John Romero quotes

John Romero is an American inventor, game designer, and programmer, widely regarded for his contributions to the video game industry. His work helped define the first-person shooter genre, notably through the creation of games like Doom and Quake. He continues to influence and inspire generations of game developers worldwide. Here are 22 of his quotes:

It has to be well timed. It needs to have the right components that maybe contain emerging technologies or something like, say, when Doom came out -- the Network play -- there weren't many games like that. There was a really great 3D world that a lot of people hadn't seen. It was light-years ahead of Wolfenstein. It was shareware, so it had Internet distribution. We used the Internet to get it all over the place. So it used a lot of stuff that was just becoming popular at that time. id just capitalized on it.

John Romero

In marketing I've seen only one strategy that can't miss - and that is to market to your best customers first, your best prospects second and the rest of the world last.

John Romero

Design is Law.

John Romero

You might not think that programmers are artists, but programming is an extremely creative profession. It's logic-based creativity.

John Romero

I think the reason that I like so many different games is because I like the way my brain works when I'm playing games. It's more fun.

John Romero

I completely love playing and designing games and always will. I am so into games that I listen to game music all day. That may sound strange, but you can guarantee I'm a hardcore gamer and would never let you down by designing a crappy title.

John Romero

You want stealth? Be a rogue in 'World of Warcraft'.

John Romero

I'm a hardcore gamer and would never let you down by designing a crappy title.

John Romero

There are too many games being developed by people that have no business creating games.

John Romero

There is a definite argument to be made that videogames are becoming an art form put together by artists of different types.

John Romero

I'm creating the kind of games that I like right now. I'm not being held back by technology.

John Romero

I think DOOM had just the right mix of elements that keep people coming back to it: great monsters, excellent weapons with great balance, a spooky environment and extreme speed.

John Romero

The game-playing market today is pretty sizable.

John Romero

It is very important to lead the field and innovate in game design.

John Romero

You have to design and program differently. Combat action in an MMO is so different to combat in a first-person shooter.

John Romero

We are at the point where game designers have become celebrities due to the size of the market they serve.

John Romero

The thought processes that go through my head when I'm playing a game compared to the thought processes in real life are very, very different. And they're more interesting to me than what you think about when you're doing the dishes, cleaning the yard, watching TV, driving or watching a movie.

John Romero

What I didn't foresee in 2005 was the rise of the post-PC, which are all these tablets now. These are the things that actually will probably be the end of the consoles.

John Romero

The analogy I use is that 'World of Warcraft' is like going to the mall: you see a ton of people there, but you don't really want to interact with them; you just want to know you're part of the human race. And if you get in trouble, you'll know someone else is there.

John Romero