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Masters of Doom by David Kushner

Masters of Doom by David Kushner

by Parker · 51 things on Twos

How two guys created an empire and transformed pop culture
Introduction: The Two Johns
Co-creators of Doom and Quake: John Carmack and John Romero
Chapter 1: The Rock Star
Computers felt like a revolutionary tool: a means of self-empowerment and fantasy fulfillment
Romero’s stepfather “you’ll never make any money making games. You need to make something people really need, like business applications”
Chapter 2: The Rocket Scientist
Chapter 3: Dangerous Dave in Copyright Infringement
Chapter 3: Pizza Money
Carmack was of the moment. Time existed for him not in some promising future or sentimental past but in the present condition, the intricate web of problems and solutions, imagination, and code
Romero was immersed in all moments: past, future, and present
All science and technology and culture and learning and academics is built upon using the work that others have done before, Carmack thought
Romero chose the game life over the family life
Carmack wanted nothing less than to disappear into the wallpaper. This kind of scene—socializing, cavorting—was never his domain. He would rather be reading or programming. But contrary to what the other guys might have thought, he wasn’t inhuman. He was fun loving too, just in his own way
Chapter 5: More Fun Than Real Life
Carmack didn’t care where he was as long as he could code
Chapter 6: Green and Pissed
Their friendship was not traditional. They didn’t discuss their lives, their hopes, their dreams. For the most part, their friendship was in their work, their unbridled pursuit of the game
Romero had gone too far
Romeros bit had flipped
We are the wind
Chapter 7: Spear of Destiny
The id guys were putting in 16 hour days 7 days a week
The right thing to do. Secrets aren't fun
Chapter 8: Summon the Demons
When something becomes a problem, let it go or, if necessary, have it surgically removed
Chapter 9: The Coolest Game
Chapter 10: The Doom Generation
Romero had taken to wearing the “Wrote It” shirt everywhere
Carmack loved the work, the rolling up of the sleeves, the challenging of his intellect.
Romero was losing his focus
Romero spelled out his new life code: it was time to enjoy id’s accomplishments. No crunch mode. No more bloodshot nights. “No more death schedules,” he happily said
Chapter 11: Quakes
“Play is a significant function which transcends the immediate needs of life and imparts meaning to the action. All play means something.” - Johan Huizinga
“A society without games is one sunk in the zombie trance of the automation.” - Marshall McLuhan
Romero just likes all the attention, which is why he does it
Carmack never understood the appeal most people found in hapless diversions
Chapter 12: Judgment Day
“You have to give yourself the freedom to back away from something when you make a mistake. If you pretend you’re infallible and bully ahead on something, even when there are many danger signs that it’s not the right thing, well, that’s a sure way to leave a crater in the ground. You want to always be reevaluating things and say, okay, it sounded like a good idea but it doesn’t seem to be working out very well and we have this other Avenue which is looking like it’s working out better—let’s just do that.” - John Carmack
This is not the id of the past, the id of let’s make a Great game together and have fun. This is the id of shut up and work
Chapter 13: Deathmatch
Design is law
Chapter 14: Silicon Alamo
“While I do take a lot of pride in shipping a great product, the achievements along the way are more memorable.” - John Carmack
Knowledge builds on knowledge
“Romero is chaos and Carmack is order. Together they made the ultimate mix. But when you take them away from each other, what’s left?” - American
Chapter 15: Straight out of Doom
Chapter 16: Persistent Worlds
It will be just good friends making games
In the Information Age, the barriers just aren’t there. The barriers are self-imposed. If you want to set off and go develop some grand new thing, you don’t need millions of dollars of capitalization. You need enough pizza and Diet Coke to stick in your refrigerator, a cheap PC to work on, and the dedication to go through with it
“It really comes down to work ethic. If you’ve got two equally talented people and one works twice as hard as the other, that person is going to run away from the other person.” - John Carmack