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Masters of Doom

How Two Guys Created an Empire and Transformed Pop Culture

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Masters of Doom

Written by: David Kushner
Narrated by: Wil Wheaton
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Masters of Doom is the amazing true story of the Lennon and McCartney of video games: John Carmack and John Romero. Together, they ruled big business. They transformed popular culture. And they provoked a national controversy. More than anything, they lived a unique and rollicking American Dream, escaping the broken homes of their youth to produce the most notoriously successful game franchises in history - Doom and Quake - until the games they made tore them apart. This is a story of friendship and betrayal, commerce and artistry - a powerful and compassionate account of what it's like to be young, driven, and wildly creative.

©2003 David Kushner (P)2012 Audiobooks.com Business Professionals & Academics Programming & Software Development Video Game Game
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What the critics say

"Compelling . . . Masters of Doom succeeds on several levels. It's just great storytelling, with perfect pacing, drama and characterization. It's also an excellent business book, a cautionary tale with the kind of insider detail that other writers working in the genre should envy." ( Houston Chronicle)
“Kushner’s mesmerizing tale of the Two Johns moves at a rapid clip . . . describing the twists and turns of fate that led them to team up in creating the most powerful video games of their generation. . . . An exciting combination of biography and technology.” ( USA Today)
“Meticulously researched . . . as a ticktock of the creative process and as insight into a powerful medium too often dismissed as kids’ stuff, Masters of Doom blasts its way to a high score.” ( Entertainment Weekly)
All stars
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I'm a life-long hardcore gamer and love hearing about the behind the scenes history of some of the medium's most storied developers. This book is a fantastic one of those. It goes into the origins, meteoric rise and ultimately, the internal fracturing of id Software, one of the industry's most successful and important studios.

While it's probably best appreciated by people into gaming and the business of it like I am, it's written such that anyone can listen to it and understand what's being discussed. It doesn't require you to be deep into gaming to get the gist of it, not at all. Much like other creative industries, gaming is full of ego and drama and this shows what can happen when you reach stardom quickly.

Wil Wheaton overall does a good job presenting it, though he makes several mispronunciations and outright mistakes in his reading that the producers didn't catch. Very minor though and doesn't detract in a significant way.

If you love the history of gaming or are just curious about it, this is one to listen to.

A fantastic deep dive into id Software

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Great story about the beggining of first person shooters. Interesting characters and written for the audience intended. If you are looking for inspiration in pursuing a career in your passion this book is a how-to manual.

Politics of self management.

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If you are into video games, this is a must read, so much history that you just need to find out for yourself.

Great story and great performance by the narrator

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I still remember being a snot nosed kid in the 90s playing doom. It was the start of my love affair with video games. They really were rock stars. Its a shame whats happening to the industry now with the triple A developers and publishers following trends and destroying any credibility they have with consumers with their shady practices. Publishers now suck all the creativity and force games out early all for the bottom line. It was eye opening to see how success and money change people in the industry. Well everyone except Carmack, that dude will be Carmack no matter what. Great narrator with a 90s vibe. Felt like i was there making the game with them.

John Romero will make you his bitch...

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I was there. Those games, that time. And a connection too. I know a skins designer that worked on those early games. I was hoping to hear Ken Scott’s name but didn’t materialize. The stuff he’s done since, is as legendary as the games he’s worked on.

Trip back in time.

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