Released in 1993, the video game ‘Doom’ became such a cultural phenomenon that even non-gamers were talking about it. Masters of Doom is a book about how that happened. It surmises how id Software’s founding fathers, John Carmack and John Romero, transformed the gaming industry by revolutionising the ‘first-person shooter’, and pushing graphics, gameplay and violence farther than anyone had ever seen. It also, like a Greek tragedy, shows how this hubris almost lead to their downfall.

David Kushner collates countless hours of interviews into a brisk, present-tense narration that keeps you right in the action. He does a fantastic job explaining what was revolutionary about id, and the transformative impact they had not only on the gaming industry, but the entire world.

The modern gaming industry wouldn’t exist without ‘Doom’, and this book is a fantastic way to find out why.

Reviewed by Max Lewis