On gaming
(…) the magic formula of a great game — easy to learn, difficult to master.
Games let them escape, learn, recharge. Games are necessary.
Carmack’s way
Carmack’s life could aspire to the elegance of his code: simple, efficient, lean.
He strengthened his body to keep up with his mind. He began lifting weights, practicing judo, and wrestling.
Carmack didn’t believe in waiting for the muse. He decided it was more efficient to use other people’s ideas.
In the company’s brief history, a pattern was emerging that emulated Carmack’s programming ideology: innovate, optimize, then jettison anything that gets in the way.
(…) Carmack incorrectly assumed that everyone was as self-motivated and adept as he was. He was wrong.
Inspiration
“In the information age, the barriers just aren’t there,” he said. “The barriers are self-imposed. If you want to set off and go develop some grand new thing, you don’t need millions of dollars of capitalization. You need enough pizza and Diet Coke to stick in your refrigerator, a cheap PC to work on, and the dedication to go through with it.”
Kushner, D. (2003). Masters of Doom: How Two Guys Created an Empire and Transformed Pop Culture [Kindle Android version].