A Lifetime in Games: The Past, Present and Future of the Industry

John Romero reveals how releasing DOOM as an "open game" birthed the modern modding scene and changed the industry forever.

#1about 3 minutes

From the Arizona desert to the first video games

Romero's childhood in Tucson and family background shaped his creative drive, leading to his first experiences with Pong and arcade games.

#2about 5 minutes

Learning to code on a university mainframe computer

A 45-minute bike ride led to discovering the Sierra College computer lab, where text-based games sparked an interest in learning to program in BASIC.

#3about 4 minutes

Mastering the Apple II and the 8-bit market crash

After getting an Apple II, years of self-taught programming led to publishing games in magazines, navigating the 8-bit market crash, and landing a first job at Origin Systems.

#4about 3 minutes

Creating smooth scrolling tech for Commander Keen

At Softdisk, John Carmack's discovery of smooth scrolling on PC led to a Super Mario 3 demo and the creation of the shareware hit Commander Keen.

#5about 4 minutes

Pioneering the first-person shooter with Wolfenstein 3D

Building on experiments with 3D maze games like Catacomb 3D, the team created Wolfenstein 3D in four months, which defined the first-person shooter genre.

#6about 4 minutes

How Doom revolutionized gaming with open development

Doom was developed with an 'open game' philosophy, encouraging mods and community content, which helped it become a cultural phenomenon that defined multiplayer gaming.

#7about 1 minute

Pushing boundaries with Quake and leaving id Software

Quake introduced fully 3D environments and internet multiplayer, but its grueling development cycle led to creative differences and Romero's departure from id Software.

#8about 2 minutes

The Ion Storm years and a move to mobile

After co-founding Ion Storm, Romero experienced both failure with Daikatana and success with Deus Ex before pivoting to the emerging mobile games market.

#9about 2 minutes

Exploring MMOs, social games, and indie development

Inspired by World of Warcraft, Romero founded an MMO company before finding massive success with the Facebook game Ravenwood Fair and eventually starting Romero Games.

#10about 5 minutes

Identifying recurring patterns in the games industry

The history of gaming reveals repeating cycles, including digital distribution evolving from BBS to Steam, the rise of multiplayer, and the cyclical debate over violence in games.

#11about 2 minutes

The future of gaming technology and design

Future advancements in gaming will be driven by VR and AR, procedural generation powered by GPUs and machine learning, and the essential combination of great tech with great design.

#12about 6 minutes

Q&A on VR, learning from failure, and creativity

Romero discusses VR's potential as a console-like vertical, lessons learned from the failure of Ion Storm, and how removing deadlines can foster creativity.

#13about 5 minutes

Q&A on modern game releases and industry advice

Romero shares his views on early access models, advises musicians on how to connect with the industry, and reflects on how technical limitations shaped early game design.