Senate appear, but they are usually explored in relation to Carmack and Romero. Along the way, a supporting cast of characters ranging from American McGee to the U.S. Ultimately, their respective philosophies (Romero’s thirst for innovative design and Carmack’s dedication to technology) send them on separate trajectories in an industry they helped mold. Childhood obstacles, strong personalities, and unique talents drive them to change the medium. Early on, “the two Johns,” Romero (The Rock Star) and Carmack (The Rocket Scientist), become central characters in the story. Masters of Doom is part biography, part business history, and part socio-cultural history held together with a journalist’s flair for a compelling angle. In the absence of an entrenched template regarding how to document video game history, Kushner opts for a comprehensive approach. It’s a difficult task, but Kushner rises to the challenge and creates a work that demonstrates both the many changes and recurring themes in the medium. video games’ broader cultural significance, biographical detail vs. literary storytelling, a focus on the medium vs. It’s a comprehensive book, one that straddles multiple lines: academic writing vs. His 2003 book, Masters of Doom, chronicles the birth of id Software and the tumultuous rise of two industry legends: John Carmack and John Romero. The time to start writing the history of the medium has long since passed. Additionally, thanks to the realities of business and technology, video games age in dog years the difference between a game made in 2001 and one made in 2011 is much more apparent than two films or novels of similar vintages. Of course, this conventional wisdom ignores the fact that we’re approaching the 50th anniversary of Spacewar! and the 40th anniversary of the Magnavox Odyssey. I know I’ve said it on multiple occasions. “Video games are a young medium.” This is a common refrain among those who study them.

David kushner doom