John Carmack is an American game designer known as the developer of many popular video games, including Rage, Doom, Commander Keen, and Wolfenstein 3D. His works have also been licensed for use by games like Call of Duty.
Apart from his works as a game developer, John is an entrepreneur and the founder of the Doom Developer id Software. But, he left the company in 2013 and embarked on a new mission.
John now serves as the Chief Technical Officer at Oculus, where he puts his time to research on VR technology. And, for his contribution to the field, the Kansas native was honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2019’s VR Award.
John Carmack Wiki: Age, Education
John Carmack was born on 20 August 1970 in Roeland Park, Kansas.
The American game designer briefly attended the University of Missouri-Kansas City. There, he studied computer programming for two semesters.
John Carmack’s Married Life, Wedding
John Carmack and Katherine Anna Kang are considered one of the exemplary couples in the gaming industry. The couple first encountered each other in the all-female Quake tournament, which was organized by Katherine. From there, they intimately knew each other. And, after nurturing their love for some time, they tied the wedding knot on 1st January 2000.
One of the surprising things about their wedding is that his wife Katherine had bought the diamond ring for their wedding. It is because John was facing financial turmoil at the time.
On top of that, she also wanted to teach John the value of money, which he invested in rocketship companies. As the investment wasn’t generating any profits, Katherine was worried about her partner wasting his resources.
Wife Details, Children
Katherine Anna Kang is a Chief Executive Officer of Fountainhead Entertainment, Inc. The company focuses on creating animations for entertainment, educational, and business purpose using 3D graphics game engines. Also, she is the co-founder of The Academy of Machinima Arts & Sciences.
Apart from her marriage with the developer, Katherine is also the mother to two of John’s children. The couple’s first child, Ryan Carmack, was born in 2005, while their second son was born in 2010.
Net Worth Details
The estimated net worth of John Carmack is $50 million, thanks to his programming skills. John has developed popular games, including Rage, Doom, Quake, and Commander Keen. He is also credited for developing a first-person shooter game called Wolfenstein 3D in 1992, along with his team.
In 1990, he and his teams started their own software development company named Future Id Software. After improving its brand value with the development of different games and software, he and his team sold the company’s right to ZeniMax Media in June 2009. He, along with his team, generated $150 million from the transaction, and John received $45 million from the deal.
However, in 2017 John Carmack sued the ZeniMax Media, stating that it refused to pay him $22.5 million- which the company owed to him. Following the transaction of 2009, Zeni Max Media still have to pay half of John’s earnings in cash or common stock.
Interesting Facts
- As of 13 November 2019, he planned to step down from Oculus CTO to work on Artificial Intelligence project.
- During his teenage years in school, John got arrested for his connection with an Apple computer heist.
- The tech expert started his career journey working for the Louisiana-based computer technology company named Softdisk.
- He instigated a Texas-based Company called Armadillo Aerospace. It was aimed to run commercial space flights.
- John resigned from id in November 2013 to join Oculus VR.
- The game developer drives a luxurious and stylish car. He owns a 600hp twin-turbo Ferrari and a 1000hp twin-turbo V-12 Ferrari Testarossa GTO.
- One of his favorite Novels is Vernor Vinge’s “A Deepness in the Sky.”