This is a very engaging history of John Romero's life and how he cowrote one of the biggest games in history, Doom. I've read other video game histories and biographies and this one was the. most compelling due to Romero's storytelling.

It can be a bit detailed for the layperson but the storytelling makes it so much more interesting than your standard video game/computer history biography. Most people didn't know that John Romero was born and raised in poverty in Arizona. He outlines his path to teaching himself programming on many systems and moving all over the country in his quest to be a part of the small group of game programming/design experts in games' infancy.

I would recommend this book for anyone interested in computer history, video game history, the game Doom or even just general biographies.

I received a promotional copy and am giving an honest review.

Wolfenstein 3-D, one of the first PC games I remember playing, always meant a lot to me. It was super fun and quite innovative for the time. That game was developed by id Software, who’d continue to innovate with games like Doom and Quake. I never got into the latter two games due to their darkness and my lack of a powerful enough PC to run them. I do recognize their importance to games, though.

In these dark, post-COVID times, I gravitate towards non-fiction books about things I’m nostalgic for. When I heard that id Software co-founder John Romero had one on the way called Doom Guy: Life In First Person, I knew I had to read it. Romero is a controversial figure in the games industry due in part to the “rock star” persona fostered upon him by marketing people and the press. He successfully surmounts that persona in Doom Guy. Turns out, despite what the advertisements for his first post-id game said, he doesn’t want to make you “his bitch.” That was all marketing.

The book begins with Romero being asked to give a talk at a game conference. They wanted him to talk about something he hadn’t addressed before, so he discussed his childhood. His upbringing and the things that went on in his family were quite interesting. One relative ran a brothel, there was some drug dealing, and other wild stories I won’t give away here. Sometimes I feel like memoirs start too early in their subject’s life. Romero stays with his childhood enough to give you a good overview of where he came from before getting to game design. And he keeps a good balance of personal and professional stories. There’s quite a bit of tech talk, but he describes it in such a way that even non-professionals would understand.

Doom Guy: Life In First Person is a wonderfully entertaining account of an important and influential company and designer. Video Games would not be where they are today without Romero. I highly suggest giving it a read if you’re a fan of games or tech history.