Doom devs including John Romero respond to terminally ill fan spending his final days playing Doom: The Dark Ages: "You are not alone in that hospital room"

Employees from Doom developer id Software and publisher Bethesda are rallying around a terminally ill superfan who's choosing to spend his final days as Doom Slayer.

Reddit user Wanderingreader123 recently shared a bittersweet image of him playing Doom: The Dark Ages in a hospital room. In the post, he said he was diagnosed with cancer in 2022 and now has "possibly weeks" to live.

Wanderingreader said he's been a Doom fan since 2016 and has ripped through the reboot, Doom Eternal, and all DLCs, but due to financial constraints, hadn't played the latest entry, Doom: The Dark Ages, until the Toronto hospital where he's being treated bought a PS5 and the latest Doom game so that he could play from his hospital bed.

"I am currently blasting my way through hordes of demons in Chapter 4 and I have nothing but childish glee as I return to my roots as a badass Demon Slayer," he wrote. "I may not live to see the upcoming DLC, but I am nonetheless happy to finally play the game in my own hands."

"To the developers of ID Software, thank you for bringing such a beautiful piece of art that not only brought the FPS genre to its roots, but also revitalized and reinvented the wheel that no other game could," added Wanderingreader. "Not only that, but thank you for crafting such an awesome series for a fan like me.

"Rip & Tear, lads!"

My days are nearing and my local hospital allowed me any request. This is how I will go out. Rip & Tear, brothers and sisters. from r/Doom

Pinned to the top of the post are heartfelt responses from various members of the Doom development team, including Hugo Martin; director on 2016 Doom, Doom Eternal, and Doom: The Dark Ages; and series creator John Romero.

"I tell the team all the time, people care about our games, we have to put the same amount of care into making them," said Martin. "It has been the honor of our professional lives making these past three games for fans like you. To make the Slayer feel STRONG in DOOM, we infuse him with all the attributes of a true old school hero: we give him strength, courage and heart… we make him like you. RIP AND TEAR my friend. You are the real Slayer."

Romero said he's "moved and honored that you carried DOOM with you for a decade and chose to live in DOOM as your journey nears its end. You are the definition of bravery and courage. You are the reason DOOM exists.

"When we made DOOM, we wanted to create a world where you felt powerful even in the face of overwhelming odds," added Romero. "Knowing that it has been a companion to you, something familiar, something steady, something alive, means more to me than I can properly put into words.

"You are not alone in that hospital room. You are standing in a place millions of us have stood, fighting. Every enemy, every level, every moment matters because you do."

Bethesda community manager Joshua Boyle, who's appeared alongside Martin in official Doom livestreams for years, also stopped in to say he'd reached out to Wanderingreader via Reddit direct message. "Wanna see if we can do as much as we can for ya," said Boyle.

In the wake of these messages of encouragement, Wanderingreader expressed his gratitude and said it's "an extreme privilege" to be a part of the Doom community.

It's worth highlighting the outpouring of support Wanderingreader continues to receive from the Doom community. I found a few messages that are every bit as profound and thoughtful as the ones shared above, and I'd like to close with this one from user Temporary-Share5153:

"Do not go gentle into that good night.
Rip & tear against the dying of the light."