This was OK, I guess. I enjoy re-reading accounts of 90s and 80s technology movements, and startups because I lived through most of it, moderately close to many of the front-lines, and nostalgia can be compelling. This also makes me a bit reflexively over-sensitive to inaccuracy or editorialising, or lack of any real feel for technology on the part of the author. Often this genre of books aren't even terrifically well written, or even that well researched. I would say this one is slightly above par - it captures the narrative and the sense of the times. It does a fairly good job of communicating the paradigm breaking technological innovations that the id team brought to PC games and graphics programming during their glory years. I always enjoy NeXT paraphenalia, and NeXTSTEP was crucial to the id development methodology, so it's good to see that getting a nod and a walk-on. I think I usually end up scoring these books mostly by whether I learned anything new. I suppose I did, but it is mostly that the id founding team all seem to be really unpleasant people, which is a bit of a disappointment. ( )

A fantastic reportage by David Kushner on the creators of Doom and Wolf 3D. Gives a peek into the lives of the two Johns who created many memorable video games. Will Wheaton was simply superb in his narration.

I still worry a bit about the narrative fallacy. You can get an impression that just these two guys created a revolution (along with people at id Software) alone. It might be true but the skeptic in me still refuses to believe. I somehow missed the culture / social context of other development that happened during that era, which led to the revolution. Remember, we know Edison as the inventor of the light bulb but a detailed examination of the history will say the otherwise. But anyway, this is just a nitpick, in such an excellent writing.

(Originally published at http://santhoshguru.com/2018/03/18/masters-of-doom/)
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The writing isn't anything incredible, but the subject is absolutely fascinating. Long live id. ( )

Good read [sic]. Got two new 'want to reads' from it: Snow Crash and Neuromancer. ( )

Great book. Short read. ( )

I'll be honest, the book is probably not crunchy as I would have liked it. More insight into Carmack and company's technical feats would have been ideal. But the nostalgia factor--I was one of the nerds downloading shareware releases of Wolfenstein 3D and Doom--and Wil Wheaton's excellent narration of the audiobook made this such a compelling book.

As an aside, I can't help but shake the notion that Kushner was extremely kind to both John's. It's not really a case of who's the better person as it seems success destroyed any chance either had for being
satisfied. ( )

The book felt like a non-fiction title written for young teenagers by an obsessed fan. It was awkward and crammed with tons of completely random facts and stories in what I can only guess was an attempt to fill space. ( )

Great read about the early lives of the Two Johns. Perfect for any fans of startups and startup culture or (classic) PC gaming. ( )

Now that I am in my forties, I have suddenly taken a strong interest in video games, more than ever before. This may or may not constitute a midlife crisis. I thought that this interest would quickly flame out as it has on a few other isolated instances where I became infatuated with playing video games but found that the idea of playing them was more enjoyable than actually doing it. But now i love them.

It has cut into my reading time. And the books I do read, I am interested in ones that have to do with video games. There aren't really all that many legit books about video games. This one is pretty well done. It's about the guys who created Doom and basically invented the now-ubiquitous first person shooter genre of games.

The tale almost feels like a Shakespearean tragedy. Or now that I think of it, the story really very closely follows the arc of the Beatles' story. The guys are young and broke and united. They create this thing that unexpectedly becomes a global phenomenon. The money comes rolling in. They buy Ferraris. One of the guys starts referring to himself as God and buys a $9,000 medieval chair for his McMansion. Creative and personal differences bubble to the surface as egos get bigger. They break up and struggle to match the success of Doom with subsequent solo games.

I'm not sure how close to the facts this book hews, it is narrative history with dialogue and everything. It was pretty entertaining though. And I played Doom for the very first time ever the other day. Kick ass game! Also, it must be noted that Wil Wheaton narrates and does a tremendous job. ( )

One of the first computer games I ever played was Wolfenstein 3D on my moms Packard Bell 386 computer. Eventually I also played Doom on it as well. At the time I didn't realize what was behind those games. Masters is more a biography of John Carmack and John Romero - the technical and design talent behind these games and id software.

It's crazy to me how this company got started -- "borrowing" computers from their day job to program on them at night and eventually release Wolfenstein. The small group of guys working in their house part time ended up impacting the world of video games as much as anyone else has, and this is the rise and fall of that empire. ( )

This book was a big nostalgic trip for me, as I grew up in the same generation as both subjects, and was familiar with most of the games and topics that are discussed.

The book is profane (uses quite a bit of profanity).

I enjoyed perceiving the great strengths and weaknesses of both John Carmack, and John Romero. I enjoy learning for the synergies and human fallacies that occur from the organizational behavior of groups that grow from hard work and desire, and then typically fall apart despite (or probably because) of success.

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Inspired me to start programming for fun again! ( )

So many games and their makers crossed path in the early days.
I suggest reading with Youtube open and look at some old interviews and documentaries to complete the experience.
Ends up around 2004? So Carmack work on VR and AI is not included here. ( )

A foundational text in the history of video games. Essential reading for anyone with even a passing interest in this juggernaut of an entertainment industry and artform. Kushner tells the story in such an engaging way that it's hard to put down at times. ( )

The book chronicles John Carmack & John Romero's adventures into the gaming industry. It starts from their childhoods and follows them up until around 2004. The two John's had a great deal of influence on the modern PC game and it's interesting to see just how many other strands of connections there are between Doom and other games.

