Skip to main content

Doom Eternal (2020) Review: No Girls or Trans People Allowed

This review is for Doom Eternal. It strictly covers the game's single-player campaign, not the game's lore or multi-player. 

Update, 4/13/2021: With the release of part two of "The Ancient Gods," I've revisited this review, rewriting the introduction and adding a DLC section at the end. 

To hear my final, updated thoughts on Doom Eternal—especially speedruns of it—check out my longread, "Spectating FPS Speedruns: Potential Pitfalls Exemplified by Doom Eternal."

Introduction; Gender Trouble

In these latter days of nostalgia mania, Doom Eternal shamelessly panders to an older audience. I don't mean that in the sense of gore and violence; I mean it's literally made for an audience that craves an older time. Not just demons and castles (though it has plenty of those), but those from 1980s and '90s. Those decades were a time of fixed gender assignment, where men were heroes and girls were damsels-in-distress. 

Not always. Consider Ellen Ripley, but also Samus Aran, her videogame counterpart. Though central in Gothic works like Alien and Metroid, these warlike, phallic women weren't the industry standard; they were the exception. I'd say this standard has come home to roost in Doom Eternal. However, there are no damsels in the game. In fact, there are no women period, save the Khan Maker, the Whiplash and Dr. Ellena Richardson. 

Unfortunately the whiplash is neutered—having her breasts removed (for "marketing reasons" according to Hugo Martin)—and Ellena is completely off-screen. There, she renounces her position as a scientist to essentialize the Slayer as a god—one whose strength is necessary for the survival of civilization. This is hardly "neutral." Instead, traditional roles are reinstated through times of imaginary crisis. In Doom Eternal, the one human female character is an invisible cheerleader lusting after the protagonist while enforcing traditional gender roles. She might as well be an uneducated housewife kissing her husband on the cheek before he marches off to war. 

Maybe women don't want that?

The image above is a pretty good example of a sexualized doomgirl, similar to how Samus Aran can be sexualized through her power suit.
Here's a pretty good example of a sexualized doomgirl, similar to how Samus Aran can be sexualized through her power suit.

Alas, in a world where men are kings, no woman can apparently enjoy Doomguy's exclusive luxury of masculine nudity or heroic power. The physical rights of the male action hero are denied to them (despite Red Sonya being a Marvel comics Amazon staple since the early 1970s). Meanwhile, if someone like me, who loves Metroid, wanted to be Samus or some other "doomgirl" alternative to the classic male hero in Doom, I couldn't because girls are, from a traditional standpoint, heavily regulated sex objects. Attempts to adopt the same position for female characters are generally sexualized* for men. There are exceptions—of "butch" or masculine depictions of doomgirl—but these hardly represent the norm.

*For more information on sexism in games, consider reading my piece, "Borrowed Robes: The Role of 'Chosen' Clothing."

I’m not against sexiness, nor spiritual Conan adaptations (John Milius’ 1981 is pretty great, especially the music); I am against sexism, or compulsory roles for men and women. At the very least id could make the protagonist optionally female, but they didn't; they went out of their way to exclude women from any powerful role in-game... except the Kahn's role of Archaic Mother*, a type of patriarchal boogeyman for the hero to slay (thus preserve maintain order).

*For more information on Archaic Mothers and powerful women in videogames, consider reading my piece, "War Vaginas: Phallic Women, Vaginal Spaces and Archaic Mothers in Metroid."

To grant women similar positions of power introduces a problem for developers obviously catering to the traditional, default norm. Judith Butler calls this problem "gender trouble," and it's precisely what id doesn't want. Their solution is to make trans people vanish, and for women to be of a singular position: damsels, with no mind of their own, or desires divorced from the Slayer's pointedly Conan the Barbarian physique.


That's precisely the issue with Doom Eternal—it's a game "for men" when it doesn't need to be; girls and queer people like metal, fantasy violence, and demons too. Historically these areas have sexualized components. The lack of sexuality in Doom Eternal explains why women and trans people have been excluded. In the traditional sense, women are sex objects and trans people don't count. 

This feels like a broader, worrying trend. As a AAA title, Doom 2016 felt much less singular in its audience base; after Trump's election, however, id pandered to male gamers with a Marvel-esque vision of the world, replete with traditional gender roles tied to binary images of conventional war. Is Doom Eternal explicitly political? No, but politics and popular media are seldom directly linked in America. Instead, media is sponsored by those with political views, regardless if that cash comes from corporate or consumer pockets. And traditionalists pay for media that supports their attitudes, regardless if the authors publicly state their intended audience. The content and the purchase adumbrate these ties nonetheless.

Thought technically well-made, Doom Eternal feels like a nostalgic old boys' club. Everyone's a male beefcake flexing at each other. To draw from Umberto Eco's 14 features of fascism, it's action—specifically strength—for the sake of itself. A perpetual casus belli that grants men total power in society and abroad. This imperium regulates everyone, though, including men. The biggest regulation is that which is absent: women, trans people, and sex. With its purified, '80s violence, Doom Eternal is masculine, bellicose and chaste—with obligatory male butts plastered all over the place: "It's not sexual; it's masculine!" 

The Original Review

Gothic stories have existed for centuries, including inside fascist cultures. Despite its savior complex and unstoppable, manly hero, is Doom Eternal Gothic?

Well, sort of.

In Britain, the Neo-Gothic movement initially focused on the return—of a Romanticized past, imprinted on the Catholic faith as demonized during the Reformation. By visiting Hell on Earth, Doom Eternal returns an "older," devilish religion to the mortal plane: the Hell priests. These robed outsiders announce themselves with gaudy icons, skulls and yawning spires; also an outside, the Slayer belongs to an order of medieval knights called the Sentinels. It's all highly Romantic from a visual standpoint; deliberately antiquated.



