (2016), and ''[[Doom Eternal]]'' (2020), along with other spin-off video games.<ref name="IGNDoom3Versions"/><ref name="IGNDoom4"/><ref name="DOOMEternal-release"/><ref name="DOOMspinoffs"/> It additionally includes [[Doom (novel series)|multiple novels]], a comic book, board games, and two films: ''[[Doom (film)|Doom]]'' (2005) and ''[[Doom: Annihilation]]'' (2019).<ref name="Novels"/><ref name="Boardgame"/><ref name="Films"/>

===Controversies===
{{See also|List of banned video games by country}}
[[File:Doom gibs.png|thumb|''Doom''{{'s}} intense level of graphic violence, as seen in this gory effect of a rocket hitting a group of demons, made the game highly controversial.<ref name="MOD171"/>|alt=Screen shot of a rocket exploding, causing multiple enemies to burst into bloody chunks]]
''Doom'' was notorious for its high levels of [[graphic violence]] and [[Satanism|satanic]] imagery, which generated controversy from a broad range of groups.<ref name="MOD171"/> ''Doom'' for the 32X was one of the first video games to be given a Mature 17+ rating from the [[Entertainment Software Rating Board]] due to its violent gore and nature, while ''Doom II'' was the first.<ref name="MOD171"/><ref name="DoomMature"/><ref name="DoomViolence"/> In Germany, shortly after its publication, ''Doom'' was classified as "harmful to minors" by the [[Federal Department for Media Harmful to Young Persons]] and could not be sold to children or displayed where they could see it, which was only rescinded in 2011.<ref name="GermanyBan"/>

''Doom'' again sparked controversy in the United States when it was found that [[Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold]], who committed the [[Columbine High School massacre]] on April 20, 1999, were avid players.<ref name="NYTColumbine"/> While planning for the massacre, Harris said in his journal that the killing would be "like playing ''Doom''".<ref name="EscapistColumbine"/> A rumor spread afterward that Harris had designed a custom ''Doom'' level that looked like the high school, populated with representations of Harris's classmates and teachers, which he used to practice for the shooting.<ref name="SnopesHarrisLevels"/> Although Harris did design several custom ''Doom'' levels, which later became known as the "[[Doom modding#Miscellaneous|Harris levels]]", none were based on the school.<ref name="SnopesHarrisLevels"/> ''Doom'' was dubbed a "mass murder simulator" by critic and Killology Research Group founder [[Dave Grossman (author)|David Grossman]].<ref name="DoomKillology"/>

In the earliest release versions, the level E1M4: Command Control contains a [[swastika]]-shaped structure, which was put in as a homage to ''Wolfenstein 3D''. The swastika was removed in later versions, out of respect for a military veteran's request, according to Romero.<ref name="IGNvideo"/>

===Community===
{{see also|Doom modding|l1=''Doom'' modding}}
''Doom''{{'}}s popularity and innovations attracted a community that has persisted for decades since.<ref name="community1"/> The deathmatch mode was an important factor in its popularity.<ref name="MOD182184"/> ''Doom'' was the first game to coin the term "deathmatch" and introduced multiplayer shooting battles to a wide audience.<ref name="community1"/><ref name="Community2"/> This led to a widespread community of players who had never experienced fast-paced multiplayer combat before.<ref name="community1"/>

Another popular aspect of ''Doom'' was the versatility of its WAD files, enabling [[user-generated content|user-generated levels]] and other game modifications. John Carmack and Romero had strongly advocated for mod support, overriding other id employees who were concerned about commercial and legal implications. Although WAD files exposed the game data, id provided no instructions for how they worked. Still, players were able to modify leaked alpha versions of the game, allowing them to release level editors within weeks of the game's release.<ref name="MOD167169"/>

On January 26, 1994, university student Brendon Wyber led a group to create the first full [[level editor]], the Doom Editor Utility, leading to the first custom level by Jeff Bird in March.<ref name="MOD167169"/><ref name="ESCModHistory"/> It was followed by "countless" others, including many based on other franchises like ''[[Alien (franchise)|Aliens]]'' and ''[[Star Wars (film)|Star Wars]]'' [[total conversion mod]]s, as well as DeHackEd, a patch editor first released in 1994 by Greg Lewis that allowed editing of the game engine.<ref name="MOD167169"/><ref name="RPSModHistory"/> Soon after the first mods appeared, id CEO Wilbur posted legal terms to the company's website, allowing mod authors to charge money without any fees to id, while also absolving the company of responsibility or support.<ref name="MOD167169"/>

''Doom'' mods were widely popular, earning favorable comparisons to the official level additions seen in ''The Ultimate Doom''.<ref name="PCZTUDreview"/><ref name="JSTUDreview"/> Thousands of user-created levels were released in the first few years after the release; over 3000 such levels for ''Doom'' and ''Doom II'' were included in the official retail release ''Master Levels for Doom II'' (1995).<ref name="DoomMaster"/> [[WizardWorks]] released multiple collections of mods of ''Doom'' and ''Doom II'' under the name ''D!Zone''.<ref name="Dragon217"/> At least one mod creator, [[Tim Willits]], was later hired at id Software.<ref name="MOD212"/> Mods have continued to be produced, with the community Cacowards awarding the best of each year.<ref name="Cacowards19"/> In 2016, Romero created two new ''Doom'' levels: E1M4b ("Phobos Mission Control") and E1M8b ("Tech Gone Bad").<ref name="NewLevels"/><ref name="RomeroLevels"/> In 2018, for the 25th anniversary of ''Doom'', Romero announced ''[[Sigil (mod)|Sigil]]'', an unofficial fifth episode containing nine levels. It was released on May 22, 2019, for {{€|6.66}} with a soundtrack by [[Buckethead]], and then released again for free on May 31 with a soundtrack by James Paddock. A physical release was later produced.<ref name="Sigil1"/><ref name="Sigil2"/> A sixth episode, ''Sigil II'', was released on the game's 30th anniversary, December 10, 2023, again for {{€|6.66}} for a digital copy with a soundtrack by [[Valient Thorr]], as well as physical editions on [[floppy disk]].<ref name="SigilII"/>

In addition to WAD files, ''Doom'' includes a feature that allowed players to record and play back gameplay using files called [[Game replay|demos]], or game replays.<ref name="SnyderBook"/> Although the concept of [[speedrunning]] a video game existed before ''Doom'', its release coincided with a wave of popularity for speedrunning, amplified by the [[Virtual community|online communities]] built on the nascent Internet.<ref name="wired culture"/> Demos were lightweight files that could be shared more easily than video files on internet [[bulletin board system]]s at the time.<ref name="SnyderBook"/> As a result, ''Doom'' is credited with creating the video game speedrunning community.<ref name="SpeedrunOrigin1"/><ref name="SpeedrunOrigin2"/> The speedrunning community for ''Doom'' has continued for decades. As recently as 2019, community members have broken records originally set in 1998.<ref name="SpeedrunLongevity1"/> ''Doom'' has been termed as having "one of the longest-running speedrunning communities" as well as being "the quintessential speedrunning game".<ref name="SpeedrunLongevity2"/><ref name="SpeedrunLongevity3"/>
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