How did your interest in Doom affect you?

Just wondering how people's interest in Doom affected them. For instance, before Doom I didn't know much about computers. I didn't understand file extensions, for instance. I didn't know how to install programs and games. I didn't know how to use DOS. In fact I don't think I fully realized what it was. But as I learned how to make levels, I had to learn how to run them in Doom, and that meant learning to use DOS. Then I got on the internet. A few months later I learned that AOL gave each member 2mb of space for a website. So I went ahead and started one about Doom (Moe's Cool Doom Page, as some veterans may recall). At first I just used the program provided by AOL to design it. Then I ventured out and tried other programs. Then I learned HTML and did it in notepad. And as I became acquainted with Internet Doom community, I met people from all over the US and all over the world. I learned how to use IRC servers so I could attend TeamTNT meetings. I learned a great deal about computers and the Internet because of my interest in this game.

Doom's always been a constant in my life, pretty much. Can't say it's changed my life, since I'd have still progressed through life the same - but then again, I can't say for sure, since I wouldn't know what it's like without Doom!

It made me actually be able to play hard as fuck games

32 minutes ago, JoJo_BadDoom said:

Doom's always been a constant in my life, pretty much. Can't say it's changed my life, since I'd have still progressed through life the same - but then again, I can't say for sure, since I wouldn't know what it's like without Doom!

Always? Are you one of those Doomers who got into the game at a very very early age?

1 minute ago, Kor said:

Always? Are you one of those Doomers who got into the game at a very very early age?

Yup - I would have been three when the first doom came out, and I would have been around four or five when first playing it (well, with my dad's help anyway)

10 minutes ago, JoJo_BadDoom said:

Yup - I would have been three when the first doom came out, and I would have been around four or five when first playing it (well, with my dad's help anyway)

I didn't know about it when it first came out. I was an 11 year old who was far more into Legos and drawing than I was into computers and video games. I didn't discover the game til I was 12. I only played it once at a friend's house. I was 13 when I could actually play it on the home computer.

doom and half life shaped my interest in games i dont even remember being introduced to them theyve just been around me as long as i can remember, my older brothers all played it

Doom has always been pretty important to me as far as what it's gotten me into.  In the old DOS days, it's what taught me the command line, .bat scripting, and also introduced me to a little bit of programming by modifying DEU.  It also is how I got into writing music on a computer.  So really, where I'm at today with programming and Linux and my music is entirely due to Doom, directly or indirectly.

It made me realize that I am the demons!

Alot better at games now, I couldn't even beat hl2 on easy before it.

I've lost everything because of Doom. My job, my wife, my house - all gone.

Despite only being here for a few years, I feel like Doom and this community/forum has helped shape who I am today to some degree, both irl and online. It really peaked my interest for programming and gamedev due to mapping and reading up on the engine/technical tidbits, and being apart of this community in particular was the first time I felt at home within some sort of online community.

There's a lot I can say but I'd be here all day.

Certainly expanded my interest towards a genre of games i was familiarized with half life, but discovered a niche more expansive and different than that game, also shit about .bat files and alike

1 hour ago, FletcherHonoroma said:

I've lost everything because of Doom. My job, my wife, my house - all gone.

worth it!

The Doom community made my love of composing music feel worthwhile, because people outside of random folks I showed my compositions to actually cared about what I was making. The Ultimate MIDI Pack, and to a lesser extent the Double Impact MIDI Pack, have been some of the most fulfilling projects I ever worked on.

Doom's probably had the biggest or most lingering impact on my life than any other form of media really, from my music taste, my preferred genre of fiction being science fiction, and even the way I see stuff around me, like seriously, Doom mods have taught me way more about art than any movie or painting ever could. Ive always been a fan of sci-fi like Aliens and the Terminator even as a kid, but Doom has had the most effect in my life for sure.

My interest in Doom is practically the reason I started programming. Ever since I played awesome Doom mods like Russian Overkill and DoomRPG, I wanted to learn how to make my own. Doom took me on a game design journey that has yet to stop. I've even made some prototype games in Unity Engine, all because I took that first leap into Doom modding!

I learned power of 8 and visualise rooms in 2d and 3d because of mapping, express my own imagination different ways, otherwise I'm same as I was before returning to the game. 

14 hours ago, Remilia Scarlet said:

Doom has always been pretty important to me as far as what it's gotten me into.  In the old DOS days, it's what taught me the command line, .bat scripting, and also introduced me to a little bit of programming by modifying DEU.  It also is how I got into writing music on a computer.  So really, where I'm at today with programming and Linux and my music is entirely due to Doom, directly or indirectly.

I learned a bit about .bat scripting as well. And thanks to ZDoom and learning how to script for it (back in the late 90s), I learned a little about programming. Though I don't have anywhere near enough skill to modify something like DEU.

Beyond giving me an endless source of fun, It gave me a platform to realize my interest in mapping, which is something I've had since childhood. Ever since I started messing around with the level editors from various old rts games, I've always had an interest in making digital spaces, and Doom gave me the best framework for that.

12 hours ago, Kor said:

I learned a bit about .bat scripting as well. And thanks to ZDoom and learning how to script for it (back in the late 90s), I learned a little about programming. Though I don't have anywhere near enough skill to modify something like DEU.

Well my modifications of DEU weren't huge additions or anything... they were small workflow tweaks mainly.  I turned it into my own editor called KillEd, but I don't think I have the source for it anymore.  Maybe someday I'll find it tucked away in a .tar file.