Louis DeSimone – Practical Game Dev

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John Romero, co-creator of DOOM, Quake, and one of the most influential designers in FPS history, sat down with me for a deep conversation on game design, learning game development, indie dev mistakes, Unreal vs Unity, core loops, fun vs emotion, scoping projects, level design philosophy, and more.

If you're learning game dev, or already building, this interview is packed with hard-earned wisdom from one of the most important designers in gaming history.

Follow John Romero:
X : https://x.com/romero
X : https://x.com/romerogamesltd
Instagram : https://www.instagram.com/theromero/
Instagram : https://www.instagram.com/theromerogames/

0:00 – Intro  
0:31 – What are the top 3 things beginners should do in game dev?  
5:38 – Are indies losing focus on “fun”? Should beginners avoid story-heavy games?  
7:00 – Why you should never start with a big RPG or open world  
12:01 – How to design better core loops  
17:11 – Do you design for yourself or the player?  
23:15 – Secrets, difficulty, and how Romero builds levels  
26:46 – Is “less is more” a good approach for beginners?  
31:01 – Unique mechanics, creativity, and experimenting  
34:02 – Avoiding feature creep & staying true to your core design  
36:00 – Realism vs fun in game mechanics  
38:44 – Has game development gotten easier or harder?  
44:28 – Unreal vs Unity (and why Romero recommends Unreal)  
47:10 – Iteration speed & reducing debugging pain  
51:12 – The flood story from *Doom Guy* (book discussion)  
53:26 – Community Questions begin  
53:31 – How Romero designs Doom & Quake levels  
57:55 – Hard-earned career lessons (picking co-founders)  
58:02 – Favorite game he didn’t make  
1:00:23 – Where to follow Romero / closing

John Romero: How to Actually Learn Game Development (Full Interview)

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