Demonology of the Digital Age: Representation of the Infernal in the DOOM Video Game Series

The paper examines how demonological motifs and the image of Hell are reinterpreted in digital culture through the DOOM video game series (1993–2019). Using a cultural-philosophical and religious-studies reading of the narrative, visual symbolism and gameplay loop, it argues that the franchise combines elements of Christian demonology (apocalyptic plots, demon hierarchies, occult signs) with a science-fiction rationalization of the infernal: Hell is framed as a material “other reality” and a resource targeted by the corporation. The protagonist is constructed as a secular warrior-messiah whose figure evokes mythological and religious allusions (notably to Archangel Michael). The utilitarian treatment of Hell does not erase the sacred connotations but translates them into a technological myth. Finally, the repetitive “cleansing” cycle functions for part of the audience as a quasi-ritual, cathartic enactment of the myth of good’s ultimate victory over evil.