Hello, world!

Welcome to the spontaneous side project of some dude with a video game nostalgia addiction! The goal of this site is to create a fun starting point for anyone - from complete noobs to seasoned pros - to begin a journey of old-school game development.

There's a wonderful array of resources for new engines out there, including plenty of tutorials for making them look and feel "retro", but it's hard to find information about the genuinely outdated stuff.

And outdated it is! Many of these tools will come with compatibility issues, missing components, and sparse documentation. They were imperfect even when they were modern, let alone years later. However, I think that's part of the charm. Creativity without constraints can be daunting (just think of the infamous "blank page syndrome" authors experience). There's also a special appeal to going back to the tech that defined the aesthetics and mechanics of many games we're so nostalgic for.

Additionally, the fundamental skills of programming, art, and game design can be developed regardless of the tools you use. Color theory still holds true whether you're working in 16 pixels or 16 million!

I hope you're able to find something interesting here, whether you're just stopping by for a quick browse or intend to start a whole new project. If I can be of assistance in any way, don't hesitate to give me a shout! I've been making games for years and have tons to learn myself, but I bet we can all help each other out along the way. :)

Have fun, and keep creating!

P.S. I've stuck a Ko-fi button in the footer, but I never want anyone to feel obligated to donate a cent. Money is tight, and if you recently won the lottery and feel like sharing, I'm extremely grateful for anything. However, if you want to do more good and still make me smile, go hop on the #mutualaid tag on Mastodon and pitch in for someone in need. There's also projects like TransLifeline and the Trevor Project. <3