The Cacowards are an annual online
awards ceremony An awards ceremony is a type of ceremony where awards are given out. The ceremony may be arranged by a government organization, a society, a school, a trade association or even a company that specializes in running awards ceremonies. Typically a m ...
which honors the year's most prominent "
''Doom'' WADs",
video game modifications of the 1993
first-person shooter
First-person shooter (FPS) is a sub-genre of shooter video games centered on gun and other weapon-based combat in a first-person perspective, with the player experiencing the action through the eyes of the protagonist and controlling the pl ...
''
Doom
Doom is another name for damnation.
Doom may also refer to:
People
* Doom (professional wrestling), the tag team of Ron Simmons and Butch Reed
* Daniel Doom (born 1934), Belgian cyclist
* Debbie Doom (born 1963), American softball pitcher
* ...
''. Such modifications may be single
levels
Level or levels may refer to:
Engineering
*Level (instrument), a device used to measure true horizontal or relative heights
*Spirit level, an instrument designed to indicate whether a surface is horizontal or vertical
*Canal pound or level
*Regr ...
, level packs, or "
total conversions" featuring gameplay that significantly diverges from traditional ''Doom''. Since 2004, the Cacowards have been hosted at ''doomworld.com'', a ''Doom''
fansite
A fansite, fan site, fan blog or fan page is a website created and maintained by a fan or devotee about a celebrity, thing, or particular cultural phenomenon.
Fansites may offer specialized information on the subject (e.g., episode listings, ...
.
History
In 2003, Doomworld celebrated the 10th anniversary of ''Doom'' with "10 Years of Doom", a series of articles and reviews written by Mike "Cyb" Watson and Andrew "Linguica" Stine, discussing the history and legacy of the ''Doom'' modding community across the prior decade. The event was continued in 2004 as the Cacowards, with an emphasis on discussing the year's most notable contributions to the ''Doom'' modding community. The name of the Cacowards stems from ''Doom's'' "Cacodemon" monster, whose likeness is present in the award's design.
Categories
The primary category of the Cacowards is the Top Ten, which discusses ten of the most notable ''Doom'' WADs of the year.
* Multiplayer Awards: Awarded to exemplary
multiplayer
A multiplayer video game is a video game in which more than one person can play in the same game environment at the same time, either locally on the same computing system ( couch co-op), on different computing systems via a local area network, or ...
-oriented WADs.
* Gameplay Mod Awards: Awarded to high-quality mods which modify or transform ''Dooms base gameplay, such as by adding or altering weapons and enemies.
* Mockaward: Awarded to the "best comedy WAD of the year"; such WADs are often designed with humorous intent, with a diminished focus on gameplay balance and longevity. The Mockaward category was discontinued in 2017.
* Mordeth Award: Awarded to the year's released project with the longest development time. The category's name references ''Mordeth'', a total conversion mod for ''Doom'' which has been in development since 1997.
* Worst WAD: Awarded to WADs of exceptionally low quality. The Worst WAD category was discontinued in 2011, following concerns that the category rewarded users for low-effort content.
Legacy
The Cacowards have been critically praised as a resource for high-quality ''Doom'' modifications. Commenting on the event, ''
PC Gamer
''PC Gamer'' is a magazine and website founded in the United Kingdom in 1993 devoted to PC gaming and published monthly by Future plc. The magazine has several regional editions, with the UK and US editions becoming the best selling PC games m ...
'' stated: "If you want a direct route to the best Doom maps and mods, the place to go is the Cacowards." ''
Rock, Paper, Shotgun
''Rock Paper Shotgun'' (also rendered ''Rock, Paper, Shotgun''; short ''RPS'') is a UK-based website for reporting on video games, primarily for PC. Originally launched on 13 July 2007 as an independent site, ''Rock Paper Shotgun'' was acquir ...
'' shared a similar sentiment, commenting that the Cacowards are "often a handy pointer towards good and fun new things." Numerous award recipients have received additional commendations by journalists covering the Cacowards, who often review highlights from the year's ceremony.
See also
* ''
Brutal Doom
''Brutal Doom'' is a game mod for the 1993 first-person shooter '' Doom'' created by the Brazilian developer Sergeant Mark IV (Marcos Abenante). It adds numerous gameplay elements and graphical effects. The mod has been in development since 2010 ...
'' – 2011 Cacoward winner in the "Gameplay Mod Awards" category
*
''Sigil'' – 2019 Cacoward runner-up
*
List of WADs – Examples of the most popular and historically significant WADs, many of which have won Cacowards
*
Cyriak
Cyriak Harris, known mononymously as Cyriak () and his B3ta username Mutated Monty, is an English freelance animator, artist, composer, and author from Brighton. He is known for his surreal and bizarre short web animations with the frequent use ...
(Mouldy) – Winner of 2012 and 2014 Cacowards
References
{{Doom series
Awards established in 2004
Doom (franchise)
Video game awards