He is an expert on creative problem solving. I doubt you are in a position to dispute that. And how long do you think consumer 3D hardware has been mainstream

He is an expert on creative problem solving. I doubt you are in a position to dispute that. And how long do you think consumer 3D hardware has been mainstream? Carmack's career spans a lot longer than that. I wonder if you would accuse an artist who spends lots of time exploring dead end ideas of doing grunt work? Would you dismiss an artist as adapting WELL-KNOWN ideas if they allowed you to view someone else's work in a brand new, unexpected light?