If you weren't playing games in early 1997 then Quake started using voodoo cards, it's nearly impossible to understate the before vs after.
Carmack and id are responsible for at least 4 or 5, "I had no idea a computer could do that" moments for me.
Yes, it's you and your vaulted position of standing on the shoulders of those to whom these developments actually were ‘revolutional’. I equate the level of accomplishments from Id to be at the level of cavemen throwing rocks at the spaceship to cavemen buying insurance on TV levels of achievement.