"I like some shooters, and I respect games like Doom, but I don't think it's right for me"
About this Quote
A quiet act of boundary-setting dressed up as praise, Sid Meier's line lands because it refuses the tribalism that often surrounds genre talk. He opens with a concession: "I like some shooters". That's not a surrender; it's credentialing. He's signaling he has played the form, felt its pull, and still arrives at a choice. Then he upgrades the compliment into something more durable: "I respect games like Doom". Respect is cooler than fandom, and it carries an implied hierarchy of craft. Doom isn't just fun; it's exemplary. The subtext is professional courtesy: recognition of design achievement without any obligation to imitate it.
The hinge is "but I don't think it's right for me" - a phrase that reads personal, almost therapeutic, yet it functions as a creative manifesto. Meier (best known for strategy and systems-driven play) is articulating an ethic of authorship: your best work comes from leaning into your instincts, not chasing the hottest template. The "right for me" also dodges a common misreading in games culture, where disinterest in shooters gets framed as moral panic. He's not condemning the genre; he's describing his own fit.
Contextually, this is a veteran designer speaking from the era when Doom became shorthand for technological bravado and kinetic immediacy. Meier's restraint is the point: he honors the spectacle while staking out a different kind of pleasure - slower, more cognitive, built on consequence. The quote works because it's both generous and firm: admiration without assimilation.
The hinge is "but I don't think it's right for me" - a phrase that reads personal, almost therapeutic, yet it functions as a creative manifesto. Meier (best known for strategy and systems-driven play) is articulating an ethic of authorship: your best work comes from leaning into your instincts, not chasing the hottest template. The "right for me" also dodges a common misreading in games culture, where disinterest in shooters gets framed as moral panic. He's not condemning the genre; he's describing his own fit.
Contextually, this is a veteran designer speaking from the era when Doom became shorthand for technological bravado and kinetic immediacy. Meier's restraint is the point: he honors the spectacle while staking out a different kind of pleasure - slower, more cognitive, built on consequence. The quote works because it's both generous and firm: admiration without assimilation.
Quote Details
| Topic | Technology |
|---|---|
| Source | Help us find the source |
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