More than 20 years after its release, it’s easy to see how “Doom” was a preview of the future of video games. Just about every top-selling modern video game, be it the “Call of Duty” series or the slightly more-cinematic “The Last of Us,” involve gunplay of some sort and exploring complex 3D environments—seemingly simple constructs now, but ones that “Doom” brought to life in a meaningful way before any other game. The game has quite the legacy, landing on just about every “top video games of all-time” list you can think of.
A few years after its release, Barrie Loberg, then creating 3D fly-throughs for control room contractor Evans Consoles, would see “Doom” for the first time. The game had a major impact on him, as it did just about anyone who spent time with it upon its release.
It’s hard to forget that first experience with “Doom” and the feeling of moving through a game from the character’s perspective for the first time. The stark, metal environment of an outer space military base. A hand grasping a gun floating in the middle of the frame as the camera hovers through hallways, stopping only to blast monstrous aliens into a million bloody pieces.
“Doom” is important because it changed the way a lot of people thought about video games. It was among the first steps toward video games truly pulling us into lifelike environments. For Loberg, the game was more impactful than it was for most, leading him to jumpstart the creation of a highly-adaptable piece of construction software that is making modular construction much more efficient.
The software is called ICE and it’s at the heart of Calgary, Alberta, Canada-based interior construction firm DIRTT (which stands for Doing It Right This Time). I recently spoke with Loberg and DIRTT president Scott Jenkins about ICE and the two men covered everything from the genesis of the software, to how the company is using it today in its modular construction business and their big plans moving forward.
See ICE in action:
