A lot of programming nowadays has been reduced to Jira tasks, predictable processes, and high-level languages. Let’s step away from that and have some low-level fun with one of the most iconic computers ever made!

In this workshop we will teach you how to get started with game programming on the Commodore 64. This machine was released in 1982 and was one of the most popular home computers of the 1980's.

But why would you want to do anything on 38-year-old hardware? Because it is easy to get started and is super fun! Plus, you get to reap the rewards of decades of hacking on this machine. Kids from the 80s that are now grown-ups, and also new generations of youngsters have been finding new tricks and cool features since it was introduced. And since the advent of the internet, they have been documenting everything on the internet. The Commodore 64 still has a vibrant developer community to this day, with games still being released!

We won't be programming on an actual C64, but rather on modern hardware, with a modern editor with a cross compiler and an emulator with debugging capabilities. This turns the process into a fun adventure, where we learn what assembly is and how to manipulate the old hardware with it.

The goal of this workshop is to learn how to get started making games on a Commodore 64 in assembly. You will also learn what a cross-compiler does, how the hardware works, and how fun it is to try something completely new(old!) 

 

Ricki Sickenger is a former professional game developer with 10 years experience, now working as an IT consultant and hobby game developer.

John Christian Lønningdal has released several C64 games in recent years, but his day job is working as an IT consultant.

They both love retro games and the Commodore 64!

 

Welcome to the retro programming workshop!