Doom Guy
Life in First Person
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4.7 • 18 Ratings
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- $12.99
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- $12.99
Publisher Description
The inspiring, long-awaited autobiography of video-game designer and DOOM cocreator John Romero
John Romero, gaming’s original rock star, is the cocreator of DOOM, Quake, and Wolfenstein 3-D, some of the biggest video games of all time. Considered the godfather of the first-person shooter, a genre that continues to dominate the market today, he holds a unique place in gaming history. In DOOM Guy: Life in First Person, Romero chronicles, for the first time, his difficult childhood and storied career, beginning with his early days submitting Apple II game code to computer magazines and sneaking computers out the back door of his day job to write code at night.
Industry-redefining breakthroughs in design and tech during Romero’s time at id Software made DOOM and Quake cultural phenomena, and this thrilling story recounts every step of the process, from collaborative, heavy metal–fueled days spent crafting the industry’s most revolutionary and cutting-edge games to a high-profile falling-out with id cofounder John Carmack. After years in the gaming spotlight, Romero is now telling his story—the whole story—shedding new light on the development of his games and his business partnerships, from the highest highs to the lowest lows, sharing insights about design, code, the industry, and his career right up to today. Sharing gratitude for a lifetime in games, Romero reveals the twists and turns that led him, ultimately, to be called DOOM Guy.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Video game designer Romero, best known as the creator of Doom, catalogs his personal and professional challenges in this surprisingly moving autobiography. In the 1960s and '70s, Romero's family was involved in the drug trade, and his father, who was addicted to "everything from cocaine to alcohol," abused Romero, his mother, and his younger brother. Romero found refuge in early video games, including Space Invaders, which led him, at age 11, to learn computer programming. He walks readers through the details of his career, from his first gig at the Texas-based Origin Systems when he was 20 up through his triumphs at id Software and Ion Storm in the 1990s. It's then that Romero developed Doom, realizing his vision for "the fastest, most violent, most immersive computer game in history" and innovating the archiving of gamers' keystrokes as video files and other advances that changed online gaming. Though some passages get a little too technical (including one on video buffers' bit depths), Romero mostly manages to appeal to gamers and non-gamers alike with this celebration of triumphing over adversity. Creatives of all stripes will be satisfied.
Customer Reviews
Inspirational
Inspirational