Doom (1993 video game)
Because id planned to self-publish the game, as the game neared completion they had to set up the systems to sell the game. Jay Wilbur, who had been brought on as CEO and sole member of the business team, planned the marketing and distribution of "Doom". He felt that the mainstream press was uninterested in the game, and as id would make the most money off of copies they sold directly to customers—up to 85 percent of the planned US$40 price—he decided to leverage the shareware market as much as possible, buying only a single ad in any gaming magazine. Instead, he reached out directly to software retailers, offering them copies of the first "Doom" episode for free, allowing them to charge any price for it, in order to spur customer interest in buying the full game directly from id.
1993 congressional hearings on video games
id Software's "Doom", a first-person shooter where the player fought hellish creatures and included graphic violence, was released on December 10, 1993, the day following the first hearing. Outside of the hearings, there was concern by parents and other organizations on the violence in this game as well. While "Doom" was not mentioned in either Senate hearing, it would come up against in 1999 following the Columbine High School massacre, where the perpetrators had described their planned attack as something straight out of "Doom". As a result, "Doom" is frequently classified along with "Mortal Kombat", "Night Trap", and "Lethal Enforcers" as early examples of violent video games highlighted by the media.