#681: Doom Legend John Romero — The Path to Prolific Innovation and Making 130+ Games, How to Find the Soul of the Work, Audacious Ambition, and Building in Monk Mode

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Computer and video game legend John Romero (@romero) has designed and published more than 130 games since his first sale at the age of 16. A teenage programming prodigy, his major achievements include co-inventing a series of revolutionary computer games—DOOM, Quake, Wolfenstein 3-D, and Commander Keen—that launched the industry’s most popular genre, the first-person shooter.

The memoir DOOM GUY: Life in First Person is his first book.

Please enjoy!

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[07:39] Childhood.

[11:30] Aggressor Squadron.

[14:55] John’s first exposure to computers and coding.

[21:34] Early innovations in 3D gaming.

[26:01] The id Software team.

[28:00] Side-scrolling games.

[30:41] Developing 13 games in one year. How?

[37:28] Designing with movable and removable parts in mind.

[42:45] Warning the world of its inevitable DOOM.

[53:04] Hyperthymesia.

[59:49] Working on two games at once.

[1:02:34] When John realized DOOM would be a hit.

[1:10:25] Why John moved on from id Software.

[1:14:25] What is a game engine?

[1:20:05] Starting a new company.

[1:21:25] What prompted John to write DOOM Guy: Life in First Person?

[1:23:42] The origin of DOOM‘s name.

[1:24:27] Parting thoughts.

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