How Two Guys Created an Empire and Transformed Pop Culture

Fantastic book! Great meld of the culture, the personalities, the behaviours that allowed a very small group of exceptionally talented folks alter our society (for good or bad - your call).

The descriptions of how the group worked together, albeit dysfunctionally often, was illuminating.

They were young blokes who had a passion, and they followed it and changed an industry. I'm part of the Doom generation (28yrs), and I recall each and every one of the games they released. Never would I have suspected that kids in their early 20s were making it happen! To John and John, if you are reading this, then thanks for Doom. We'll always remember Doom. The book tells their tale, and inspires the rest of us to get off our large behinds and actually make something happen. Follow your passion.

As a fellow game developer it was really interesting to see where Daikatana came from. I grew up with these games, and even back then I knew long before Daikatana was actually released that I was not going to enjoy playing it. But I never understood how it was possible to go from making games like Doom and Quake to making Daikatana. Now I do. The rest of the book was enjoyable as well, obviously. :p

I wish there were more books out like this, chronicling the histories of our favorite games. I enjoyed how it went through the formative years of the team that created Doom, including the games they made before it. It also brings out some nostalgia for anyone who played those games at the time.

As someone who grew up with Keen, Wolfenstein and Doom and saw all the controversies, miracles, highs and lows unfold, this book is a little bit of a biography of my own life. Their lives had an enormous impact on my own.

If you're a fervent gamer age 30 and up, you really can't let this book go by. A must read.

If you remember skipping lunch brake to go to the computer lab and kill nazis, before adults could even realize video games, a kids toy, would show or could show blood and violence then this is a must read

This is a well written book and extremely easy to follow, any 30 something geek will love it

I enjoyed this book greatly, on account of my fascination of the game, the unknown stories of its making, and the fact that the book is, in my oppinion, very well written. I think i finished it in three sittings. If you like video games and are looking for an inspiring story to kindle (no pun intended) your own dreams, give this book a chance.

Very good story. Must read for id Software games fans.
The book itself is not quite good - paper is bad, yellow, transparent, text from other page side is visible.
That's why four stars not five.
I'd rather add some bucks and get white solid paper if it was possible.

This book will help you put in perspective all of id Software's works and understand the design of games like Rage (which wasn't out when the book was written). Did you know John Carmack was such a badass as a kid? Why John Romero acted as a rock star? You'll learn a lot about the people of id and the 80s/90s game industry as a whole.

Maybe it is because I am a programmer, who always dreamt of making a game myself. Maybe because I grew up with the games (Keen, Wolf, Doom, Quake). Maybe because Carmacks personality reminds me off myself. Maybe because it is the best researched book in this genre I have ever read. But I loved the book...

Oh and I just had to play Doom when I finished the book....

Interesting read about the founding of the company, lots of anecdotes about carmack and romero but a bit short on the technical side. Nonetheless, it was very exciting to see how two friends could come together with only a love for games and start an influential company which changed the industry. Loved it!

Great book! Easy to read yet full of detail. This is a must have for anyone who considered themselves a "gamer" back in the 1990s, and even those who just have in interest in what the PC subculture was like in it's infancy.

You probably need a little bit of knowledge about the process of making games and the industry to understand the impact this guys made but its an entertaining book written with a lot of passion for the material, recommended for any 80's nerd

Captivating is a word I would use to describe this book. As soon as I bought it, I couldn't put it down. I finished it within the same day. For anyone looking for a fascinating look into the lives of the men who helped create cultural phenomenons, this is a must read.

Captivating is a word I would use to describe this book. As soon as I bought it, I couldn't put it down. I finished it within the same day. For anyone looking for a fascinating look into the lives of the men who helped create cultural phenomenons, this is a must read.

Get it, read it. Emotional story of ups and downs and of men central to gaming industry when it was being born and people around them. Each chapter is packed with great content... I can't endorse this enough. This is much like Kevin Mitnicks "Ghost in the wires".

Not only does this book explore the depths of the relationship between Carmack and Romero, it lays out the whole time period in stunning detail. Learn about BBS systems, the rise of shareware and the PC itself, and much more in this fast passed soda fueled adventure through the past. Plus.. DOOM!!

Very interesting history of ID games, especially the early years were interesting. I ended up sympathizing with all the characters, doing research to check up on what happened after the end of the book