Doom and the First-Person Shooter

What happened

Released in December 1993 by id Software, Doom put players behind a gun in fast, immersive 3-D corridors. It added networked multiplayer over local networks and modems, and was deliberately built so that players could create and share their own levels and graphics.

Why it matters

Doom established the first-person shooter as a dominant genre and pioneered online multiplayer and modding — cornerstones of modern gaming culture.

Sources

• IEEE Spectrum. The Video Game Software Wizardry of Id · Peer-reviewed