What's a "Boomer Shooter"?

[The Unknown Writer (Busy)]

I saw it as a tag for this game

[potato]

this is a boomer shooter

[sansee]

https://www.denofgeek.com/games/15-best-boomer-shooters/

It's an obscure American tag that mostly Americans use. Not I, nor does any of my friends use it.

[sansee]

The term “boomer shooter” is used to describe a specific kind of FPS that intentionally mimics the design principles of older shooters. These include challenging enemies that force players to stay on the move, pixelated graphics, the ability to carry more than two weapons at a time, and health bars that don’t regenerate.

The origin of the term is widely debated among video game historians. The running theory is that “boomer shooter” stems from “baby boomer,” or “boomer” as it is more commonly known. “Boomers” are people born between the 1940s and 60s, which would have put them between the ages of 20 and 40 when FPS titles like Wolfenstein 3D and DOOM were released. In other words, “boomers” would have either developed the games or been their target audiences, hence why games that channel the spirit of shooters like Wolfenstein 3D and DOOM are “boomer shooters.” Another theory is that the term references the bombastic, explosive action that lets players blast enemies into little red globs of pixelated giblets. After all, you can’t get a boom any bigger than the screen-clearing BFG-9000.

Whatever the genre name’s true origin, while the market isn’t exactly saturated with boomer shooters, here are the best modern examples of the concept you can currently play.

[The Unknown Writer (Busy)]

Originally posted by sansee:

The term “boomer shooter” is used to describe a specific kind of FPS that intentionally mimics the design principles of older shooters. These include challenging enemies that force players to stay on the move, pixelated graphics, the ability to carry more than two weapons at a time, and health bars that don’t regenerate.

The origin of the term is widely debated among video game historians. The running theory is that “boomer shooter” stems from “baby boomer,” or “boomer” as it is more commonly known. “Boomers” are people born between the 1940s and 60s, which would have put them between the ages of 20 and 40 when FPS titles like Wolfenstein 3D and DOOM were released. In other words, “boomers” would have either developed the games or been their target audiences, hence why games that channel the spirit of shooters like Wolfenstein 3D and DOOM are “boomer shooters.” Another theory is that the term references the bombastic, explosive action that lets players blast enemies into little red globs of pixelated giblets. After all, you can’t get a boom any bigger than the screen-clearing BFG-9000.

Whatever the genre name’s true origin, while the market isn’t exactly saturated with boomer shooters, here are the best modern examples of the concept you can currently play.

Huh. Very interesting. Thanks.

[Tiny Trees]

Google it.

[getphobo]

That definition is flawed. A boomer shooter is every type of shooter with 'classic' design elements in the style of the shooters from the 1990s, *including those original ones from the 1990s themselves*. It's not just about something new trying hard to mimic something old.

[Azure Fang]

Originally posted by sansee:

https://www.denofgeek.com/games/15-best-boomer-shooters/

It's an obscure American tag that mostly Americans use. Not I, nor does any of my friends use it.

There is SO much wrong with that article.

OP, the best way to describe so-called modern "boomer shooters" is that they lean heavily on the design concepts of 90's shooters: inspiration examples commonly cited are Doom (id Tech 1, the backbone and ancestor of projects like GZDoom on which Selaco is built) and Duke Nukem 3D (BUILD Engine), as well as games built in their iconic engines. Where this cuts off is debated: there is debate if Quake (id Tech 2) should be included, with arguments going up to Quake 3 (id Tech 3). Wolfenstein Engine is generally omitted by the id Tech 1 cutoff as its design concepts were much simpler by comparison.

The general concept and appearance list generally includes:

• Low resolution, high detail "crunchy" pixelated graphics.
  
• Pseudo-3D actor graphics, often relying on sprite flipping.
  
• Low-poly 3D environments, often with skybox parallaxing.
  
• Generally non-linear and expansive level design peppered with non-mandatory secrets.
  
• Immersion-breaking in-genre and pop culture references.
  
• Multi-weapon carry with a varied selection of weapons grading from mundane (pistols) to insane (shrink rays, missile chain guns, literal nuke launchers).
  
• "Ultraviolence": Over-the-top action frequently (but not always) including high levels of blood and gore.
  
• Narrative that is present, but takes a backseat to the action.
  
• An overall design feel that the game doesn't take itself too seriously.

The DoG game list is pretty accurate, but for a couple concerns:

• Metal: Hellsinger
  Not a boomer shooter. Great game, that isn't being denied. But it's closer to arena and spectacle shooters. It also fails the retro aesthetic test.
  
• Ultrakill
  Contentious. Has the appropriate retro feel, but its action goes above and beyond into a recent trend of "spectacle shooters" and "speed shooters".
  
• Doom Eternal
  Not a boomer shooter. It's aesthetic combined with rapid, QTE-laden combat entrenches it as possibly the "spectacle shooter" progenitor.

In general, "boomer shooter" is a poorly defined and over-utilized term for a sub-genre of Neo-Retro Shooters, not dissimilar to the relation of "metroidvania" to Action Platformers.

And to the poster of the DoG article, please don't regionalize. The term is of internet origin and is used worldwide. At best, it is a "Western" term, as it has appeared in articles originating from both western Europe and the Americas.

[Cahalith]

On a side note, that article goes to great lengths to try and establish a direct connection between the baby boomer generation and early nineties shooters. I think the easier explanation is that the term "boomer" isn't being used to describe only people of that specific generation anymore. It's been turned into a general pejorative for "old person" in common usage.

Just wanted to point that out because there are lots of people who get really agitated over the term presumably referring to the 'wrong generation'.

[HE❌EN]

Originally posted by Tiny Trees:

Google it.

You won't believe how many people today, despite having access to AIs, struggle with these simple things. Instead of obtaining the solution themselves in mere seconds with a Google search or AI query. Especially with the latter providing explanations in simple terms so even complex issues can be easily grasped ...

[The Unknown Writer (Busy)]

I'ma go reread the comments in this discussion.

[Jamie]

Originally posted by The Unknown Writer:

I saw it as a tag for this game

its a word Gen Z created (thats what they are know for) for games that were made before they were born. They are really First Person Shooters.
And anyone who normalizes the word "Boomer Shooter" is part of the problem.

[wangChungTonight]

Gunfight at the Golden Corral

[Zarock]

It does not mean anything anymore except for describing the retro artstyle.
Basically, anything that is is low poly (quake) or 2.5D (doom) can be labelled as a boomer shooter.
It does not matter if it's a rogue like (mullet mad jack), fast action (selaco, viscera fest), immersive sim (deus ex, hedon bloodrite), arena (ultrakill), horde (serious sam) etc. It does not matter if it has completely retro gameplay (Dusk), or really modern gameplay (Mullet Mad Jack, Ultrakill). They are all boomer shooter as long as they don't look like Modern Warfare 3 remake.

What this also means is that this term constantly evolves with time. The modern fps of today are the boomer shooter of the future.

That term has lost most of its meanings due to the vast plethora of sub genres all these games have. Mullet Mad Jack and Selaco are both boomer shooters that were released end of last month and they could not be anymore different.

[Nexxtic]

If it's worth anything

We personally do not consider Selaco a Boomer Shooter anymore. We used to, 4 years ago, now we don't.

I think 'retro inspired' works better because we're not exactly retro, but sure as hell take inspiration from it

[Cadaver747]

^ thank you!