If your male and in your mid thirties you probably have fond memories of the excitement in discovering the shareware 'Doom' back in 1992. For me it was nothing short of a revelation, a window into the future of the way we entertained ourselves.
I don’t think any of us will ever forget those first digital steps and the sound of the chain gun as we dashed through the halls of hell.
In 2003 David Kucher wrote a book chronicling the birth of the first real PC games phenomenon 'Doom' and the personalities that drove the creative process and formed the studio 'ID'. David has of course written several books on the games business but his book on "Doom", "The masters of Doom" remains one of the most singularly important work in the biography of the worlds latest entertainment industry and I recently had the opportunity to ask him some questions.
IBR: You chronicled the birth of the games business through the Story of Carmack and Romero’s founding of ID studio and their creation of the game Doom, if you had to summarise where the interactive entertainment business is now, are you surprised how big it has become?
David Kushner: Not at all. The “Doom” babies i wrote about now have their own kids, so the gamer generations are naturally growing. I think we still tend to forget how young this medium is relative to others, but now that it has matured it’s only going to keep growing from here.
IBR: You chronicled the birth of two Studio’s now, ID and Rockstar. What was it about these two places?, do you think that the people at the beginning new what lay ahead of them?, did they have a sixth sense that they were at the beginning of something huge or was success/fame something that just happened to them in spite of their actions.
David Kushner: I don’t think anyone ever knows that ahead of time. Rockstar and id had one thing in common: they were making games they wanted to play. And I think that is one of the main drivers of success - creating content that’s personal but has some kind of universal appeal.
IBR: ID software then and now are they two very different beasts do you think some of that original DNA is still i the company?
David Kushner: Well, I suppose it’s like a band carrying on without its original team - it still has some of the spirit but it will never be the same.
IBR: What’s the business lesson here? or is there none. Is it just the fantastic story of stuff that happened to some really smart people?
David Kushner: The biggest lesson is perseverance. Id believed in what they were doing, despite the fact that it was an anethema in the business. They refused to compromise, and had the conviction of their beliefs.
IBR: Wolfenstein, have you been tempted to play? and if so, do you recognise it as a relative to the game you wrote about in your book?
David Kushner: Haven’t had a chance to play the new one yet but it’s amazing how far that franchise has evolved - especially if you go back to the original game on the Apple II that inspired id in the first place.
IBR: The two Johns and the Houser’s had very different trajectories. What were the most fascinating similarities you found between ID and Rockstar in researching your books, and what was the biggest difference?
David Kushner: Well, I think the persistence I mentioned before is certainly one big similarity. As for differences, the Housers are publishers, and Carmack/Romero are developers so that’s a huge difference. The Johns not only could imagine the worlds they wanted to create, they could code them.
IBR: Have you kept in touch with Carmack and do you have a view on Oculus Rift and how it may effect they way we entertain ourselves?
David Kushner: Yes, we correspond now and then, and I’ve seen Romero since the book came out. I’m not surprised at all that Carmack got into VR full-time, we spoke about that passion of his 15 years ago when I was researching Masters of Doom. Oculus has profound implications not only for gaming but other existing forms of entertainment - movies/tv - and some I’m sure we can’t even imagine yet.
IBR: If you had pick another games industry related topic to write about that captured a moment in the history of interactive entertainment - what would it be?
David Kushner: That’s hard to say. Even though there are amazing games and developers out there, not all of them lend themselves to a 300 page book. I’m sure there are other book worthy game stories out there, but the right one has to emerge.
IBR: Can I ask about your writing? How does David Kushner approach writing? are you a disciplined writer or inspiration driven writer?
David Kushner: I definitely don’t wait for inspiration. Writing is a job, so I show up every day at my desk and get to work.
IBR: What are you working on now?
David Kushner: Lots of magazines stories, some screenplays, and a book.
Publications:
David Kushner (2004). 'Masters of Doom'.
Random House: ISBN-10: 0812972155
David Kushner (2006). 'Johnny and The Magic Shark Kids'.
Random House: ISBN-10: 0812974387
David Kushner (2009). 'Levittown'.
Random House: ISBN-10: 0802716199
David Kushner (2012). 'Jacked'.
Wiley: ISBN-10: 0470936371
David Kushner (2013). ' The Bones of Marianna' (Audio Book)
The Atavist: ASIN: B00GWNB490
Links:
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