I recently finished reading Masters of Doom by David Kushner and thought I’d write a short response. It’s the first book I’ve read from start to finish since I was a child.
The book was lent to me by a friend but it was my interest in shooters and a power cut that got me to actually sit down and read it. I haven’t invested the time that some have in multiplayer FPS titles but I’ve definitely had a go. I think networked shooters are the most technically interesting video games - the genre certainly faces the greatest challenges. Responsive networking and graphics are heavily punished by even the tiniest blips.
So a book that covers their inception and ‘founding fathers’ had be interested and ultimately got me hooked. I’ve never played Doom or even Quake for that matter and you really don’t need to get the book. The id story is a great one - with some even better characters - and while depressing at times, as a whole, it’s very inspirational.
It’d recommend it to anyone who’s ever been at all invested in an FPS - as well as to any student programmer who’s into video games. There’s a lot to learn from the book - it’ll really make you think.