Another game related post. I try not to post too many of those, however it just so happens that this week those are the stories that came up for the site. This was actually the post I had coincidentally intended to put up yesterday before I heard about the death of Ralph Baer, but that was obviously much more important.

Anyway, you may notice the new wallpaper for the site. It looks like random code, however it is in fact the actual C programming code for the legendary 1993 PC game DOOM.

Programmed by John Carmack, who as far as I can tell is the only person to become famous for their coding skill, DOOM was the game that introduced gaming to a larger audience. It wasn’t the first to use the first-person approach to gaming, but it was easily the most effective (and he programmed Wolfenstein 3D as well). He is one of the foremost authorities on code and design, and he recently left id Software, where he had been since before DOOM was released, to work for Oculus in developing their virtual-reality headset Rift. It is his belief in the project that gives me the belief that there is something viable in it.

Screens like this kept many people up at night

DOOM – the game, not the movie – is spoken of with reverence within the community, however a couple of notes: It was not actually 3D, it’s what’s known as 2.5D; for example, the code didn’t allow for rooms to be built on top of other rooms, the levels had to be relatively linear. That is more apparent when you realize you can’t walk around enemies even after they’re defeated. As you step to the side or back of them, they automatically rotate to face you. That’s because they are sprites, equivalent to being drawn on paper, as opposed to polygons, which have depth.

This post went on longer than I intended. I just wanted to let you all know the wallpaper for this week is the code for DOOM. You can download the wallpaper here, you can download the actual code itself here (.zip, you’ll need to choose a mirror), and if you’re feeling nostalgic or want to find out what the hype is all about, you can play DOOM online at this link.

Now get back to work and quit playing games!