Doom Eternal ignores many of the other ways a Gothic space can function. Its levels aren't mazes to lose yourself in; they're scenic, and have only one direction by which to move: forwards. Gaze upon torture chambers, abandoned castles, and lakes of fire. Alas, there's little fear and awe. Just colorful images. Likewise, the lonesome, 2016 chorus is gone, replaced with dubstep and nu-metal—anathema to the thrash crowd of the 1980s.

For a longtime metal fan like myself, Mick Gordon's second Doom entry feels like a solid "B," but hardly a magnum opus. Nothing comes close to rivaling "Rip and Tear" or "BFG Division." Instead, the new material works best to complement the action. I'd kill for some Bobby Prince. Give me some Mercyful Fate, or better yet, Aubrey Hodges!

Returning to the levels, they remain visually varied, but there isn't much visual progression. The areas in Castlevania (1986) and Metroid (1986) sit inside a larger eponymous structure; Doom Eternal is all over the map. You're effectively a tourist, skipping from place to place. If it were open-ended, or selected from a map screen a la Mega Man (1987), perhaps it would have worked better. But it's not. It's just an unbroken sequence of different locales with seemingly no relation to one another, a colorful Rubik's cube of combat.



With its floating 1-Ups and obvious item roster, Doom Eternal feels unapologetically retro. So does its in-game cache of nerdy secrets—floppy discs and vinyl record repressings. Unfortunately the game's cultural attitudes are equally dated. Its target community is effectively an all-boys club, filled to capacity with men who loved Doom (1993) in the good ol' days. The game plays like an ultraviolent, "Saturday morning" cartoon, worshiping the bulging bicep, not the bosom. There's no sex, and no women. I couldn't shake the feeling of a didactic series of action figures brought out of the closet for les enfants terrible to reclaim their lost childhoods.

And honestly this would be fine if that past wasn't so sexless, so ostensibly "neutral" and male-centric. 2020 is more than a nostalgic Pax Deorum for '90s kids; it has girls and queer people in it, and open-if-optional sexual preferences. None of these things exist in Doom Eternal. All we're left with is the outmoded, homosocial worshiping of the Doom marine by a largely male audience: the giga-Chad admired by Real Men everywhere. He's too cool for sex, though. Not when there's demon bros to kill. Devilman Crybaby (2018), I hardly knew ye.


Optional, but available. 

Doom Eternal is made for the Twitch crowd, a tough-as-nails game aimed squarely at the best of the best. These exhibitions are a blast to watch; they also fill chat rooms with men obnoxiously shouting "DOOOOOOOOOOM!" I love a good bloodbath; I just don't feel the same surge of euphoria by posturing that some obviously do. And I feel like I should: I played Doom (1993) throughout the '90s, and consider myself a fan. I also think the original series wasn't nearly as overt in its singular camaraderie as Doom Eternal is. That came later.

It can be exciting to know that something was lovingly made, and just for you. I just hate to feel alienated from a franchise so near and dear to my heart because of its staunchest flag-wavers: "This is ours; it was made for us!" And maybe it was. It also misses the beauty of its predecessor, Doom 2016. That game steered away from a specific persona for a wider appeal, and worked better for it. Minimal but elegant, it rescued "rip and tear" from an infamously bad Doom comic, creating a badass slogan in the process. Doom Eternal mostly reneges on these innovations, valorizing the meme its precursor subverted so deftly.

Maybe I'm an outsider and always was (my preference for Midway's PSOne port may speak to this). It's still jarring to see the sequel to a clean-slate revival backtrack so abruptly tone-wise. Doom Eternal shamelessly panders to a fan base the 2016 reboot largely ignored. Yes, the Doom community is quite real, but is there any room for an old Doom fan like myself to enjoy the same game for my own reasons? Yes, but not through its dated treatment of gender and sex. Apparently that's my problem, not theirs.



Doom's original tone borrowed a lot from the Evil Dead franchise, especially Evil Dead II (1987)—a series that aptly demonstrates how the balance between humor and horror is tricky to manage. Generally in flux from title to title, the wrong blend of scares and laughs can alienate certain members of a larger fan group. Imagine my disappointment, then, in seeing Doom's latest reincarnation being so flippantly dumb. Yes, they include an official port for Midway's Doom 64 (1997). That feels like a hand-me-down toy on Christmas: It's the one I like, but I already own it.

The game's overall presentation is largely transparent, and would have benefited by trusting players to imagine and learn, rather than spelling out every last detail. To be generous, the story in Doom Eternal is pretty disposable, a grand space opera with debatable contributions. The game also color codes everything—items, cracks in the walls, the traffic-light signpost system. With so much visual data to work with, an obtrusive tutorial system seems superfluous. While you can turn that off, you can't disable the narrator or the multiple, chatty load screens. Cut scenes and lore dumps are frequent, but add little more than corny jokes (see: "mortally-challenged") and sanguine, WWE-style schlock.

The game's calling card is over-the-top ultraviolence and it achieves this well. Doom 2016 was effectively "Move, shoot." There was no reload. Not so, with Doom Eternal (2020). In it, you'll need to manage three key resources: health, armor and ammo.

The chainsaw "reloads" ammo. You'll have to use it often: every single fight. The same goes for flame belch and glory kills, but also all of your weapons. Ammo counters are precariously small and discourage weapon bias. The game is designed to be played in a very specific manner, especially on the harder difficulties. There's some wiggle room with weapon mods, Praetor points and runes. Likewise, every fight feels special. Despite following the same rules, everything occurs inside a solid, consistent combat loop.



Another plus were the choices concerning charge-based moves like the chainsaw and blood punch. The latter cannot be refilled without performing two glory kills and the chainsaw can use up too much fuel if used on the wrong demon. It pays to prioritize the right demons with the right tools at the right time. Using the wrong tool can be dangerous, if only because it's a waste of ammo. The game isn't survival-horror. Even on Nightmare, rebounds are possible. Just be prepared to go back to school; the learning curve is steep.

While the combat in Doom Eternal is impeccable, its parallel movement schemes—combat and exploratory motion—don't mix. Platforming sections give the player something to do outside of fights. However, the game should have melded the two schools into something more cohesive. I say this because its combat movement is the core gameplay experience, and is actually dangerous to perform, thus exciting to watch. Generally isolated, the exploratory movement is tedious and dull for everyone involved.

Another complaint involves the berserk power-up. Doom 2016 featured the Slayer flying through enemies like a tornado and punching larger foes to pieces; in Doom Eternal, Doomguy has one kill animation per foe—an oddity considering how many glory kills he can do by comparison. This includes the chainsaw. Despite this dearth of carnage, Id Software removed my favorite glory kill from 2016: the belly slash for the mancubus. His kill animations, and those for the cacodemon's ill-fated eyeball, are far too repetitive.



The boss fights are frequent and varied. However, the late-game additions to Doomguy's arsenal overpower them. Given the obvious strength of the Crucible, I would have put it behind the Slayer Gate paywall and cut the Unmaykr from the game. Giving the player a "bad ending" option by defeating the final boss without it would have been cool, too. I also think the Crucible should have been powered by killing demons instead of ammo placed around the map. There's way too much of it, considering how strong the weapon is. Sure it doesn't kill trash, but does it need to? Behead the Baron and his cronies scatter pretty fast.

Cleaving through "super heavy" demons also cuts the dance short. This may be to encourage speedier end-game fights, but from a design standpoint feels a bit checkered. In-game, I'm torn between watching the Slayer kill enemies, or speedrun. These are two very different schools of thought, and should be cooperating instead of competing with each other for the player's attention (which I write about, here). I can't help but feel that Id Software is juggling. It does a good enough job, until the two areas are suddenly at odds.

The guns in Doom Eternal are beefy and loud. However, I wanted to feel in awe—even afraid—when firing a Hell-forged rocket launcher. Instead, I remembered I Am Ninja's warning to would-be weapon buyers: "Sure it says, 'Forged in the belly of a pooka-werewolf...'" Doom 2016's arsenal was sleek, legit—the sort a futuristic company like the UAC might actually use; Doom Eternal's stockpile is somewhat cartoonish and toy-like.


This being said, I loved the revamped plasma rifle. I always hated how it appeared in classic Doom, but Doom Eternal makes it look and sound awesome.

Remember the "ultimate demon" from Doom 2016, how he sounded like the Cookie Monster? In Doom Eternal, everything sits in his shadow, pandering to players who couldn't care less about gravitas. I found myself remembering the mysterious old man's causus belli from 2016: "Brutal, without mercy. But you... you will be worse. Rip and tear, until it is done!" Wouldn't a full campaign of that be cool? No such luck. The combat in Doom Eternal is exhilarating. Attached to something substantial and tremendous, it could have been magnificent, too. Instead, it's really dorky.

The monster design isn't terrible. However, 2016 wore "uncanny" on its sleeve. Here, the mancubi aren't cyclopean; the hell knights have eyes; the cacodemons have pupils; the possessed have normal faces, and so on. They're also strangely expressive, sounding almost human-at times—less H. R. Giger and more Don Ivan Punchatz.

Doom Eternal is effectively a game of puzzles: the monsters, and the ammo you kill them with. But it's more complex than it sounds. Generally easy, the classic games are hard when played as fast as possible. Doom Eternal is tough by default; it will be harder still if the combat cannot be skipped by speedrunners trying to go fast. I love how Doom Eternal caters to Twitch speedrunners. No matter how a game is designed, a speedrunner can find ways to break the rules. Some categories will still require a healthy dose of combat, hopefully.



Is the game perfect? No. Is it fun? Sure. Doomguy is like the Predator—not just in appearance, nor how Mick Gordon rips off Alan Silvestri, but in how the Slayer skins his enemies alive (not only is the gorehound in me pleased; it's another strategic layer to the game)! When the game is stripped of its own cartoonishly big muscles, we're left with a cleverly designed skeleton. It holds up rather well. 

What doesn't hold up so well is the "made for boys" attitude—the Marvel-style endgame that will keep sexist, toy-hungry comic book nerds coming back for thirds. Consumers can buy whatever they want. The problem is, Doom Eternal ignores demons and videogame violence as a realm for everyone, especially women and queer people. In Doom Eternal, they simply don't exist.

Thoughts on the DLC

This new section comments on the game's DLC. "The Ancient Gods, part 1," or "TAG 1," deserves special praise. The level design is more claustrophobic: More hallways and ceilings mean the player cannot fly around like Superman to quite the same degree, and the increased monster count all but requires the player to use AoE attacks. Some of the visual hang-ups remain, but the music is more forceful and heavy. "TAG 1" is also more difficult* and balanced. 


Unfortunately "TAG 2" frequently reverts to flat, empty platforming sections and wide-open battlefields. There's nothing to jump on—just these floating objects the player can use to meat hook into the sky with. It's the epitome of cheap, lazy level design, the entire budget focused on pretty visuals. These areas feel strangely empty at times, the kill boxes themselves having the lion's share of prey. Even those feel wrought from rude interchangeable parts: platforms, jump pads, and monkey bars. It makes the recent maps by John Romero in Sigil seem Byzantine by comparison (to be fair, his work in that megawad was incredible).

On a bittersweet note, the player in "part 2" no longer has the Crucible. As a result, this fight with two Tyrants becomes a bit more challenging and mobile; the player can't simply kill them with a mouse click. Instead, they must jump and platform while avoiding the Tyrants' attacks. The whole game should be like this. It's not, granting the Escalation Encounters an oasis-like feel, drip-fed when it should be full blast. Worse, the hammer has its own design flaws, stunning groups of demons outright and showering the player with maximum resources for minimal effort.
 


Simply put, the hammer's totally busted. This, and other "nerfs," have split the community in two: Casuals love it; so-called "elitists" hate it. Such factions appearing in Doom Eternal community discourse reflects an unfortunate trend in the game's "live service" model. The game was arguably unfinished at launch, but the live service approach through the DLC means id can be swayed by public opinion. Who do they appeal to—a continuous stream of one-time casual players; or a smaller, more dedicated base of hardcore players who want to play the game more than once?

I think the community's response speaks for itself. Players are attacking each other en masse, with words like "toxic" being applied to other consumers instead of criticizing those in power—id studios, but especially Bethesda and Microsoft. These kinds of AAA clusterfucks are generally the fault of the publisher trying to push their content creators around. I certainly don't want to go after id, since they very obviously made a hard-as-fuck game right out of the gate, and Bethesda and Microsoft have been dumbing it down ever since.

The situation sucks because id is beholden to their bosses, who change fairly often. First, id butters up hardcore players in October 2020 with "TAG 1," pissing off casuals. Then, Bethesda is purchased by Microsoft in March 2021. A couple weeks later, "TAG 2" debuts, but id nerfs "TAG 1." Ostensibly the company can't make up their mind and are trying to please everyone. In reality I think larger forces are calling the shots.
 


These decisions are generating some pretty serious waves in the Doom community. So great is the tension that Under the Mayo felt compelled to take down his own review of the game despite critiquing it openly and honestly. This is completely absurd; I feel that id, whether intentionally or by accident, have divided their own fan base, alienated critics, and papered over speedrunners (actually I feel like id have deliberately patched the game to make things harder for speedrunners, despite speedrunners not effecting how casual people play their product). 

All id would have to do is wait until they have a solution that pleases both sides, instead of appealing to one side then the other by constantly rushing things. They don't, and the end result is strife—with two groups more easily put to heel by pitting them against each other. Casual players are catered to, and hardcore players are left with a promise: We'll make you single master levels. The quiet part of that promise is "We'll make them one at a time." Seems like kind of a minimalist concession when fans can already make master levels themselves, and those made by id are notoriously infrequent and buggy.

This kind of oscillation and "live service" approach seriously hobble the larger game's raw content. In particular, "TAG 2" signals a return of the empty platforming sections from the base game. This platforming sequence has no monsters at all, just a basic puzzle to solve and some standard-fare, AAA fantasy visuals. The common argument is that areas like these add variety from the monster combat. But it just feels empty and tacked-on.

All in all, "TAG 1" and "TAG 2" suffer the same issues seen in the base game—the ones mentioned above, but especially starter areas meant to acclimate casual players, instead of shoving players in headfirst. To this, my partner made an interesting point: "Casual games don't need tutorials. I want to sit down, play for a bit, and then leave." Super Mario Bros. is a successful example, encouraging casual play that anyone can do—all without a single tutorial. "Pick up the game and play it on your home entertainment system." In 1985, this concept single-handedly revitalized the international gaming market following '83's video game crash.



Whether or not the player needs the tutorials in Doom Eternal is beside the point; they're still there, and the player must play through them no matter their skill level. Then, after 4-5 levels, the base game gives you the Meat Hook, which completely changes the way the game plays. So why not just start with it instead of wasting time? This issue is compounded in the DLC, whose "filler" early portions delay players the very things they want from the DLC: new monsters, combat mechanics and items.

I wouldn't be so critical if the DLC were free, but it's not. You buy the Deluxe Edition or the season pass—in other words, you pay extra money above the cost of the base game—and you get the DLC. It's not free at all. And it doesn't improve my issues with Doom Eternal. Even if it did, those fixes only exist inside the DLC, not the main campaign. It feels gated, hiding the best aspects of what Doom Eternal could be behind paywalls, but also pay-spaces: little, unsatisfying VIP rooms where the Real Fun™ happens.

I really dislike how the DLC straight-up panders to a single group—casual players. According to id themselves, they have to make DLC that newcomers will play (translation: they're using the DLC to cater to a larger and more lucrative group). Unfortunately they've done this by making Nightmare mode so easy it's not fun for hardcore players—odd, considering they targeted the hardcore playerbase through an arduous base campaign.


Granted, said campaign frontloads the player with far too many obstacles and not enough gear. I don't want to give id too much credit there, because Cultist Base remains the hardest level in the base campaign, a year later. Even so, the DLC is just all-around too easy. Has id ever played Dark Souls or Bloodbourne, with the hidden bosses and optional content being far harder than anything in the base campaign?

Until "TAG 2," the DLC felt short-but-sweet. Now the whole DLC program feels tone deaf, but also rushed, formulaic and lazy. Stranger still, many who play it swallow their criticism, aiming for solidarity within the fandom while venerating id. For me, that feels far less important than Doom Eternal successfully appealing to multiple groups as an FPS product. Historically id have a pretty good track record in this respect (aside from Doom 3, I suppose). Though far from perfect, even the base game in Doom Eternal offers a demonstrable challenge on Nightmare. Why take that away in the DLC?
 
