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Doom Guy

Life in First Person

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Doom Guy

Written by: John Romero
Narrated by: John Romero
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About this listen

The inspiring autobiography of video game designer and DOOM cocreator John Romero

Doom Guy: Life in First Person is the long-awaited autobiography of gaming’s original rock star and the cocreator of DOOM, Quake, and Wolfenstein—some of the most recognizable and important titles in video game history. Credited with the invention of the first-person shooter, a genre that continues to dominate the market today, he is gaming royalty.

Told in remarkable detail, a byproduct of his hyperthymesia, Romero recounts his storied career—from his early days submitting Apple II code to computer magazines and sneaking computers out of the back door of his day job to do programming projects at night in his garage to a high-profile falling out with his id Software cofounder John Carmack, as well as his continued role in the gaming industry today as the managing director of Romero Games Ltd.

His story is truly one of a self-made man, founding multiple companies after a childhood filled with violence and abuse drove him to video game design where he could create new worlds and places to escape to. An alcoholic father, a racist grandfather who did not approve of Romero’s parents’ mixed-race coupling, and a grandmother who once ran a brothel in Mexico combine for an illuminating story of his youth—a story that has never before been revealed.

After years in the gaming spotlight, Romero is now telling his story—the whole story—in his own words.

©2023 Alfonso Romero. Published in 2023 by Abrams Press, an imprint of ABRAMS, New York. All rights reserved. (P)2023 Blackstone Publishing
Entertainment & Celebrities Programming & Software Development Software Software Development Celebrity Programming Video Game
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Not What You’d Expect

An enthralling look into the origins of game development and programming that is accentuated by Romero’s articulate and engaging storytelling. Romero manages to make the particulars of computer programming sound endearing to non-tech savvy folk all the while telling a wonderfully captivating story about discovery, innovation and abuse.

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A Legend Speaks

As a lifelong hardcore gamer and someone who is fascinated by the industry, I was super excited when John Romero announced he was making a memoir. I am happy to say that this does not disappoint. It's the first time he has spoken publicly about his very troubled upbringing, but also how those experiences drove him into his interest of computers and programming that made him the legend of the medium he still is today.

Romero has had a checkered reputation in the game industry and it's one that he's generally just kind of rolled with, rarely if ever offering counterpoints to it. In this book, you hear a different side of many of the critical events that led to his reputational rise, fall and rise again. He doesn't dispute many of the things said about them but particularly in the case of Ion Storm, you hear a lot more about what went on there than we've known up to now and it adds a whole new perspective on the subject. He has a condition that essentially gives him a hyper photographic memory so while it's entirely possible he has a biased perspective on some times, he is likely presenting the facts as accurately as they can be, and no one's disputed them thus far. He had some immense highs and some near rock-bottom lows, but throughout it all, his passion and love of the medium never wavered, nor did his involvement in the industry. He's always stuck with games and I think we're all better for it.

Romero reads the book himself and though he stumbles over some words on occasion, he has a very pleasant voice that in combination with the stories, makes this a real audio page turner. I went through the book much faster than I thought I would and it's feels to me like one I'll probably go through multiple times in the future.

If you're into the history of the games industry, don't even hesitate to grab this. Even if you're a lapsed gamer who just remembers fun times with DOOM, I think there's still plenty here to keep you interested.

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True Edition of Masters of Doom

It’s wonderful hearing Romero narrate his own autobiographical work of non fiction. You can a sense of the man through reciting his words what life was like during the game industries most seminal years and all the way up to not-as-well-documented recent events.

I’ve re-listened to Masters of Doom several times on Audible, i have a feeling I’ll be re-listening to Doom Guy just as much.

Guys, it’s really good, not sure what else to tell ya.

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A Great Story By An Iconic Man

Loved it. Such a fascinating story, and was illuminating to learn about how iD Software started, and progressed towards stardom. Narration is clear. It's definitely worth a listen.

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Romero’s Narration makes the audio version special!

Doom Guy is John Romero’s personal retrospective, a life journey: family, inspiration, energy, youth, career, friendship, love, teamwork, innovation, fame, tension, burnout, experience, humility, reinvention, maturity, nostalgia, community, and gratitude. Events and circumstances are generously archived with respect, faith, and goodwill. Thank you!

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