First-person shooters: Which did you play first?

May 19th, 2010

Throughout history, gamers have always liked to shoot things. In the olden days we had shoot 'em ups. Nowadays we have first-person shooters.

Although I missed Space Invaders upon its release in 1978, I clearly remember playing the game that transitioned shooters to the first-person perspective. It was the summer of 1992. My buddy Mark had recently acquired a new PC, and he had this 3.5" floppy disc with a game called Wolfenstein 3D.

"It's pretty freakin' cool," I remember him saying. Once loaded, I instantly knew I was looking at something special. To a thirteen year-old boy, it was if I was actually actually assuming the role of the playable character as opposed to watching him move around on screen. And those freakin' Doberman Pinschers scared the crap out of me.

(Seriously, Wolfenstein 3D was the first horror game.)

Looking back, it's hard to believe first-person shooters have been around for 18 years now, thanks mostly in part to Wolfenstein 3D (and later Doom). But not only have they "been around" for almost two decades, they have remained at the epicenter of gaming during that time, which is more than shoot 'em ups can say.

Stories you may have missed: