Computer games

PC Gaming

With the introduction of 3D graphics and a stronger emphasis on console games, smaller developers,
particularly those working on personal computers, were typically shunned by publishers as they had
become risk-adverse.[123] Shareware, a new method of distributing games from these smaller
teams, came out of the early 1990s. Typically a shareware title could be requested by a consumer,
which would given them a portion of the game for free outside of shipping charges. If the consumer
liked the game, they could then pay for the full game. This model was later expanded to basically
include the "demo" version of a game on the insert CD-ROM media for gaming magazine, and then
later as digital downloads from various sites like Tucows. id Software is credited with successfully
implementing the idea for both Wolfenstein 3D and Doom, which was later used by Apogee (now 3D
Realms), Epic MegaGames (now Epic Games).[124]

Several key genres were established during this period. As mentioned, Wolfenstein 3D and Doom
are the formative titles of the first-person shooter (FPS); the genre itself had gone by "Doom clones"
until about 2000 when FPS became the more popular term.[125] Graphic adventure games rose to
prominence during this period; including the forementioned Myst and The 7th Guest, several of
LucasArts adventure games including the Monkey Island series. However, the adventure game genre
was considered dead by the end of the 1990s due to the rising popularity of the FPS and other action
genres.[126] The first immersive sims, games that gave the player more agency and choices through
flexible game systems, came along after the rise of FPS games, with titles like Ultima Underworld:
The Stygian Abyss and Thief: The Dark Project. Thief also expanded the idea of stealth games and
created the idea of "first person sneaker" games where combat was less a focus.[127]