Weekend Question: What should boomer shooters be called?

[PCG Jody]

I ask the PCG staff a regular Weekend Question and post the answers on the site. If you'd like to throw in an answer here, I'll squeeze the best into the finished article!

This week's question is: What should boomer shooters be called?

Humble Bundle had a Boomer Shooter Bundle, and games like Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun proudly wear the label by choice. Maybe it's time to give in and accept the '90s-style retro FPS subgenre is going to be stuck with a silly label because it sounds funny. (And it does sound funny, no argument here.) Or maybe it's time to get prescriptive. At the risk of resembling the kind of person who argues run-based permadeath games aren't roguelikes if they aren't full ASCII, here's a chance to make your case for an alternative.

 

[Zloth]

We stopped calling them Doom Clones?

 

[Brian Boru]

What should boomer shooters be called?

Hmm, Booter or Shoomer—tough choice!

 

[Frindis]

Fogey Games or The wheelchair warriors.

 

[Brian Boru]

Fogey Games.

Fogey Fraggers!
Geezer Gunners
Assisted Aimers

 

[JarlBSoD]

What even is a boomershooter? I kinda doubht that many, even if they existed ofc, started playing shooters in their 30s - 50s back in the 90s. Kinda get the feeling that most people playing games in the 90s were born in the 70s or 80s IE NOT boomers So lets just call them Doomclones as usual. Move along, nothing to see here! If anything it should be called Retro shooters if one does not want to use the term Doom Clone.

 

[Brian Boru]

Gets popcorn.

 

[Frindis]

*sneaks a hand in Brian Borus popcorn*

 

[Alm]

I am a millennial and 90s shooters were a golden age for me. I guess I would call them Disk Dynasty Definitives. But Boomer Shooters rolls off the tongue better.

 

[WoodenSaucer]

The early FPS games were my generation. I'm Gen X, not a boomer. Call them X-Games.

 

[McStabStab]

DOOM clones was always the name for these... even though they're really all Wolfenstein 3D clones. Corridor Shooter is another name I've heard a lot.

 

[redmark_]

Seriously, boomer shooters just reminds me of a bunch of old geezers wielding boomsticks a'plenty... 🤣

that said I can't think of any other nickname ahaha. 😂
also I remember this meme I've seen from somewhere before, but it said "Defense of the ancients"

 

[CParsons]

Arthritis Inducers.

 

[ZedClampet]

Crap Graphics Action Shooter

 

[Zloth]

I kinda doubht that many, even if they existed ofc, started playing shooters in their 30s - 50s back in the 90s. Kinda get the feeling that most people playing games in the 90s were born in the 70s or 80s IE NOT boomers

The X Generation gets forgotten by those that follow just as much as those that went before, I guess.

 

[Sarafan]

I believe that this genre was called "ego shooter" in the past in some countries. Not that I think that it's a good idea to practice necromancy over this phrase, because it was mediocre to say the least. I'm trying to take the question seriously, so I would prefer the term retro shooter. It's self-explaining. The phrase is better for people who are new to the industry. Everyone can say right away that it's a shooter made in the old style. We can of course discuss that not every boomer shooter is a retro shooter, but I believe we should simplify things not complicate them without a serious reason.

 

[ZedClampet]

I believe that this genre was called "ego shooter" in the past in some countries. Not that I think that it's a good idea to practice necromancy over this phrase, because it was mediocre to say the least. I'm trying to take the question seriously, so I would prefer the term retro shooter. It's self-explaining. The phrase is better for people who are new to the industry. Everyone can say right away that it's shooter made in the old style. We can of course discuss that not every boomer shooter is a retro shooter, but I believe we should simplify things not complicate them without a serious reason.

Retro shooter is what I've always called it.

 

[Pifanjr]

I think DOOM clone works best. Video game genre definition seem to get broader and broader and/or video games combine aspects of several genres, meaning the best description is usually to compare it to specific other games instead of/in addition to slapping a genre label on it.

 

[WoodenSaucer]

Personally, I think we should just retire the genre and not worry about it anymore.

 

[ZedClampet]

What even is a boomershooter? I kinda doubht that many, even if they existed ofc, started playing shooters in their 30s - 50s back in the 90s. Kinda get the feeling that most people playing games in the 90s were born in the 70s or 80s IE NOT boomers So lets just call them Doomclones as usual. Move along, nothing to see here! If anything it should be called Retro shooters if one does not want to use the term Doom Clone.

I thought they were called Boomer Shooters because they were made by boomers, not because they were played by boomers.

 

[JarlBSoD]

I thought they were called Boomer Shooters because they were made by boomers, not because they were played by boomers.

Well Carmack was born in 1970 and Romero in 1967 so none of them are boomers either

 

[redmark_]

Personally, I think we should just retire the genre and not worry about it anymore.

why though? 😅

I think some of these shooters actually are very fun and execute stuff well like davil daggers, and ultrakill 😉

Devil Daggers on Steam

Devil Daggers is a fast-paced shooter that places you in an abyssal arena to face endless legions of demons. Armed with versatile magic daggers and a fluid movement system, fight to survive as long as you can.

store.steampowered.com

ULTRAKILL on Steam

ULTRAKILL is a fast-paced ultraviolent retro FPS combining the skill-based style scoring from character action games with unadulterated carnage inspired by the best shooters of the '90s. Rip apart your foes with varied destructive weapons and shower in their blood to regain your health.

store.steampowered.com

 

[WoodenSaucer]

I thought they were called Boomer Shooters because they were made by boomers, not because they were played by boomers.

I thought they were called Boomer Shooters because the gun goes, "Boom, boom!"

 

[ZedClampet]

I thought they were called Boomer Shooters because the gun goes, "Boom, boom!"

Hey, that could just as well be it for all I know.

 

[flashn00b]

I think i like the "Doom Clone" nomenclature more, but that will likely have my age showing.

Hell, Boomer Shooter more or less seems like a general categorization of FPS, and I think games like Ultrakill, Turbo Overkill, and to a lesser extent, Doom Eternal helped pave the way of an offshoot of the Boomer Shooter known as the movement shooter. I think for more traditional old-school-style FPS games, Doom Clone would probably be more appropriate, whereas the new-school boost-dashing/wallrunning/etc. would probably fit more in the "movement shooter" category.