***

About me: My name is Nick van der Waard and I'm a Gothic ludologist. I primarily write reviews, Gothic analyses, and interviews. Because my main body of work is relatively vast, I've compiled it into a single compendium where I not only list my favorite works, I also summarize them. Check it out, here!

I'm an artist and a writer. If you're interested my work and are curious about illustrated or written commissions, please refer to my website for more information. If you want to contact me about a guest article, please use this contact form or reach out to me on Discord (vanderWaardart#5394)!

If you want to make donations, you can directly support my artwork on Patreon and my writing on Ko-Fi!

Comments

  1. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

    ReplyDelete
  2. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

    ReplyDelete
  3. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

    ReplyDelete
  4. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

    ReplyDelete
  5. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

    ReplyDelete
  6. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

    ReplyDelete
  7. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

    ReplyDelete
  8. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

    ReplyDelete
  9. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

    ReplyDelete
  10. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

    ReplyDelete
  11. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

    ReplyDelete
  12. The fact that every single comment needed to be removed speaks volumes of the validity of this guy's opinion.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Because the writer only wants to hear their opinion and everybody elses opinion is "wrong".

      Delete
    2. This comment has been removed by the author.

      Delete
  13. "Doom Eternal (2020) Review: No Girls or Trans People Allowed" 🤡🤡🤡

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. As someone who actually is transgender, I can confirm that I really don't care that there's no trans stuff in Doom Eternal. The whole point of the game is to kill demons and have fun. Besides, you only get to see other human characters for about 1% of the entire game. Who cares what any of their genders or sexualities are? They're all just background characters anyway. Except for maybe the Intern, but really who tf cares what his deal is? I just wanna blow shit up lol.

      Delete
  14. Tom had never heard such bullshit before

    ReplyDelete
  15. This is what you got out of the game? Do you have brain rot from being chronically online?

    ReplyDelete
  16. It's okay to be garbage in a game......just don't make a clown out of yourself on the internet,
    The Doom Slayer is the literal definition of masculinity in video games and I doubt someone like you would change that.

    ReplyDelete
  17. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  18. "That's precisely the issue with Doom Eternal—it's a game "for men" when it doesn't need to be"

    What it sounds to me, that some of the people that feel women should be essential in everything, are just intimidated by the fact that the game worked so well without a major female presence. ✅

    _____________

    - Now here are the operative questions:

    1# 🔴Why shouldn't it be just for men?🔴

    2# 🔴Would it be a problem if it was just for women? (likely answer, no) 🔴

    3# Why can't men have anything nice without women being an inevitable issue regarding whatever it is we happen to like at that time? (Game, Movie, Comic, Webtoon, A discussion, etc.)

    4# Alternatively. Why aren't men allowed to enjoy something without it being attacked because women aren't involved?

    5# And why is it whenever women have franchises Directed to them, & made specifically for them (From Novels, to Shoujo, to Movies); MEN AREN'T saying "It's just for girls but it doesn't need to be?"
    _______________

    🔴 Hell even the Touhou Project games are majorly just female characters, if not 100%, and if i'm not mistaken the brunt of the fanbase are men.


    🔴Also, what's stopping women, or whatever other group from enjoying the DOOM games anyway? Nothing.


    🔴Women don't need to be in everything,🔴 especially if it's for men, and they don't need to be in obligatory powerful roles to check off boxes for the sake of agenda.


    🟢I rarely see any dude writing Essays complaining about the lack of POSITIVE traditionally masculine powerful roles for males in Madoka Magica, My Little Pony, PowerPuff girls, Steven Universe etc; And that's made for girls or tailored toward the more feminine perspective-- and that's fine



    🟢 The difference is, if the female centric media is just that good-- the average cat can watch it too or we just don't. It's that simple.

    🟢 But anything for men, women have to be forcefully jammed into the ether (Whether women like it or not) or when they are involved, it's still a problem because the female character is god forbid attractive IN ANY WAY.

    🔴When in reality, women on mass: Aren't complaining about DOOM Eternal, never have, and the people speaking on behalf of women for some reason think Women should've seen this as a problem, when they don't.



    All i know is if we got a Wonder Woman game that played exactly like GOW3, where all the enemies were sirens, witches and other goddesses; NO Males (Basically a 3rd person Touhou Project)

    but it was a good game, good plot, good gameplay, good soundtrack, badass Wonder woman Lore on display well represented--- Male or no Male characters involved, We'd play the shit out of that game without taking to Twitter, Tumblr, or elsewhere to whine about the lack of male characters.



    Either play the fucking game or don't; It's okay for Men to enjoy something, and it's okay for Women to enjoy something.

    It's okay for Women to have their escapism, and it's okay for Men to have their escapism.

    🟢 As it's acceptable to Society for women to be pandered to constantly across all media (even in media that was originally for boys)
    🟢Then it's okay for Men to be pandered to as well, without "obligatory" female presence. Period.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm not sure this is in good faith, but I'll bite. ;)

      The status quo isn't simply catering to men and women; it's enforcing the standard position (re: white, cis-het male) as universal. This includes all of the problematic elements said position tacitly or explicitly promotes: outright sexism, racism and transphobia, but also whitewashing and minority erasure by flooding the market with material For Men™. If both sides were being equally catered to, this lopsided treatment wouldn't exist, but it does. Women, be they assigned-at-birth or trans, DO NOT get an equal shake and share as men do; the videogame as something used to reinforce gender norms for decades is in full effect with Doom Eternal, and the game, at its core, represents that standard in a disturbingly pure way. Where are the women, the trans people, the persons of color? They simply don't exist.

