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Comment by chops | Hacker News Reader

If you have not yet read "Masters of Doom", I strongly advise any aspiring hackerpreneur to read it. It's an enthralling and easy read and details the early day of id, including the releases of their breakout hits "Commander Keen", "Wolfenstein 3D", "Doom", and "Quake", as well as the fall of Romero, following his departure from id, particularly with the "Daikatana" flop.

http://www.amazon.com/Masters-Doom-Created-Transformed-Cultu...

I read it when it was new 8 years ago, and I think I'm probably due for another reading, myself.

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I read this book around a year ago, and it's one of my favourites. If you've been enjoying the recent Warcraft[1] and Starcraft[2] blog posts from Patrick Wyatt, you'll love Masters of Doom. It doesn't focus on the technical details as much, but it's an excellent story.

[1] http://www.codeofhonor.com/blog/tag/warcraft

[2] http://www.codeofhonor.com/blog/tag/starcraft

One of my favorite books. Almost makes me wish I was born at a different time and place.

Even the Super Mario Warner Bros 4 rewrite Carmack made is two days older than me.

>Almost makes me wish I was born at a different time and place.

I've often found myself feeling the same way.

Thing is, we're in no danger of running out of things to invent or advance. There's effectively just as much uncharted territory for us as there was for anyone else. We even have the benefit of standing on their shoulders to achieve perspectives they couldn't realize.

This is true, hence my use of "almost".

On the other hand, there is a lot magic to eating pizzas and sipping diet cokes in the house by the lake only to play and make games.

I just no longer see myself being able to be blessed by that privilege.

what's stopping you? there's people doing that even today in 2012.

Even if you don't like games and you like startups, this is a great book. These guys took their passion and made something awesome. And they bootstrapped it AFAIK.

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