 | |
| Author | David Kushner |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Genre | History |
| Publisher | Random House |
Publication date | May 6, 2003 (Hardcover) May 11, 2004 (Paperback) May 15, 2012 (Audiobook) |
| Publication place | United States |
| Media type | Print (Hardcover) Print (Paperback) Audiobook |
| Pages | 352 (Hardcover) 368 (Paperback) |
| ISBN | 0-375-50524-5 (Hardcover) 0-8129-7215-5 (Paperback) |
| OCLC | 50129329 |
| 794.8/092/2 B 21 | |
| LC Class | GV1469.15 .K87 2003 |
Masters of Doom: How Two Guys Created an Empire and Transformed Pop Culture is a 2003 book by David Kushner about video game company id Software and its influence on popular culture, focusing on co-founders John Carmack and John Romero. The book goes into detail about the company's early years, the success of their franchises such as Doom, and the dynamics between Carmack and Romero and their different personalities. The book also focuses on Romero's firing and the founding and the eventual collapse of his game studio Ion Storm.
Upon release, Masters of Doom received positive reviews from critics and has been placed on numerous "best of" lists for video game books. The book would later influence Palmer Luckey to establish the technology company Oculus VR, and Alexis Ohanian and Steve Huffman to found Reddit. There have been two attempts to adapt the book: a television movie on Showtime, and a pilot episode greenlit by USA Network in 2019 for a potential series.