It’s hard to overstate the importance of Doom in gaming culture. The franchise, which began back in 1993, has pioneered dozens of innovations players now take for granted; its reach can be traced to just about every major trend seen today. Developed by a group of five people that comprised id Software, the original Doom is often called the father of first-person shooters — which is true — but it’s also much more.
Building on the design foundation of the studio’s previous game, Wolfenstein 3D (1992), Doom popularized the core tenets of the first-person shooter genre with fast-paced action, tight gunplay, and complex three-dimensional levels to explore. The game struck a chord with players, becoming a shorthand for an entire genre. For a…