Task 3: Historical Text Analysis and Research

Doom



Doom is regarded as one of the first realistic first person shooter games in its era. The game was produced by id Software, which made games such as Dangerous Dave, Super Mario Bros 3 and Commander Keen. The game was officially released in 1993 and was one of the first games to use 3D graphics, networked multiplayer gaming, and support for customized additions and modifications via packaged files in a data archive known as "WADs".

As well as its Satanic imagery, the game was highly controversial , due to its references to violence and killing. Doom was played by an estimated 10 million people within two years of its release and gave rise to a new subculture, where gamers called themselves "Doom clones". According to GameSpy, Doom was voted by industry insiders to be the greatest game of all time in 2004. This game was originally intended to be released on PC/ DOS, but was released on nine different consoles. Though, later Doom 3 was an updated, realistic version of the game which was successful amongst fans of the game.

Doom is a science fiction/horror genre based game, which revolves around a space marine (dubbed "Doom-Guy") who is sent to Mars after assaulting his commanding officer, who ordered his unit to fire upon civilians. The marine has the task of wiping out aliens who have attacked a space station.

Doom is similar to my secondary text, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 , as it is a first person shooter which is closely associated with COD: MW2. The use of panning , where the player can look around for enemies and can navigate to different locations such as the space station. In addition, the availability of different weapons is similar to Call of Duty : Modern Warfare 2. Also, the use of blood and gore is similar in both texts, as the player is susceptible to enemy fire, but can regenerate by picking up health potions and packs on the way. However, Doom differs from Call of Duty : Modern Warfare 2, as its graphics are quite blocky and basic, whereas Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 has hyper realistic graphics, which create reality. Whats more, this game is revolutionary as it allows players to play online, therefore furthering the experience of the game, where the audience can customise the game to suit them. Like Call of Duty : Modern Warfare 2, the game allows interaction and audience participation.

The game shows the changes in video games, as over the years, as technology such as the internet and the invention of high definition televisions seem to make the video gaming experience more real and allow the audience to play with player across the world. In addition, the use of sound has changed considerably, as Doom's sounds, for example the reaction to getting shot has changed, with emotions being channeled into modern games such as Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2.