In 1995, Microsoft produced a truly bizarre pitch video for the press and the gaming public. Opening with footage from Doom, id Software’s iconic first-person shooter, the camera pulls back from the violence to reveal that it’s not Doom’s lone space marine gunning down possessed soldiers, but instead Microsoft’s chairman Bill Gates, who has been digitally inserted into Doom through the magic of blue screen. Wearing an ill-fitting black trench coat and wielding a shotgun, Gates speaks in a halting, flat monotone: “These games are getting really realistic. Next year I might even play in the big Doom tournament.” The video ends with a peal of ominous laughter and the question, “Who do you want to execute today?”

The video was made to promote Windows 95 as a gaming platform, but the real message from Gates seems to be, “I can take control of the games you play.” It took on new resonance when Microsoft announced in 2020 that it was acquiring id Software and several other game studios belonging to ZeniMax Media. Microsoft now owns Doom.

Microsoft has always been a highly defensive player in the games industry, making moves to avoid being dislodged from its monopoly position in the tech economy by upstart rivals. When Bill Gates inserted himself into Doom, he was doing it at a time when Doom was installed on more personal computers than Windows 95. The original Xbox video game console was developed over concerns that Sony’s PlayStation would conquer the living room and turn people away from Windows PCs. In both instances, Microsoft was able to secure a crucial circuit of capital for itself. Through Windows 95’s DirectX technology, Microsoft was able to create and enforce a set of convenient technical standards for graphics and sound cards, consolidating its hold on the majority of the computer gaming market. With the Xbox, Microsoft gave itself a foothold in the “console wars” and the future of online play through its Xbox Live subscription service.