If you grew up playing Quake and Doom you'll enjoy this book. Otherwise I'm not sure it will keep your attention easily. ( )

This was fantastic and quite inspiring. ( )

Fast, energetic, full of attitude; yet the speed, energy, and 'tude are wholly those of the subjects at hand, John Romero and John Cormack, as they go from nobodies to the biggest rock stars of the PC gaming industry. Kudos to Kushden for writing a compelling, fun book that still feels responsibly done. He doesn't sermonize or extrapolate much. The only nitpicks I have are the occasional repetition of well established facts (why do so many bio books suffer from this?) and the long, dark tail of the Johns' careers. Can't blame the writer for that, but it does suck the fun out somewhat. Overall, one of the best software-story books I've read. ( )

This review is written with a GPL 3.0 license and the rights contained therein shall supersede all TOS by any and all websites in regards to copying and sharing without proper authorization and permissions. Crossposted at Bookstooge.booklikes.blogspot.wordpress.leafmarks.tumblr.com by express permission of this reviewer. Title: Masters of Doom Series: ----- Author: David Kushner Rating: 3 of 5 Stars Genre: Biography Pages: 301 Synopsis: A Quick and Dirty Biography of John Romero and John Carmack, the Co-Creators of ID Software, which gave us Doom and Quake. My Thoughts: Overall, I'd say this was a pretty lackluster book. Serious issues were quickly gone over, motivations and thoughts barely sketched out, no footnotes, quotes or anything of substance. However, it brought such a dose of Nostalgia that I practically felt like a kid again! I remember my first computer, a dx2-66, on which I ran DOS 6.22 [not that nasty ol' 6.20 mind you!] and was the envy of my friends because I'd saved up and bought a cd-rom 4x. Oh man, I was blazing. I didn't really play Doom, but was introduced to Doom II: Hell on Earth. It was fantastic. It was everything my young self craved. Guns. Violence against a legitimate target. Being a bad ass hero. Double barreled shotgun. Puzzle solving along aside adrenalin inducing action. Then Heretic and Hexxen came out, based on Doom's graphic engine. Medieval Doom with bows and arrows, magic arcane items, more intricate puzzles. And Hexxen with its multi-hub puzzles. It was all awesome. Then Quake. I remember Quake so well because it required a Pentium 75 and my neighbor had just gotten one and there was no way I was going to be able to afford one for quite some time. And this book brought back all those memories and feelings. And that is why this was rated so high. The book itself was about two raging egomaniacs with different strengths who wouldn't and couldn't work together or with others. Because of that, they made and lost great people, companies and games. Kushner tries to end on a happy note, but you know it won't last because nothing has changed in the John's lives except their current circumstances. " ( )

Loved it, loved it, loved it. Maybe it's because these are the games I grew up with. This is the story of how John Romero and John Carmack got together and defined a decade of PC gaming. The rise and fall of the first person shooter. And there's nothing better than reading behind the scenes of something you grew up with and played over and over. Finding out about their methods, their personalities -- the conflicts between employees, where the ideas came from, and how the little guy gained success in the world.

This is a nonfiction must read for any nineties kid, computer gamer, or new past historian. Forget all those Steve Jobs biopics -- this is the movie they should make. There's enough plot twists and colorful characters to make it like a zippy version of Spotlight. The narrative crackles with true facts and incentivizes with cliffhangers and drama. You may not like what you see, but it's impossible not to be drawn in. ( )

I love a good success story, and that's what this book is about. Also, I grew up during the time period involved, and my first few jobs out of college involved working as an artist and animator on the games that followed in their wake. I really enjoyed the behind-the-scenes stories of how John Carmack pioneered the tech I use daily in my career. ( )

A fun, fast paced, hard-to-put-down read that does a great job of telling the story of John Carmack, John Romero, and the groundbreaking games they created (Wolfenstein 3D, Doom, Quake). By the time I was done, I had a massive desire to a) play games, b) play old school games like quake, and c) spend all night coding and eating pizza.


My favorite quote from the book:

Video games don't let people really live their dreams. They let gamers live a developer's simulation of a dream. The action is digital. It's confined to a computer or television or a handheld device. Players experience it thought their eyes, ears, and fingertips. But when they're done careening down the Daytona Speedway or storming an interstellar military base, they feel as if they've really been somewhere, as if they've momentarily transcended their sac of fat and bones, their office politics, their mounting bills. Games let them escape, learn, recharge. Games are necessary. ( )

Like many thousands of others in the early 90s, I grew up playing games such as Wolfenstein 3D and Doom. 100s of hours invested and even today I can easily boot up Doom and play for hours. This book brought to life what happened behind the scenes and the mentality of the people that were crucial to video games of this era. I really enjoyed the book and having grown up hearing about the contrasting personalities of the 2 John's I was eager to read about this in the book. Very glad I read this book and would recommend to others who also lived and breathed Doom and the other video games of the early 90s. ( )

This audio took at hard look at the inside of a growing company, and the people who lead it. It portrayed them warts and all. Interesting to watch the outcome of how they followed their vision. Sometimes a vision is not enough. ( )

"Doom" and some of the events mentioned in the book are part of my high-school memories. It was specially interesting to read about all those urban legends in the pre-internet times, the truth behind and how all that marked a milestone in the games (and computers) industry.

The book mixes very well the personal lifes of Romero and Carmack with the overall gaming scene of their times and the key business decisions they needed to take. Interesting and informative, I dust off an old copy of "Doom" after finishing... ( )

Couldn`t stop reading this fascinating book ( )