When John Carmack speaks, the industry tends to listen. While it can be argued that his influence today on the gaming industry isn’t as big as it was when nearly every 3D shooter was using one of his Quake engines, he is still regarded as part of the heart of that keeps PC gaming alive. He continues to influence gaming hardware too, especially in the area of graphics. In fact, NVIDIA and ATI consult with John Carmack on design decisions when engineering new GPUs.
Carmack and id Software were recognized last week with two Technology Emmy Awards from the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences for the areas “pioneering development work in 3D game engines” and “technological leadership in rendering breakthroughs with the Quake technology.”