John Romero is doing some spring cleaning, but he's not throwing stuff away — he has a Doom 2 auction going on that gives you a chance to get an original copy of the game signed by the man himself.
Doom 2 is one of the most influential first-person shooters of all time, so much so that FPS games used to be called "Doom clones" in Western media. While the first game was popular enough in its own right, the sequel was even more popular and is still played today around the world. The franchise continues, too, most recently with last year's release of Doom Eternal.
Now, iD Software co-founder (and one of the game's original programmers) John Romero is selling some of his personal copies in an auction — this might just be your best chance to own a tiny piece of gaming history.
What John Romero is Selling in the Doom 2 Auction
Collectors should be keeping an eye on these auctions reported on by Retroware — a total of four items are being sold in John Romero's Doom 2 auction, including original boxed copies of the game. Here's what he's selling:
Vintage 1994 DOOM II PC Big Box 3.5" Disks | John Romero Collection
Here's a somewhat rare 3.5" Disk version of DOOM II PC Big Box.
Included are the cardboard insert to strengthen the box, the five 3.5" DOOM II disks, and the manual (which is in excellent condition).
I will sign it if requested.
Vintage 1994 Macintosh DOOM II PC Big Box CD-ROM | John Romero Collection
Here's a somewhat rare Macintosh version of the DOOM II Big Box.
Included are:
* The cardboard insert to strengthen the box
* The CD-ROM in its CD-ROM case
* The manual (which is in excellent condition)
* RSAC advisory warning of violence
* Mac addendum notes
* Read this first before installingI will sign any of this if requested by the winner.
DOOM Box Cover/Icon of Sin T-shirt Medium | John Romero Collection
This is a very rare t-shirt: a DOOM Box Cover on the front, and the Icon of Sin on the back.
This shirt has an all-around print done on it so the images reach all edges of the shirt.
Will sign it if requested.
DOOM God Mode T-shirt Black Medium | John Romero Collection
This is a rare t-shirt to find out in the wild: a DOOM marine GOD MODE face on the front. Black, medium-sized. I've had this shirt for about 10 years.
Will sign it if requested.
This Doom 2 auction is far from the first time John Romero has sold some of the stuff he's had sitting around the house. In fact, he sold some copies of Doom 2 just a couple of months ago as reported by Retroware; one such example was a copy of 1992's Spear of Destiny that sold for $455.00. His most impressive recent auction was a set of Doom 2 disks that sold for $3,150.
These auctions are just a bit of "spring cleaning" on his part according to his tweet announcing the auctions, but Romero has also sold off his old stuff to help out charity; he previously sold copies of Doom 2 and Castle Wolfenstein to benefit charitable causes according to 8bitdigi.
The highest bid for this current Doom 2 auction is $355.00 for the PC version of the game. You have a little less than 2 days to take a shot at getting these games or t-shirts, and it might just be worth it as a collectible — after all, a copy of the original Doom 2 signed by John Romero would make for a pretty cool part of your gaming collection.
What's the coolest video game auction you've ever seen? What's the oldest game you own? Let us know in the comments below!
