Doom creator Carmack criticizes Apple’s iPod, iPhone gaming strategy

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Doom creator Carmack criticizes Apple’s iPod, iPhone gaming strategy

In a recent interview with GameDaily, John Carmack, founder of id Software and creator of games like Wolfenstein 3D, Doom, and Quake, criticized Apple’s strategy when it comes to gaming on the iPod and iPhone. Responding to the question of whether or not he plans to release any games for the iPhone or iPod, Carmack said, “Steve Jobs and I have not been seeing really eye to eye on a lot of important issues. We were in a fairly heated argument at the last WWDC [Worldwide Developers Conf.] and we’ve had a few follow-ups. I have an iPhone right now and it’s a platform I would enjoy developing for but Apple is not taking progressive steps in regards to [gaming].”

Switching focus to the iPod, he continued, “When they finally allowed games to be put on the iPod… in many ways it’s one of the worst environments to develop games for. You have to work on an emulator… just all these horrible decisions. I expressed my fears directly to Steve Jobs that some of these mistakes might be carried over to the iPhone, so they’re at least aware of all of them, but they’re not giving any spectacular signs that it’s going to be a big deal for them in the next year.” Although a port of Doom is available for the iPodlinux platform, id Software has yet to release any games for the iPod.

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Comments

1

Same old story from Apple. Jobs and company continue paying lip service to efforts to bring gaming options to the Apple platform. The reality continues to be that Apple has no desire whatsoever to open up and let gamer designers in on their systems.

Posted by Obadiah on November 16, 2007 at 3:02 PM (PDT)

2

Yep, Carmack is absolutely right. I believe there was an editorial/article linked to on MDN a month or so back, about how ‘Apple doesn’t take Mac gaming seriously.’ I really think they only stepped up to allow apps of any kind on the iPod and iPhone because people started clamoring for it.

I guess my hope is that we’re going to get multi-touch iMacs next year and then we can develop games for those.

Posted by Jeremy Avalon on November 16, 2007 at 8:36 PM (PDT)

3

Get outside and experience LIFE.
Video games are for people who are afraid of the real world. They watch tooooo much TV and are afraid to actually have real world contact. it is subliminal death training that is pushed by hollywood that is trashing this world. Death for breakfast is normal in our society. Get a life and plant a tree.

Posted by mango on November 18, 2007 at 1:39 PM (PDT)

4

“Get outside and experience LIFE”

says the guy who is obvisously way to busy to post comments about articles on the internet…

oh wait.

Posted by Dan on November 18, 2007 at 2:55 PM (PDT)

5

I don’t take comments seriously from someone whose nickname is mango, please… And I’ve got a LIFE and plant trees.

Posted by Zaci on November 19, 2007 at 7:19 AM (PDT)

6

Mango aka Stevie Jobs

PocketPC is way beyond the iphone in on phone gaming. Mostly because the iphone is a locked environment. I can play anything from doom to super mario brothers on my 2 year old ppc6700.

Posted by ___redruM on November 20, 2007 at 12:54 PM (PDT)

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