Masters of Doom

By David Kushner

Categories: Biographies & Memoirs

Masters of Doom tells the true story of John Carmack and John Romero, the "Lennon and McCartney of video games." Escaping troubled childhoods, the two young programmers co-created Doom and Quake, games that transformed popular culture and stirred a national controversy. David Kushner follows their rise from rebellious upstarts to industry giants, and the friendship and rivalry that drove them. It's a story of commerce and artistry, and of what it's like to be young, driven, and wildly creative.

Recommended by 7 people

• Patrick Collison
• Jeff Atwood
• Austen Allred
• Alexis Ohanian
• Elon Musk: “Masters of Doom is a great book”
• Shane Parrish: “My inner geek, (remember I have a computer science degree,) resonated a lot with this book which tells the story of John Carmack and John Romero (think of them as the Lennon and McCartney of video games). Carmack’s ingenious insight brought Nintendo style gaming to the PC.”
• David Heinemeier Hansson: “Great book.”