      Delete
    2. Read the reply again, and think about what you wrote

      Delete
    3. Nick... You are complaining that a game about killing demons to save humanity doesnt have women trans people or persons of colours... dude we are playing the game in the areas that have already fucking fallen to hoards of demons and you expect people to survive?

      Delete
    4. bruh this nick guy's sooo full of s**t like....the doom slayer is basically the only human character in the game, and you don't get to know the gender of the few npc's that you meet while playing (not that some1 should give a f**k about their gender anyway) and every other moving entity is a damn demon.......the doom slayer was created as a white male, but it could've been a black female.....but then the trans would've still gome absolutely mad mad........there's no scenario where every1 is happy with doom if everything the audience cares about is stuffing every single minority in a game that's about killing demons and having fun shooting like a madman

      Delete
    5. Nick, one thing I would like to mention is the fact that women and people of color do exist in Doom Eternal, however, the entire point of Doom Eternal is to kill demons. No seriously, that is it. That's all the game is about, human beings are not the main focus, aside from the intern you probably wouldn't notice humans anyways, they are not vital to the story or gameplay. To put it simply, anything that is not a demon, the Doomslayer, or an upgrade of some sort, are not even remotely important. That's the point of the game, it's intended to be mindless fun. The game is pointed at the demographic that is more likely to enjoy that, Men, though they are not the only ones that can enjoy this, anybody can play the game and enjoy it, your gender doesn't matter. But to say that the game is transphobic and sexist because it does not have a trans person or a strong female lead is ridiculous, it has people of every race and has men and women, they are not important to the story and are in the background for the 1% of the game that they are in. The intern assists you with travel and that's about it. That's the only reason why he is even remotely important. Also you said, "In Doom Eternal, the one human female character is an invisible cheerleader lusting after the protagonist while enforcing traditional gender roles. She might as well be an uneducated housewife kissing her husband on the cheek before he marches off to war." Which I disagree with, and on top of that it appears you just blatantly ignored the fact that in this universe the Doomslayer is essentialy viewed as Jesus with a shotgun, it is about the fact that he is actively delving into the parts of earth that have no human life left and just slaughtering the demons that reside there. Incase you missed that I'll say it again, he is going to the places where all human life has either fled or been exterminated and killing demons. You get that? No human life, because there is no way for someone to survive there. The Doomslayer isn't just some random soldier in strong armor that is killing demons, if it were that easy the human race wouldn't have had 60% of its population decimated. He is literally a being that has the essence of God running through his veins. He has power that humans don't and is considered the one thing that could save humanity. It's that simple. He is actively doing what they can't and they want to help him if they can. I don't know why you think that just means that she's "lusting after him", she understands that he can save humanity and wants to help, that's it, not very complex. There is no transphobia, there is no sexism, it is literally a game about being a force of nature and killing demons, that is it.

      Delete
    6. Clearly nick doesn't even know what he is talking about, three of the "Girls are sex toys" images are fan art and shouldn't be taken as in game models. I'm also a writer and nick just seems he likes bitching about things that don't fucking matter. I've only read this article and I claim him a jackass

      Delete
    7. I like how Nick hasn't responded, shows how they don't have an argument to fight back with. If Nick has responded to this please show me cause I'm dying to see what bull they pulled up to fight back with.

      Delete
    8. How would you know the assignment of the characters? ID never provides a from-birth backstory to any of the NPC's. You just see people in their final masculine-feminine forms present in the game. Additionally, there are more female NPC's present that you've chosen to ignore during cutscenes during times when the Doom Slayer is interacting with humans. The overwhelming majority of the cutscenes consist of interaction with non-human characters and it would be shameful to think you just automatically assume their gender.

      Delete
  19. you know that even if you're not a guy, you can still play doom eternal right? its not like you have to show your id and prove that you're male.

    ReplyDelete
  20. Oh no doomguys not a female , that totally makes the game transphobic and hate women. Anyone can enjoy this game. Stop worrying about something irrelevant and trying to add something that would just make no sense and harm the game to New and older players specifically

    ReplyDelete
  21. People like you are reason Game Journalist exist

    ReplyDelete
  22. Hi, avid DOOM fan here. I was wanting to give my own to cents on this

    So, to start off with the things I agree with: Yes, TAG 1 and 2 felt rushed, especially 2. Microsoft's purchase of iD software and Bethesda really screwed over production for TAG 2, and I think they could have done better. I also think the Sentinel Hammer makes it a bit too easy for TAG 2, being someone who has played the entire game and DLC mltiple times.

    Now, on with the things I, respectfully, disagree with:
    1. My man. Nick. Buddy. Ol pal.... DOOM ETERNAL is simply a game about killing demons and saving humanity. The only damsel in distress is every other human on Earth

    2. The Doom Slayer is supposed to be an unstoppable force of nature in his universe. So, it would somewhat make sense to have his physique be based off of Conan or Rambo or Terminator. I can understand the bit of disgust, as muscles are not made for everyone. However, saying that his design is sexist and transphobic is just pure malarkey at this point

    3. Saying that the game is sexist and transphobic because there is no representation of trans people, or because the only female character are Khan Maykr and the Doktor, is just grasping for straws now. A game purely about slaying demons left and right does not need a strong female character, or a tans character so the LGBTQ+ community gets recognition.

    Now, I understand everyone is entitled to their own opinion, and I respect that, so I won't say that it is wrong. However, as I am allowed to disagree with it, I post this in hopes that we can respect each other's opinions.

    ReplyDelete
  23. Trans person here. Please shut up and let me gib demons in peace.

