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As co-founder of id Software, industry veteran John Romero (currently of Romero Games) had a heavy hand in creating some of the most pivotal releases that shaped the game industry (Commander Keen, Wolfenstein 3D, DOOM, and Quake, to name a few). His accomplishments have been written about many times over, but for the first time, John lays out his entire story in his own words. Doom Guy: Life in First Person is an intimate look at Romero’s life in meticulous detail – an autobiography touching on the moments that shaped him recalled through a razor-sharp memory. He kindly gave us a moment of his of time to chat about the book, which is now available!
When did you decide to write an autobiography? And at what point did you fully commit?
I was at a conference a couple years ago and instead of talking about one of my games, they wanted me to talk about how I grew up, and how I became the person who made Wolf3D, DOOM, Quake, etc. I created that talk and gave it at the conference. The audience was pretty shocked at the stories, and after the talk someone told me they never knew that information and that I should put it in a book. It felt that it was the right time to write that book, so I started on it.
What was the research process like for this project?
I have hyperthymesia, so it was no problem recalling everything that happened. I basically listed out everything that happened in each year in bullet-point format. Any game dates that I wanted to be exact on were researched so the book could be authoritative for the games I made.
Was it difficult to revisit some of the more painful moments of your life?
It was some work figuring out how to talk about those moments with the right words so it didn’t sound like I was complaining or trying to elicit sympathy. It was important to share those moments because someone right now could be going through a similar situation, and my story might help them believe they can find a way out of their situation.
The history of id Software’s early years are well documented, due in large part to David Kushner’s Masters of Doom. Should readers anticipate new behind-the-scenes details on the development of DOOM or Wolfenstein 3D?
Masters of Doom is a great book that covers the id Software part of my career well. DOOM GUY has more detail about some of the events that I know fans would be interested about, not to mention it’s all from my perspective from being on the inside. Also, there are stories that will be new to people who thought they knew everything about id Software. There’s not only more clarity and detail about all id’s games, but also other games like Dangerous Dave and Blackroom.
Now that all of your thoughts are laid out on ink, how do you feel? Is there a sense of relief?
It was such a relief to be finished with all the editing and legal checking so I could sit back and let the publishing machine do its job.
Were there any surprise challenges to writing a book that you hadn’t considered going in?
Oh sure, the sheer magnitude of the endeavor. There’s so much detail, and so many stories, that figuring out which ones were most important was a lot of work.
Looking back at your immense legacy and influence on the video game industry, what would you say that you’re most proud of?
I’m proud that I have been able to make games for my entire life, that I made games people really liked, and that I was able to help push the industry forward.
Should we expect any more books from John Romero?
The end of the book will have you believe there must be a followup book!
