An enthusiast has added the barcodes to the game to direct payment UI when an item is picked up
Software and hardware enthusiast Guy Dupont has added QR codes-based microtransactions to his DOOM mod, requiring players to scan and pay a tiny fee every time they pick up an item in the game.
DOOM is a game first launched as shareware back in 1993
When the title first launched, the first nine levels were available for free, and anyone who wanted to continue on their adventures needed to pay for access to the full game. Dupont’s mod may be a reflection of the way game makers have changed how they earn from their offerings over the last three decades. That said, as Dupont admittedly enjoys a touch of nonsense here and there, it could also be just that.
However, regardless of whether the move is pleasing to Dupont, what has yet to be seen is the reaction from players and whether they’ll buy into it.
Dupont tweeted his explanation for adding the QR codes and micropayments by saying that “We need to STOP running DOOM on new thingsand START putting new things into DOOM.”
We need to STOP running DOOM on new things
and START putting new things into DOOM.For example, today I added micro-transactions to the original game. Any time you pick up an item, the game freezes until you make a payment. pic.twitter.com/p9j9eYyOwJ
— Guy Dupont (@gvy_dvpont) April 13, 2024
He added that the game freezes any time an item is picked up, and it doesn’t start again until a payment is made.
These QR codes are trying to add a new message within the shareware game
In fact, Dupont’s broader message is focused on the way DOOM is running on everything in the tech world. The microtransactions are blatant, not subtle, and he is not trying to hide the fact that they are there.
This was quite the direction change from previous posts he has made, reporting DOOM running on increasingly random forms of hardware such as 60fps in Notepad, a keycap, or even a lawnmower. However, the move to use QR codes to add microtransactions to this title may not be all that appealing to some gamers, and it will be interesting to see how this move plays out beyond the first few days.
After all, while the shareware model was broadly accepted by gamers as a way to try a title before paying into it – a requirement for companies to finance game development – they don’t tend to have a lot of good to say about forced microtransactions.