    ReplyDelete
  24. trans person aswell, stfu I love this game no on cares

    ReplyDelete
  25. you do realize anyone can play doom the game has followed the same formula since the 90's kill demons save earth that's not just for men hell my ex who transitioned from female to male actually loves doom this whole article is just to hate on men

    ps: with in the lore doom guy lost his wife and son a big reason why the invasion of earth is important not to mention 90% of the human race was killed or turned into demons that includes chicks and dudes

    ReplyDelete
  26. "Its target community is effectively an all-boys club, filled to capacity with men who loved Doom (1993) in the good ol' days."



    Doom Eternal's target community is fans of the original? Oh my god I can't believe it.

    ReplyDelete
  27. This bitch is the most dumb person I have ever heard. Its a game about killing demons. And last time I checked when I booted up the game it didn't ask if I was male or female, and if I chose female it crashed the game.

    ReplyDelete
  28. Buddy this game is a power grab as a character made in the 90s as a male, you can't just change him into a women because you felt like you need to have a boys game turned into your girl's locker room

    ReplyDelete
  29. Possibly the most cringe blog/article I have ever seen with my eyes

    CLOWN

    ReplyDelete
  30. Honestly, I find this criticism approach quite intriguing. I don't really think much should be done, as this particular instance is nothing major, aside from adding a gender toggle. It doesn't even have to change the model, although that would be a good bit of effort some may like, but nevertheless, I could see it sparking a greater discussion about sexualization and the likes, but that may exemplify the character and so on and so forth...

    Basically: "yeh, it's for the fans of the orginal, and it does shape the product in some bad ways", but that does not mean that much should be done about it, especially with the ability to make one's own courses and modfications.

    ReplyDelete
  31. Hey guess what? In the Doom lore, a female character named "Crash" taught him everything he knows and trained him. So there you go, a woman that's gotta be almost, to maybe even MORE powerful than Doomslayer himself.

    ReplyDelete
  32. There's a reason why game journailsm is getting clowed on and this perfectly demonstrates that. It almost looks like the person writing this nonsense is actively trying to troll the reader. Play the fucking game instead of complaining, it's obvious you didn't even buy it

    ReplyDelete
  33. guys, it an april fools joke from 2020, chill

    ReplyDelete
  34. This guy has single handedly created the best April Fool's joke that completely blew out of proportion

    ReplyDelete
  35. Ok wait if this is an April Fools joke this is the funniest sh!t ever. Why did u put so much effort to get people mad lmaooo

    ReplyDelete
  36. This so-called 'insight' is more fictitious than the game itself. The Doom franchise consists of a male warrior hellbent on cleansing the world of a demonic presence. That is all.
    To criticize a game based on a notion that it doesn't fit in with current life rhetoric's (including the writers own personal beliefs - which I think has more to do with a response to an ego knock) immediately tells me that somebody came across a video game, disagreed with its core foundation, and then proceeded to write a piece of text to justify how it's not 'woke' enough to incorporate the world we live in today. And do you know what that says? That tells me that the writer is consciously trying to justify that there is no place in todays' world for games such as Doom anymore because it does not fit in with a movement upheld by a minority.

    Taking the aforementioned into account, we can see that this tactic not only drives down the creativity and versatility of future game developers (if they cared enough to appeal to certain current 'demands and requirements') but also creates a space in which people do not feel free to express their individuality. And do you know how certain movements came about in the world over the last while? By people expressing their individuality.. Whether the majority (or others) agree with certain notions or not is irrelevant, there will always be a like or a dislike towards certain topics and ideas. The point is that the writer of this article fails to see this conundrum. By this definition, this article is extremely callow and borderline narcissistic.

    Imagine a person plays Fallout 3 for the first time. And in their mind they are more favorable to a certain character that cannot be created in the 'customize player model' menu. Does this mean they have the right to write an article about how a certain game does not conform to their standards? Yes. Will the article be deemed (basically) null and void by the vast majority? Of course. Because it is clutching at straws to justify the thoughts of one person.

    Listen OP, you need to remember that diversification is a real thing, and will continue to be so for a long time. Because a video game or movie or series does not take note of current life transformations or conditions and is created based on unique ideas and theories by developers and writers, does not mean that it is hateful or biased towards any other member(s) of society (unless intended - although a certain degree of respectfulness should still hold a standard).

    Doom stands as it is and It will not change. The fact that a game does not conform to someone's own views and opinions means little. That's honestly how life works. Some things we find joyous, and others rarely peak our interest. Then again, I'm not really in a position to judge people on how they spend their free time and what they choose to comment on. Although I could, and say that this article lost any traction it potentially had before it even reached the last paragraph. Then again, gaining traction was a little generous to say on my part. Oh look, I've just made an opposing comment. Something I am also within my right to make.
    Disagree with the above? Pity. That's the cost of individualism friend.

    ReplyDelete
  37. The point of doom eternal and the entire doom series, is to rip and tear every demon you see, it's supposed to be fun, id software doesn't need to put in female characters or trans characters to make a good game as long as it's enjoyable and even memorable, similar games like dead rising and left4dead are about killing zombies and surviving, they don't need to put in trans people, Asians, Mexicans or Black people, it's about killing zombies with the weapons provided in the environment, it wouldn't make the game any better, the whole point is to enjoy slaughtering demons, saving humanity (which 60 percent of are killed or turned to demons) so everyone on Earth is basically a damsel in distress and the doomslayer has huge muscles because he literally rips demons apart with his hands, and to make him more intimidating and id software doesn't need to give an option to either be black, asian, female, male or even trans because then that would make the doomslayer's identity more confusing

    ReplyDelete
  38. Wow, you are just as blinded as nick on this concept and the story that Doom is trying to tell.

