I don't think the games industry will ever be able to adequately thank or appreciate all that Carmack has done over his career.
Most of which because the man is too humble to accept any of it.
Most of which because the man is too humble to accept any of it.
At 09:59 PM 1/27/2008, you wrote:
>
>Hey John,
>
>How does someone like yourself become a better engineer? I'm
>nineteen, and I dropped out of high school during my senior year to
>work in game development. Your work is inspiring on many levels.
>Were you simply born with the ability to learn very quickly, or was
>it the result of hard work? I'd like to be the best engineer I can,
>but I'm not sure how to keep improving. What are your thoughts?
Using your time effectively is very important, and there is often a
non-linear relationship between the amount of time you can stay
focused and the amount that you can learn or accomplish. It is often
possible to get more done in a highly focused 12 hour stretch than in
a normal 40 hour work week that is interspersed with email, chat, and
other distractions. Someone that can be completely obsessive about
something does have an advantage, but the same questions about focus
apply for any amount of time you choose to devote to an
undertaking. Most people work at only a fraction of their potential.
John Carmack
When I someday succeed in my life's work (to build a game studio), I'll owe it entirely to him.
If I were an employer I would have to question his commitment and ability to complete projects since he abandoned a rather important one right there at the end.
But I guess it all depends on where you live.
After working for them over the summer of my Junior year, it seemed like a good idea to continue working for them rather than attend my Senior year. Thankfully, I was correct in that assessment. Otherwise I would have wound up with no career and no diploma... :)
Remember, this guy has some pretty expensive hobbies.
i say his ratio is 1:1 - some people have negative (that is, they suck wealth out of the system). Most, normal hardworking people have a ratio of 1:1
He still delivered amazing technology. I just wanted to make that counterpoint. His personality is rather calm but don't let that fool you.
You still have to give it to Notch for showing that you can make an extremely entertaining game while not pushing any hardcore boundaries, such as graphics. Perhaps this will inspire more people to get into software development.
In terms of actual code they're not even in the same league so I won't bother comparing anything Carmack's achieved with Notch's magic number and circular reference-ridden Java code.