Wolfenstein vomit stories became items of fascination online. Calls were coming in even at the Apogee office saying that people were throwing up while playing the game. In fact, the sense of immersion was so real that many began complaining of motion sickness. But players didn’t need virtual reality goggles to feel immersed. A Kentucky entrepreneur hooked up a version of Wolfenstein to virtual reality goggles and brought in five hundred dollars a day at the Kentucky State Fair. Masters of Doom: How Two Guys Created an Empire and Transformed Pop Culture It would take something significant to sway him.” A little stability wouldn’t be bad, but he wasn’t eager to compromise his hard work and ideals to get there. Though he enjoyed the idea of the freelance lifestyle, he was having trouble making rent and would frequently find himself pestering editors like Jay to express him his checks so he could buy groceries. But, then again, times were getting rough. When Carmack pulled up to Softdisk in his brown MGB, he had no intention of taking the job. He picked up the phone and gave John Carmack one last pitch. Romero pleaded with Jay to try him again. The Whiz Kid had already turned down a job offer three times because he liked working freelance. Romero was impressed by the apparent similarities to himself. And he even knew how to port from the Apple II to the PC. Jay said there was someone he knew who was definitely hard-core. All that remained was to get another programmer, someone who knew the PC and, just as important, could fit in with Lane and Romero.

“Romero ran back to the Apple II department to tell Lane and Jay the good news: “Dudes, we’re fucking making games!” Lane would now be editor of Gamer’s Edge, Softdisk’s new bimonthly games disk for the PC.

Masters of Doom by David Kushner