The Early Days of id Software

GDC Festival of Gaming

Why leaders watch it

A founder recounts how a tiny team shipped landmark games through fast iteration, small teams and shared principles.

John Romero's 2016 GDC Europe talk recounts the early days of id Software and the programming principles behind Doom and Quake, including fast iteration and keeping the game bootable.

Takeaways

• Small focused teams ship fast
• Iterate rapidly and keep tools simple
• Hire people who love the work

Topics: Culture & values, Engineering & technical leadership, Building teams & trust

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