 | | |
| Masters of Doom: How Two Guys Created an Empire and Transformed Pop Culture | 
 enlarge | Author: David Kushner
Publisher: Random House Trade Paperbacks
Category: Book
List Price: $15.95
Buy New: $8.10
You Save: $7.85 (49%)
Buy New/Used from $6.74
Avg. Customer Rating:  (69 reviews)
Sales Rank: 40507
Languages: English (Original Language), English (Unknown), English (Published)
Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 368
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.6
Dimensions (in): 7.9 x 5.2 x 0.9
ISBN: 0812972155
Dewey Decimal Number: 794.80922
EAN: 9780812972153
ASIN: 0812972155
Publication Date: May 11, 2004
Release Date: May 11, 2004
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
|
| Customer Reviews:
 Entertaining and Inspiring March 20, 2008
As an amateur game developer I found the story very compelling, and the way it's told (with the hilarious anecdotes packed in) helps to digest a lot of information. This is a must-read for anyone who has ever wanted to make a game and thought that one or two people wasn't enough.
I actually read the whole thing! February 8, 2008
This will be a short review and I must start off by saying that I DONT READ BOOKS.
But... I got this book because of a class and when I started this book, I couldnt put it down. Its very informative and it actually inspired me quit a bit to be a game developer.
Living the dream and hardly living October 22, 2007
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I got this book from my local library because it looked like an interesting perspective of the early days of FPSs. What I got was a very interesting view of two kids' escape from reality and ultimately their passion.
This book is as much about business, persistence, focus, and fun as you will find anywhere. It also deals with the consequences of a fragmented childhood and perpetual need to show your parents that you can accomplish something, that you are important, that you are deserving of your parents respect, admiration, and...love.
I found it disturbing that John Romero, though he made a promise to himself not to do to his kids what had been done to him, went back on that promise and unfortunately alienated his kids...who WILL grow up remembering that he was never there. This may not seem like much of a problem now, but as his kids grow older they will realize that their father cared for his gaming more than his own flesh and blood...how sad!
The book does a superb job of conveying the realities of running a game development studio as well as the business side of publishing, distributing, marketing, and overall selling of the product. If you want a very good look at the VERY HOT video game industry then this is it. Though there is really no mention of console games, just PC/Mac games, it still applies to console games from a general perspective. I would recommend this book to anyone wanting to get a quick history of 3-D FPS shooter games and the technology that drives many of them. Most importantly though is the conviction that drove the "two Johns" to create one of the most incredible and objectionable games of all time.
 4.9 stars!! Almost perfect August 14, 2007
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
My ONLY complaint and this is super picky, is that I wished they would have gone into more depth on the technical aspects of Doom and especially quake. I realize this isn't a technical book but it still would have been neat to read.
Overall, this is an awesome book.
cbmeeks
GREAT MATERIAL May 13, 2007
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
I own this Book for two years already and I must have read it about 5 times from cover to cover! It's a great piece of Art and should be read by anyone that lived in the yearly 90's and that had the chance to play the very first hit's of ID Software (the first Quake and the first Doom).
The Book is very well written. It brought me back so many memories! That I though I had forgot. But the best is that, by reading the book, you get to know how everything you loved was developed, implemented and created. And "why" certain thing were done the way they were.
It traces a complete Novel from when Carmack and Romero were kids from the Empire that ID Software build upon Carmack genius and passion for FPS and Romero killer business and marketing instincts. It's good to remind that although ID Software are credited to the "Two Johns", all the ID staff is also part of the pillar. And they are all mentioned in the course of the book (many left the company in the middle of many projects but they were accuratly mentioned).
The book tells the story from the very beginning, until the pre-realease of DOOM3. It covers every aspect you could want to know.
As a plus, you can keep in mind that Carmack and Romero had to sign a contract stating that the Book doesn't have a single line of untruth been spoke. Random House could only publish the book after that. So it is all true.
And there you have it! All the sinister and stunning truth about how one of the biggest pop Icons of the 90's was created... and still lives on.
|
|
|
Powered by Associate-O-Matic
| | |