In 1996, a company called id Software headed by John Carmack. It was the first fully 3d, first person shooter game based on polygons for graphics rather than sprites. It soon found massive popularity and is regarded by some as the game that kickstarted the Internet gaming culture. Since the early days of the first Quake game there have been three sequles and many spin-offs, mods and conversion. In late 1996/early 1997, the series will be joined by Quake Wars.