Building a Gaming Empire In 1984

"That's the boy, Mr. Ethan."

The two of them stood in front of the glass window of a small classroom. The staff member didn't even need to point him out. Ethan recognized the person he had come for immediately.

It was a teenage boy wearing glasses, with a head of messy blond hair. He was sprawled across his desk, paying no attention whatsoever to the teacher's lecture, fast asleep.

When the juvenile detention staff yanked him to his feet, he reacted like an enraged brat whose fur had been ruffled.

If Ethan hadn't known what Carmack would accomplish in the future, it would have been impossible to associate this little punk with titles as illustrious as the Father of FPS games and 3D Engines, and the founder of id Software.

Future legendary franchises like Quake and Doom would all come from his hands.

Those games couldn't yet be developed under the current state of graphics hardware, which was still in its infancy.

But the reason Ethan had come looking for him was for a "pseudo-3D" project…Wolfenstein 3D.

"John, hurry up and say hello to Mr. Ethan here."

Carmack frowned deeply, staring at Ethan, the unexpected visitor.

"Excuse me, sir. Would it be convenient if I spoke with him alone?"

"Well... as long as you don't take him outside. He's escaped several times using that trick."

"Of course. Uh... I'll do my best."

"...?"

...

"Did you write this code?"

Inside the lounge, Ethan pulled out an issue of PC Geek magazine from his bag and flipped to a particular page. The code printed there was astonishingly well written, elegant and exceptionally polished.

Carmack shot him a sidelong glance but said nothing. Toward this stranger who had shown up uninvited, John remained every bit as aloof and abrasive as usual.

Ethan shrugged and continued anyway.

"You're only fifteen this year, right? You actually managed to write something this impressive? You're even better than my buddy who's majoring in computer science."

Perhaps because Ethan's flattery hit the mark, a hint of pride appeared on Carmack's face.

"I taught myself. Those bookworms at school are just wasting their time. That's the difference talent makes."

If anyone else had said something so arrogantly, Ethan would have dismissed it as nothing more than a kid bragging and laughed it off. But he couldn't say that about Carmack, the kid really was that incredible.

[John Carmack]

[Overall Evaluation]: S+ (A Hidden Genius Awaiting Its Time)

[Programming Development]: 98 (Growth Potential: S)

[Graphics Design]: 99 (Growth Potential: S)

[Social Skills]: 5 (Growth Potential: E-)

...

Keep in mind that Carmack was only fifteen years old. His stats were already approaching triple digits.

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Give him a few more years to mature, and his future achievements would be limitless.

"I heard you got locked up because you broke into the school's computer lab and stole an Apple II?"

"Yeah. I melted the window with a mixture of thermite and Vaseline."

Not only did Carmack show no shame whatsoever, he actually looked excited, as though proudly recounting one of his greatest accomplishments.

"Why would you do something like that?"

Hearing Ethan's question, Carmack looked at him as though he were an idiot, as if the answer were completely self-evident.

"Come on, it was an Apple II! Instead of letting it sit in a computer lab, it was obviously more meaningful for me to use it."

Well it looked like trying to reason with Carmack or teach him common sense was completely pointless. This guy's brain clearly wasn't wired like everyone else's.

"So, you want a PC?" Ethan smiled warmly. "How about we make a deal?"

"What kind of deal?"

"I'll give you a project. If you can write something that satisfies me, I'll pay for a brand-new Apple II for you."

After thinking for a moment, Ethan raised the stakes even higher.

"No. I'll buy you a brand-new IBM 5170 instead, and I'll even write a letter of guarantee to the juvenile detention center to help get you released early."

The IBM 5170 was IBM's newly released high-end model that had only just launched this year. Compared to the low-end consumer specifications of the Apple II, the two machines were worlds apart.

It featured an Intel 80286 processor running at up to 20 MHz, a true 16-bit x86 processor.

It wasn't even in the same league as the inexpensive 8-bit MOS processor used by the Apple II.

If you were baiting the hook to catch top talent, then naturally the bait had to be generous enough.

Carmack was a stubborn, eccentric, rebellious brat. If Ethan had simply showered him with praise from the beginning, it probably wouldn't have had much effect.

Sure enough, the moment he heard there was a challenge involved, Carmack's eyes immediately lit up.

He wore an expression that practically said, Bring it on.

"Go ahead and say it. If there's something even I can't write, then there's no point looking for anyone else."

"3D rendering."

Ethan merely spoke those two words calmly. But instead of the shocked reaction he had expected, Carmack simply raised an eyebrow and snorted dismissively.

"That's it? I thought it was going to be some huge challenge."

"What do you mean, 'that's it'? That's incredibly difficult!"

"For ordinary people like you, everything's difficult."

Carmack had absolutely no understanding of tact or social etiquette. His words were completely merciless.

Ethan was left speechless. He had spent his whole life showing off. Yet now, at the very end of it all, he'd actually been mocked by a fifteen year old kid.

"Just wait for my good news. Oh, right, I need an Apple II to develop it."

"Hey, don't agree so quickly. I haven't finished my requirements yet."

Ethan reached out to stop Carmack before he celebrated too soon and began taking one item after another out of his bag. From the moment Carmack saw the beautiful arcade motherboard, his eyes never left it.

"The 3D rendering program you're developing will run on this arcade board, not on a PC."

Ethan then placed a thick stack of professionally bound printed documents onto the table.

"Besides that, you'll also need to use our company's N programming language together with assembly language for development."

This time, Carmack finally showed a genuine reaction. He stared blankly at the thick documentation in front of him.

"That won't be a problem..."

It was just a new programming language. Give him a little time, and he'd master it quickly enough. But what truly piqued his curiosity was something else.

"Only... Ethan, who exactly are you?"

He had assumed Ethan was merely a fan who had sought him out by reputation, someone wanting help solving a few programming problems.

After all, Ethan only looked a few years older than himself, at most around the age of a recent college graduate.

But both the arcade motherboard he had produced and the documentation for this programming language he'd never even heard of told Carmack that Ethan's identity was far from ordinary.

"Me? I'm just a guy who makes games. GAMENOVA, a small startup, that's all."

Ethan smiled faintly, stood up, and made it as if he was about to leave.

"Then I'll be looking forward to your results. I've already left my contact information with the detention center staff. Remember to call me."

With that, he left all the development materials behind, pushed open the door, and walked out.

"Hey! Ethan, wait a second!"

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