DOOM Guy. Życie w pierwszej osobie

by John Romero, Karolina Piwowarczyk (Translator)

Inspirująca, długo oczekiwana autobiografia projektanta gier wideo i współtwórcy "DOOMa", Johna Romero.

John Romero, pierwsza prawdziwie rockowa gwiazda świata gier, jest współtwórcą "DOOMa", "Quake'a" i "Wolfensteina 3-D", jednych z najważniejszych gier wideo w historii. Uważany za ojca chrzestnego gatunku strzelanin z perspektywy pierwszej osoby, który dominuje do dziś, zajmuje szczególne miejsce w dziejach branży. W książce "DOOM Guy. Życie w pierwszej osobie" Romero po raz pierwszy opowiada o trudnym dzieciństwie i bogatej karierze, począwszy od wysyłania gier na Apple II do magazynów komputerowych i wynoszenia komputerów z pracy tylnymi drzwiami, by programować po nocach.

Przełomowe odkrycia w projektowaniu i technologii w czasie pracy Romero w id Software sprawiły, że "DOOM" i "Quake" stały się kulturowymi fenomenami. Ta ekscytująca historia opowiada o każdym etapie tego procesu, od wspólnych, napędzanych heavy metalem dni spędzonych na tworzeniu najbardziej rewolucyjnych i najnowocześniejszych gier w branży, po głośną kłótnię ze współzałożycielem id, Johnem Carmackiem. Po latach spędzonych w centrum świata gier, Romero opowiada teraz swoją historię – całą historię – rzucając nowe światło na rozwój swoich gier i partnerstw biznesowych, opisując wzloty i upadki, dzieląc się spostrzeżeniami na temat projektowania, kodu, branży i swojej kariery aż do dziś. W ramach dzielenia się swoją wdzięcznością za możliwość poświęcenia życia grom, Romero ujawnia zwroty akcji i zbiegi okoliczności, które ostatecznie doprowadziły go do miana DOOM Guya.

Genres: Biography, Nonfiction, Video Games, Memoir, Games, Audiobook, Gaming

528 pages, Paperback

First published July 18, 2023

Reviews

[Sam · Rating 2 out of 5]

If you are a nerd and have nostalgia for DOOM, Wolf3D, Commander Keen, BBSes etc. then the first two thirds of this book are a mildly interesting read, albeit very poorly written. After Ion Storm it rapidly becomes incredibly dull, cos who wants to read about Gunman Taco Truck or whatever else nonsense dude has done since id? Not me!

[Wesley Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wolfenstein 3-D, one of the first PC games I remember playing, always meant a lot to me. It was super fun and quite innovative for the time. That game was developed by id Software, who’d continue to innovate with games like Doom and Quake. I never got into the latter two games due to their darkness and my lack of a powerful enough PC to run them. I do recognize their importance to games, though.

In these dark, post-COVID times, I gravitate towards non-fiction books about things I’m nostalgic for. When I heard that id Software co-founder John Romero had one on the way called Doom Guy: Life In First Person, I knew I had to read it. Romero is a controversial figure in the games industry due in part to the “rock star” persona fostered upon him by marketing people and the press. He successfully surmounts that persona in Doom Guy. Turns out, despite what the advertisements for his first post-id game said, he doesn’t want to make you “his bitch.” That was all marketing.

The book begins with Romero being asked to give a talk at a game conference. They wanted him to talk about something he hadn’t addressed before, so he discussed his childhood. His upbringing and the things that went on in his family were quite interesting. One relative ran a brothel, there was some drug dealing, and other wild stories I won’t give away here. Sometimes I feel like memoirs start too early in their subject’s life. Romero stays with his childhood enough to give you a good overview of where he came from before getting to game design. And he keeps a good balance of personal and professional stories. There’s quite a bit of tech talk, but he describes it in such a way that even non-professionals would understand.

Doom Guy: Life In First Person is a wonderfully entertaining account of an important and influential company and designer. Video Games would not be where they are today without Romero. I highly suggest giving it a read if you’re a fan of games or tech history.

I received an ARC of this book from Netgalley. It will be released in July.

[Yuri Krupenin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Я каким-то образом прочитал три или четыре книги, рассказывающих историю ранней id Software, и все они, закончив с описанием невероятного взлета, теряют запал, переходя к вопросу "а что все же случилось потом?".

Эта, как первая имеющая характер мемуара (а не журналистского расследования) гораздо более сентиментальна, и предлагает личный closure истории.

После нее в принципе можно больше не читать ничего по теме, хорошо (а то сколько можно уже).

