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:
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!
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.
About Chris Garrett
The community was founded by Chris Garrett of Maker Hacks.
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 …
