Wolfenstein 3D was released in 1992 by id Software for MS-DOS. Its programmer John Carmack built a fast 3D engine by limiting movement to a single plane, and the game put the player in the role of an Allied spy escaping a Nazi prison during World War II. Designer John Romero and Tom Hall made it fast and violent, unlike most computer games of the time. It was released as shareware, with the first episode free to drive sales of the rest. It sold over 250,000 copies by the end of 1995 and is often called the grandfather of 3D shooters.

Hampi is a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Karnataka, India, with more than 1,600 surviving remains spread over 4,100 hectares. It was the capital of the Vijayanagara Empire from 1336 to 1565. Travellers from Persia and Portugal described it as a prosperous, wealthy and grand city with temples, markets and farms along the Tungabhadra River. By 1500 it was estimated to be the world's second-largest city after Beijing, and probably India's richest at the time. In 1565 a coalition of Muslim sultanates defeated the Vijayanagara Empire, its capital was conquered and destroyed, and the city was left in ruins. Hampi remains a religious centre, with the active Virupaksha Temple at its heart.