[Alexey Matveev · Rating 3 out of 5]

john, you're amazing, but you don't need to repeat everything thrice, we get you from the get-go.
other than that - unique POV of a unique person.

p.s. hyperthymesia sounds like my personal nightmare and I remember about 70% of my life clearly, 100% would be nightmare fuel

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m definitely done with reading about Doom and id. Case closed

[Evelina | AvalinahsBooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

How I read this: Free audiobook copy received through Libro.fm

I really loved this book. Romero himself is narrating it, which made it so much more personal to me (plus, he just has such a nice friendly voice, I tripped time and again over my mental math trying to figure out how he can sound so young, lol).

I have never played Doom myself, but Quake III was the first FPS I ever had a chance to try (although from what I understand, he wasn't a part of that specific one anymore), and of course I played the demo levels of Wolfenstein, who hasn't? (Okay, so I guess Quake III wasn't the first!)

Anyway, I'm not much of a gamer, but I've always been very interested in gaming history, I watch way more YouTube essays about it than I should, considering I'm not a gamer myself. This hit the spot, it was so interesting to read about how Doom, the game that they'll put on anything these days, was made (I think I saw a video where A RING runs Doom??! Like a ring that you put on your finger!)

John Romero's childhood is also no joke, and was very interesting to read about. I had my own opinions about how little his family and interpersonal relationships show up in his radar in his adult life, but also, you can just tell, Romero is just so deeply concentrated on his craft that his craft IS his life (or maybe he didn't want to talk too much about his personal life in this book.) Truly a one of a kind person, and it was very interesting to hear this story told from his own perspective.

I have also never really known any history of the makers of Doom, and how apparently rocky it became right before their breakup, but I can say that Romero is very nice about it in this book. There's no blaming or bashing or anything like that. Of course, it's years in the past for him, so it's easier to put things in perspective, but you know. It's nice to read a constructive account on something like that.

All in all, there IS a lot of talk about how this or that level was built, how long the engine took to make, and all sorts of technical topics like that. It might be a bit much for some people, but I don't know, it worked for me, and like I said - it just shows how much it is part of Romero's life, so I enjoyed reading it all the same.

I thank the publisher and libro.fm for giving me a free copy of the audiobook in exchange to my honest review. This has not affected my opinion.

Book Blog | Bookstagram | Bookish Twitter

[Preston Epps · Rating 5 out of 5]

Incredible. I cried many times, some of which were very warranted. Others were just my stupid tired brain throwing out chemicals with reckless abandon.

Listened to this narrated by Romero himself. While I have tremendous respect for the arts of voice acting and narration, and it was abundantly clear that Romero was not of that profession, the vibe created by his occasional slight verbal stumbles or off-kilter cadence made this feel like an intimate conversation rather than a piece of media. I think that added a lot of value to the audiobook, and I no doubt enjoyed it more as a result.

[Dustin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Is most interesting when it's focused on what Romero actually thinks and feels but there's very little of that once it gets out of his childhood. At that point it becomes a book about id software's history and design. Some stuff blatantly feels like it's in there to "set the record straight" where it doesn't feel natural. The guy's a programmer and designer, not a writer, and I felt like he could have used some help to flesh this out more. Also spotted a few typos.

[Andrey · Rating 5 out of 5]

это очень хорошо

[Arjen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've gained even more respect for Romero. It was also refreshing to get an objective view on him leaving ID and the aftermath, instead a story told by proxy.

[Aidan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fuck Todd.

[Eric · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dense, at times quite dark, but fascinating throughout. Not knowing a lot about DOOM, its creators or 80s/90s video games going into this read, I didn’t know to expect such a rollercoaster.

A bit hard to read at times, due to the content (the first part features a lot of alcoholism and domestic abuse; the last part a lot of search for meaning and chasing of the good ole’ days) as well as the poor editing (the already dense prose has a lot of reposition, typos, etc).

[Rob · Rating 5 out of 5]

The perfect complement to Masters of Doom. Where that book gives a lot of the initial context, this book clarifies and expands on it so much. They really do go together as a set.

[Xyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Legends relayed by a legend.

Doom Guy was the autobiography I expected and then some. I did the Audible version, so hearing the man himself tell his life story gave it an extra touch, I think. I will sight read it for a re-read at some point.

The history of id software and all the beloved franchises Romero worked on was fantastic, as well as the tale of Ion Storm. The number of callouts to beloved developers and games made reading this book feel like reliving a huge part of my childhood over again, similarly to the recent FPS documentary, which is likewise fantastic for those interested in such things.

