On March 2, John Romero, the renowned designer known for working on the original Doom series, announced the addition of a brand new map to Doom II. This map, dubbed One Humanity, serves as the first new level that Romero has put out for Doom II since the game’s release back in 1994. Notably, Romero did not create this new level just for the sake of it; he did so to raise money that would help provide aid to Ukrainians currently suffering due to Russia’s unprovoked invasion of their country. Fortunately, it seems that Romero’s latest initiative has found a great deal of success, as the new Doom II map accrued over €27,000 in donations to Ukraine.
Romero offered the One Humanity map to players for the low cost of €5, equivalent to around $4.35 USD. This puts the €27,000 amount in perspective, as it indicates that a significant amount of players contributed to the cause. According to Romero, all of this money will go directly to the UN Central Emergency Response Fund and the Ukrainian Red Cross. Romero made sure to thank all of the people who contributed to his campaign in a recent tweet.
Can I still contribute?
Those who still wish to contribute to Romero’s efforts can still do so on his official website. The Doom II map will not run by itself upon download, however, as players have to own an official copy of Doom II as well as a modern source port if they wish to experience it.
All in all, this Doom II map should serve as one of many opportunities for players to support war victims in Ukraine. It is worth noting that Romero is far from the only developer who is stepping up to help Ukraine, as evidenced by the massive Itch.io bundle that dropped recently. The ongoing conflict may be horrific, but players are far from helpless in this situation.
