Masters of Doom How Two Guys Created an Empire and Transformed Pop Culture
Masters of Doom tells the true story of John Carmack and John Romero, two brilliant programmers who revolutionized video gaming and built a multimillion-dollar empire. David Kushner chronicles how these unlikely partners created groundbreaking games like Wolfenstein 3D, Doom, and Quake that transformed the entertainment industry. The book reveals how they escaped difficult childhoods to become pioneers of the first-person shooter genre and masters of a new digital frontier.
This is a story of friendship, innovation, and ambition. Kushner takes readers inside the world of id Software, where long hours, intense creativity, and cutting-edge technology came together to produce some of the most influential games in history. The book explores how Carmack's programming genius combined with Romero's design vision to create immersive 3D worlds that captivated millions of players worldwide.
Masters of Doom also examines the cultural impact of these games and the controversies they sparked. Based on hundreds of interviews conducted over six years, Kushner delivers a compelling narrative about what happens when two driven individuals push the boundaries of technology and entertainment. It's a vivid portrait of the video game industry's most important success story and the complex partnership that made it possible.
Interesting Facts
Six Years of Research: David Kushner spent six years conducting hundreds of interviews to write this book, even moving to Dallas to get closer to his subjects and spending late nights talking with them in offices, barbecue joints, and bars.
Wil Wheaton Narrates Audiobook: The audiobook version, released in 2012, is narrated by Star Trek's Wil Wheaton, bringing an extra layer of geek culture credibility to this already beloved gaming story.
It Inspired Reddit's Creation: Reddit co-founders Alexis Ohanian and Steve Huffman have credited Masters of Doom as the book that inspired them to start their own company, which eventually became one of the internet's most influential platforms.
Palmer Luckey's VR Journey: Oculus VR founder Palmer Luckey first became interested in virtual reality after reading this book, and in a delicious twist of fate, John Carmack later joined Oculus as Chief Technology Officer in 2013.
Novel-Like Journalism Approach: Though it reads like a thrilling novel with perfect pacing and drama, Masters of Doom is meticulously researched video game journalism that both John Carmack and John Romero have endorsed and regularly recommend to people interested in their story.
Published in 2003: The book was first published in May 2003 by Random House, capturing the wild ride of id Software from its scrappy beginnings through the explosive success of games like Wolfenstein 3D, Doom, and Quake.
The Two Johns Comparison: The book famously compares John Carmack and John Romero to Lennon and McCartney, with Carmack as the intense, driven genius programmer and Romero as the flamboyant, rock star designer who loved the spotlight.
Lawsuit Drama: In 2005, former Ion Storm CEO Michael Wilson sued Random House for $50 million over claims in the book, but the suit was dismissed with prejudice by joint request later that same year.
Widely Acclaimed as Essential: Since its release, the book has appeared on numerous "best video game books" lists, with Polygon calling it "arguably the most popular work of nonfiction about video game development" in 2023.
Explores Broken Homes Background: The book delves into both Johns' difficult childhoods, showing how they escaped broken homes through their immersion in brilliantly designed fantasy worlds and channeled their experiences into creating revolutionary games.
Multiple Adaptation Attempts: There have been two attempts to adapt the book, including a planned Showtime television movie in 2005 and a pilot episode greenlit by USA Network in 2019, though neither has materialized into a full production.
Sequel in the Works: In 2021, David Kushner announced he was writing a sequel titled Masters of Disruption: How the Gamer Generation Built the Future, which would include new interviews with Carmack and Romero and be serialized in his newsletter.
Quotes
"We were just kids making games in our bedrooms."
"John Carmack was the brain; John Romero was the heart."
"Every great idea starts out as blasphemy."
"They wanted to make something that no one had ever seen before, that would change everything."
"Programming is not a science. Programming is an art form that fights back."
"If you're going to do something, do it the best, or don't do it at all."
"Shareware was our rebellion against the system."
"They were rebels, visionaries, and, above all, gamers."
"Their games were an extension of themselves—violent, fast, and relentless."
"To Carmack, technology was the ultimate playground."
"Romero and Carmack were like Lennon and McCartney—together, they were unstoppable."
"It's not about playing it safe. It's about taking risks and revolutionizing the industry."
"We weren't making games for the money. We were making games for the love of it."
"They knew that with the right code, nothing was impossible."
"Ultimately, their passion, not their product, was what changed the world."
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