June 2005    

Masters of Doom: How Two Guys Created an Empire and Transformed Pop Culture Author: David Kushner Publisher: Random House $24.95 Cloth (297 P.) ISBN: 0375505245 B&T         YBP Reviewed by Alison Wimmer, Rule Writer, Library Technical Services This well-researched story of the overnight success of John Romero and John Carmack, the creators of the video games "Doom" and "Quake," is a fine example of David Kushner's talent. His personal interest in the era is obvious and his unique blend of journalism and creative writing is refreshing. By conducting hundreds of interviews over a period of six years, David Kushner allows the reader to witness the events as they happened - complete with the feelings and thoughts of the principal characters. Not unlike the rapid rise and fall of a garage-band or rock star, Romero and Carmack experience the best and worst of commercial success in a thrilling yet often tragic ride. The two Johns are introduced separately as pre-adolescents: Romero, an independent kid living in California with a passion for arcade games and a talent for drawing and Carmack, the son of intellectuals in the Midwest with a similar interest in arcade games and an innate ability to understand computer code. Each exhibits an almost single-minded commitment to excellence. Romero often held the top ten scores himself on the local arcade games he favored and Carmack was hanging out at College computer labs wowing the students with his quick mind and unfettered imagination. The biographies continue with their fateful meeting, where they discover similar visions and complimentary skills through their rapid rise to success in the computer video game shareware market to their eventual divergence as they come of age. Kushner does not shy away from the controversies of the time. He discusses the public opinion regarding "first person shooters" and their increasing violence as computer graphics improved, the school shootings by loner students spending much of their time in one of these video fantasies and the Congressional Hearings which eventually pressured the industry's self-imposed rating system. My own son's interest in programming and designing video games made this book a logical choice for me. I found it well written and a fascinating read. Published by YBP Library Services 999 Maple St., Contoocook, NH 03229 USA v: 800.258.3774   f: 603.746.5628 w: www.ybp.com   e: academia@ybp.com All rights reserved.