Masters of Doom
| 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 details the company's early years, the success of their franchises such as Doom, and the professional relationship between Carmack and Romero. The book also covers Romero's firing, and the founding and eventual collapse of his game studio Ion Storm.
Upon release, Masters of Doom received positive reviews from critics. 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.