There was depth here I was not expecting, and plenty of surprising things. It's a treasure trove for those with an interest.

An absolute must read for fans of first-person shooters, id software, Doom, Quake, etc.

[Pete · Rating 4 out of 5]

Doom Guy : Life in First Person (2023) by John Romero is Romero’s autobiography. Romero was one of the founders of id Software and one of the co-creators of Doom, Quake and thus the genre of first person shooters.

Romero grew up poor with a alcoholic and violent father and then step fathers. He overcame a lot and became fascinated with computers and managed to gain access to them and worked incredibly hard to learn how to program them. He really, really wanted to create games and managed to do so.

After getting jobs in the games industry and making a go of it he teamed up with John Carmack and they formed id Games, which would drastically change the computer gaming world. Pushing the limits of what was possible with a PC first with Commander Keen and then with the huge breakthrough of Doom.

The books section on id as they created Doom are really good. It’s a fine portrait of a small team of incredibly hard working and skilled people creating a cultural touch point. Doom Guy provides an excellent view into this and adds to what was in the also excellent book Masters of Doom.

The creation of Quake and the spit between Romero and Carmack is well described with a remarkable lack of anger by Romero. The chapters on Ion Storm are also really interesting.

Romero has led an incredible life and helped to create something that had a huge impact. Doom Guy is well worth a read for anyone interested in computer games.

[Kirill Asanov · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book doesn’t always know what it wants to be: a memoir, a history of the company, or an advice on game design, and maybe a bit overly positive. Nevertheless, it’s a truly inspiring story that will be useful for anyone who wants to tie their live video games, and, probably, IT in general.

[Mario · Rating 2 out of 5]

La mente de John Romero es prodigiosa. El tipo es un genio. Su legado es innegable. Todo lo anterior podría haberse traducido en un muy interesante e intenso libro sobre su vida, la cual sí fue retratada en algunos episodios... pero quedó corto.

[Brian Fredricks · Rating 5 out of 5]

I ordered this book a year and a half ago and asked for a dedication to a family member and a signature and John Romero actually fulfilled my request! Doing that for all his fans is definitely NOT an easy thing I wanted to recognize that. This book is great John is a gaming and technology legend if you're interested in either of those things read this book!

[Pascal · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is in many ways a way rougher accounting of the id days than David Kushner's Masters of Doom was. First of all in sheer quality of writing and editing, which leads me to take a star off: Romero often repeats information throughout several chapters that feel like he wrote earlier chapters later in the process without some editor rigorously cleaning up the other chapters. Due to some rambling sentences, Doom Guy gets exhausting at times. A stronger editing process would have fixed this, I presume.

It nevertheless is an important work of literature for the games industry and an interesting read.

I want to highlight the last third of the book, themed around the post-id time, which is explicitly written to be readable without the rest and thus repeats some info. This I think is a great thing, since a lot of interested readers will have read Masters of Doom anyway, and Romero freely references Kushners book, verbatim at times. Why shouldn't he, when a lot of the quotes are his? Nevertheless, there is little new in the first two thirds of the book, but the tidbits that are make up for it, like the strong focus on Romero franchising out id property and overseeing publishing operations with legendary studios like Raven. This is genuinel, useful information, as it sheds light on some of the more dramatised clashes between Romero and Carmack that Masters of Doom puts in the spotlight. It pays to read both books if you are really interested in the history. Otherwise, decide:, read MoD if you are out for entertainment, or Doom Guy if you want more technical info about game devs of old, game business insights, and the voice of a legend telling it - just bear in mind that it is probably coloured in his own favour, as autobiographies tend to.

[Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

John Romero has always been one of my game development heroes and was behind some of my favorite games. When I was fifteen, I devoured the book “Masters of Doom” and was thrilled to finally get a peek behind the curtain of game development of my favorite game at the time: Doom. This book mentions Masters of Doom several times, mostly to correct the record. Romero’s story is inspiring, uplifting, and hopeful. Despite his rough childhood, the rapid rise to fame, and his fall from gaming grace; he still has a tremendous optimism that shines through all of the pages of this book. His reflections on his career are invaluable to read and can be applied to anyone that pursues a creative space. His humility is striking. I listened to the Audible version of this book because it only felt right to hear his story told with his voice.

Now it’s time to make some Doom 1&2 maps…

[Talon Beck · Rating 5 out of 5]

By this account, Romero is an exceptionally hard-working and humble person. Reading through his life experiences, the ups and the downs, has been inspiring. I wish there was a little more coverage on the technical details for why Daikatana ended up the way it was at launch, but otherwise I'm satisfied with reading up on Romero's and his teams' significant impacts to the game industry.

