John Carmack’s fateful decision to create a standalone file format for Doom’s levels and other data rather than bundle them with the game’s code let others create new levels without overwriting the original Doom data. Carmack opened the path to a modding culture to be born. Soon enough there were total conversions like the Aliens total conversion as well as new levels in the Doom model available for free online. Modding is one of the big areas that still separates the PC gaming experience from the console experience and it started with Doom. Carmack’s later decision to release the complete source code of Doom meant that modders have been able to continue upgrading the guts of the Doom engine for modern play, meaning Doom modding is alive and well today in 2022 with mind bending levels that would never have been possible in the 90s. This week on Gameography we talk mods and the legacy of Doom.
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