Retro Game Coders is a community where we can learn and discuss retro collecting, refurbishing, retro game programming, and associated topics.
You can contact or follow Chris using the following social networking sites:
About Retro Game Coders
This site is about enjoying 8-bit and 16-bit home computers, consoles, games, hardware, emulation, and accessories. Plus we cover coding and creating new indie games for these retro games systems, and retro-style games for new computers using original and new programming tools.
Speaking of modern programming tools – check out our online retro development environment!
About Chris Garrett
The community was founded by Chris Garrett of Maker Hacks.
To see which computers and consoles are covered, or learn more about the history of 8 and 16 bit micros, check out the Retro Computers and Consoles Timeline.
My first computer was a Commodore Vic 20. My brother and I got it as a Christmas present from my parents in 1983.
That gift changed the entire direction of my life, I was instantly engrossed.
While I was jealous of my cousin’s C64, and we later upgraded to a Spectrum +2, the Vic 20 is still one of my favorite computers of all time. Your first is always special I guess.
Since practically wearing out the Vic 20 user guide that came with the computer, I have been a programmer. My day job has varied from IT and networking to marketing director for a web hosting company, but I am always coding, and regularly write about programming and enjoy teaching new programmers.
While I have always enjoyed emulation, especially with RetroPie etc, or hardware replication via FPGA, I always had a bucket list of original systems that I wanted to see my own games running on.
Pandemic-Induced Mid-life Geek Crisis
During the pandemic lock-down I started getting more seriously back into collecting and programming retro computers.
My collection exploded from a cherished corner to getting out of control, and I started talking about it more, finding more people who wanted to learn about it too.
Finally I decided to spin this site off from Maker Hacks so that it could stand as its own thing … and here we are!
If you would like more of the story and how I am progressing with my multi-platform retro dungeon game, check out the article and video.
My Current Retro Computers and Consoles Collection
Rather than list out my collection, here are a couple of photographs I took as we closed down our workshop and started heavily organising. Might be the last time I see so many of my machines in one spot for a long time!
Click the pictures to embiggen …
