1992: Id Software releases
Wolfenstein 3-D, and it launches a huge computer-game category.
Wolfenstein 3-D may not have been the very first "first-person shooter," as the genre came to be known, but it was by far the most successful. Technically
the genre goes back to the '70s, but no one really paid any attention to it. Even id released an earlier FPS called
Catacombs 3D, but again, it wasn't nearly as good as
Wolfenstein.
But through massive online dissemination of the game's shareware version,
Wolfenstein 3D (the hyphen was later dropped from the name) introduced millions to an immersive world in which the action seemed to be happening from the player's perspective.
"It was an incredible sensation, really unlike anything gamers had seen before," said Jamie Madigan, who helps operate the GameSpy Network's 3D Action website. "You could move smoothly in 360 degrees. You felt like you were there."
fonte:
wired.com
fonte:
wired.com