[Volodymyr Gerasimov · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was skeptical about it after Masters of Doom, but it was definitely worth it. The book is very positive, highlighting key issues that contributed to fallout of ID and highlighting Romero’s journey after Ion Storm. As a designer and person who grew up playing Doom and Quake - this book rocks!

[Seth Duncan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Honestly this book was crazy inspiring and I’ve now started another new hobby of game development because why not.

Really appreciated Romero’s stories and humility in telling the highs and the lows.

[Niklas Borglund · Rating 3 out of 5]

When I run, I usually listen to something. For the long time it was audio books, then I gradually switched over to podcasts. Recently, I got slightly tired of listening to other people having conversations, so I decided to get back into books.

Biographies work well because it doesn't matter If I miss a sentence here and there if the jogging is especially strenuous or my mind just wander.

So I decided on this book. As a fellow game developer, listening to the life of an industry legend who helped shape games to what they are today was very interesting. Lot of the stories I had heard before, some of them were very technical, and some of them I had never heard before.

Towards the end of the book, I started zoning out more and more while listening. Something about it made it feel a bit... repetitious? Can't really put my finger on it.

Anyway, I would recommend it if you are either a gamedev or interested in the industry itself. Lots of interesting nuggets of wisdom in there.

I gave it just a three in a score. But I would like to give it a 3.5/5

[Shiv Duthie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is exactly what I expected it to be - and I love that. Romero gives a very brief outline of his childhood, providing good setting and context. The rest of the book takes you step-by-step through his 30 years in game development, obviously with strong focus on Doom, Quake, Id Software…it is really interesting seeing his best games and pivotal game dev moments through his eyes. For anyone with no interest in games/computer programming then this won’t be for you, but as someone who has a basic knowledge and passing interest in coding and LOVES Romeros games this was a great read. You don’t need to be a serious computer nerd to appreciate. I watched some playthroughs of the various games on YouTube alongside reading this, which I recommend if you don’t know all of his games, but also just for feeling. So glad I read this!

[Jack Nicholls · Rating 4 out of 5]

John Romero's life, highs and lows, as now told by John Romero.

Id Software's classic designer tells the story of his life in detail, from growing up in the desert, a magnetic relationship to videogames that couldn't be quelled, and building up his game development skills until he and a group of friends would go on to change history. He mentions his hyperthymesia as a boon to remember details with vivid sharpness and it comes across in the book (though this is still from the perspective of Romero) and creates a tactile journey that's easy to follow but also palpable in details.

Even if you've read other books like Masters of Doom, or other articles and write-ups on old Id Software and its founders, Doom Guy is a must read, with new insights, some rebuttals, and further humanising a talented team of people and how they got along, straight from someone who was there and remembers it all.

[Bilal Yassine · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book starts off decently strong and is quite interesting in the story leading up to the creation of id Software and DOOM.

But after Romero is forced to resign, it gets much less engaging. Romero is overly defensive throughout the disaster that was Ion Storm. While he emphasizes that he was the problem at the end, his language and storytelling throughout is very evasive.

The writing is also pretty mediocre but it’s enjoyable enough to get a peek behind the scenes during such a historic era for PC gaming.

[Benny Madden · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 for me, 3 at best. I was hoping for a little more depth or personal level from Romero. The start is excellent and details the rough life he had growing up, but everything else in this book, sans the last few chapters, feels copy and pasted from Masters of DOOM. While this has the cool advantage of being read by Romero, it feels like it was written very safely and it's a bit too clean for my liking. Romero seems to treat everything with an air of professionalism, neutrality, perhaps to avoid libel or criticism?

It's also a bit awkward he more or less memory holed Stevie Case and to my memory doesn't acknowledge Pleşca's existence.

Overall, it's a nice supplement to Masters, but really most of the stuff you find in this will be in that book, but it's nice to see from a grown up Romero's perspective anyway.

[David Portnov · Rating 4 out of 5]

This pretty much what you'd expect out of the book. It succeeds in being an autobiography with some extra juicy information, which actually isn't all that exciting. That's not a bad thing though. It was especially interesting to read how Romero grew up and his earlier years before Commander Keen and Doom as well has the years following Doom and Daikatana.

[Lachlan · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5/5

I was already a fan of Romero but reading this made me love him even more. I know an autobiography is biased but he seems like a really genuine guy and it was really lovely to go through his life journey and games journey. I immediately am going to go through Ultimate DOOM and DOOM 2 while this is fresh (and play Sigil) because my love for id has been renewed