    ReplyDelete
  39. The group of people you're trying to white knight for I'd say do not share the same sentiment. All these "hate bait" articles do is attract attention at the expense of the group you claim to be trying to fight for. Doom appeals to gamers in general, and doesn't discriminate based on whether you're trans, male or female. YOU are the problem, for dragging these other communities through the mud, claiming that you're championing them, all the while you reap the benefit now that your absurd take gets shared around, driving traffic to your page, all the while it makes many think that a lot of trans and female gamers harbour a large community of players that also have ridiculous takes such as this.

    ReplyDelete
  40. I have never seen nor heard of such bullshit in my time in the gaming community, all of the removed replies says it all

    ReplyDelete
  41. Probably one of the single most ridiculous displays of ineptitude in video game discussion to date. You clearly have no idea what you're talking about. I would highly advise you to shut the fuck up and stop making yourself look like such an idiot. You singlehandedly made the most moronic statement of opinion one can make by trying to paint this game in such a light, and making it appear significantly more complicated than it is or needs to be. This is a franchise that has existed for decades, and has stuck with these themes of ONLY killing demons because they do not need to change and will not change just because one Cro Magnon with a keyboard wants to bitch and moan on the internet. With all due respect, which isn't a lot, you single celled-organism, your opinion is worth about as much as a grain of sand and your attempts to appear smarter by using big words falls flatter than the highway you must have been born on. I would like to advise that you rethink your life choices and go outside for once, have a shower for the first time in maybe a month I'd wager, and move out of your mom's basement. Maybe then the air you breath won't be such a waste for the rest of us.

    ReplyDelete
  42. honestly didnt have to laugh so hard in a loooong time i showed this to my trans,straight,gay,bi,pan friends and we are having a hell of a time discussing how you got those conclusions and fanart like damn didnt think that human stupidity has fallen that deep

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. THE fact that your whoel website is just fucking nudes does not improve your fucking point in this post either you fucking moron

      Just delete the whole blog and post

      Delete
    2. Hey fallenaegis, maybe you should delete your profile and go find a real life.

      Delete
    3. Bro, why the hell are you so brain dead to type that? Same reason goes for most of your responses to these replies.

      Delete
  43. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  44. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  45. Well, I guess haters are going to hate, but who cares about their inaccurate and immature opinions.

    This was a fascinating article you wrote here. The title was little odd at first, but I understand what you were trying to state throughout the article! You explained in-depth and constructed an excellent statement of inequality in modern gaming, it was a Brilliant statement.

    Good luck on your future endeavors. Cheers!

    ReplyDelete
  46. Trans person here.
    Please just shut the fuck up and stop being overly woke. This is a game about fucking around, killing demons, and savi g humanity. The only human in the game that you actively interact with is fucking Doomguy. Shit like this is why game journalism is dying.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Seriously, you should be in the Olympics for how great you are at jumping to conclusions.

      Delete
    2. Just noticed the post dae... If this is an April fool's joke you got me good, lmao

      Delete
  47. omfg there are people saying theres to much sexuality in games, now theres people saying theres too little?! what is fucking WRONG with you feminists now? seriously, wollestonecraft would be fucking disappointed by people like you

    ReplyDelete
  48. Now I may not have a Masters in anything but I would like to counter at least one particular point made in this review: that Id somehow supports traditional gender roles because DOOM: Eternal has so few female representation and of the actions/mindset of the 1 NPC.

    Well what about the new Wolfenstein games? Concurrent with titles like DOOM (2016) and DOOM Eternal we have had The New Order, Old Blood, New Colossus, Young Blood, etc. published via Machine Games under Id Software licensing.

    These games are replete with female characters, both villainous and heroic, with fleshed out backstories and capable of defending themselves and fighting for their own survival and world views. In Young Blood you also have not 1, but 2 playable female protagonists who are the daughters of BJ and Anna who are just as capable as their dear old dad at rendering the ultra-violence upon their foes.

    So I think that original point that Id is for traditonal gender roles because DOOM is not very accurate due to the presented evidence.

    ReplyDelete
  49. You're taking this game and trying to force it into one side or other in a debate it doesn't take part in. None of these issues come up in the game, at all, to even the smallest degree. Because it doesn't take a position, you insist it just be the enemy. But it isn't. It's just a game about demon slaying. Grow up; not everything is about you.

    ReplyDelete
  50. It is a pretty bold accusation to throw around that a game is sexist, and your argument does not support that claim. This review is a cheap shot for clicks, it is rage bait, and you know it.

    And dare I say it, it is rather sexist, by using quite a broad label on people who enjoy the game as nerdy, sexist basement dwellers. Couple that with the excessive name dropping and "in crowd" references, the entire review comes off as arrogant, narcissistic, snarky and without value.

    This is the modern manifestation of angsty and edgy,

    ReplyDelete
  51. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  52. "No Girls or Trans People Allowed"
    "In these latter days of nostalgia mania, Doom Eternal shamelessly panders to an older audience."
    -Oh so does that mean they should pander to you and to your own degenerate ideologies? Bitch please... Why would a game promote the same ideologies that are responsible for enabling rapists from entering on bathrooms to target innocent children and the butchering of children in hospitals? You are either dumb or stupid.
    https://pbs.twimg.com/media/F3VOa6sXsAAqyDo?format=jpg&name=medium

    ReplyDelete
  53. Wtf i just read? What a bs article... Jaja

    ReplyDelete
  54. you dumb bitch, you honestly are a waste of human breath. you are worthless like a fucking ant. you literally use meds that other people could use. you should kill yourself now

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Okay first is "Death Korps of Krieg" so you spelled that wrong, second you need to chill the fuck out bro.

      Delete

Post a Comment