By David Pescovitz
"Of course it's violent," says John Romero, game developer for id, the Dallas area software company that created the runaway best-selling computer game Doom. "We like violent movies, books, and other stuff." And it shows -
computer game Bart Simpson would play. The theme is simple: kill or be killed by numerous horrific demons in the darkest pits of a cyberhell unrivaled since Dante. In support of Romero's admissions of a mild gore fetish, "Bizguy" Jay Wilbur and other members of the completely male Doom design team laugh maniacally and yell out their fave horror influences: from The Texas Chainsaw Massacre to Terminator, all show up in the game in one morbidly inspired form or another. Doom first splattered across the Internet and BBSes last December. The first level of the game is available for free download. Or you may order direct from id at no cost (except for US$5 for shipping). Additional levels, inevitably sought by even the most disciplined "occasional players," can then be purchased from the company – the same ingenious marketing scheme used by the proverbial drug dealers to build up a loyal clientele. "That's the plan all right. The first one is free," Wilbur says. "Talk to us for more." And lots of people seem to be jonesing for their Doom. Sales have exceeded about 50,000 units domestically. Since hitting the Net, Doom has spread like wildfire. It's even found its way into the cubicles of many computer companies, prompting some supervisors to implement anti-Doom policies, according to Wilbur. "John Carmack, the technical genius at id, once said Doom would be the major cause of productivity loss for 1994," Wilbur says. "I'm delighted to see that the workers would want to play the game so much that their bosses would get pissed at them." And what of fears that Doom might cause kids to go postal? "My kids are too young to play," Wilbur says. "But in time I will teach them the difference between reality and fantasy. I'm confident that they'll know that a good game is just a good game." id Software: (800) 434 2637, fax +1 (303) 330 7553.
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