#GamingHistory

[adafruit]

🎄💾🗓️ Day 18: Retrocomputing Advent Calendar - Commodore 64🎄💾🗓️

The Commodore 64, released in 1982, is one of the ones we keep hearing got many people their start in their own computing history. Powered by a MOS Technology 6510 processor at 1.02 MHz and featuring 64 KB of RAM, it became the best-selling single computer model of all time, with an estimated 12.5–17 million units sold. Its graphics were driven by the VIC-II chip, capable of 16 colors, hardware sprites, and smooth scrolling, while the SID (Sound Interface Device) chip delivered advanced audio, supporting three voices with waveforms and filters, making it a lot of fun for gaming and music.

Featured a built-in BASIC interpreter, allowing users to write their own programs out-of-the-box. The C64’s affordability, large software library, lots of games, productivity, and educational applications made it a household name. It connected to TVs as monitors and supported peripherals like the 1541 floppy disk drive, datasette, and various joysticks. With over 10,000 commercial software titles and a thriving homebrew scene, the C64 helped define a generation of computer enthusiasts.

Its impact on gaming was gigantic, iconic titles like The Last Ninja, Maniac Mansion, and Impossible Mission. The C64 also inspired a demoscene, where programmers pushed its hardware for visual and audio effects. The Commodore 64 remains a symbol of computing for the masses and creative innovation, still loved by retrocomputing fans today.

Check out the National Museum of American History, and Wikipedia. https://americanhistory.si.edu/collections/object/nmah_334636 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commodore_64

And…! An excellent story from Jepler -

== While I started on the VIC 20, the Commodore 64 was my computer for a lot longer. Its SID sound chip was a headline feature, and many of my memories of it center around music. Starting with Ultima III, each game in the series had a different soundtrack for each environment (though each one was on a pretty short loop, it probably drove my folks nuts when I would play for hours). There were music editors floating around, so I tried my hand at arranging music for its 3 independent voices, though I can't say I was any good or that I have any of the music now. You could also download "SID tunes" on the local BBSes, where people with hopefully a bit more skill had arranged everything from classical to Beatles to 80s music.

Folks are still creating cool new music on the Commodore 64. One current creator that I like a great deal is Linus Åkesson. Two videos from 2024 using the Commodore 64 that really impressed me were were a "Making 8-bit Music From Scratch at the Commodore 64 BASIC Prompt", a live coding session (http://www.linusakesson.net/programming/music-from-scratch/index.php) and Bach Forever (http://www.linusakesson.net/scene/bach-forever/index.php) a piece played by Åkesson on two Commodore 64s.

Like so many things, you can also recreate the experience online. Here's the overworld music for Ultima III: https://deepsid.chordian.net/?file=/MUSICIANS/A/Arnold_Kenneth/Ultima_III-Exodus.sid&subtune=1 -- the site has hundreds or thousands of other SIDs available to play right in the browser.

Have first computer memories? Post’em up in the comments, or post yours on socialz’ and tag them #firstcomputer #retrocomputing – See you back here tomorrow!

[carelessly-generic]

Favorite obscure video game console?

Oh this is a great question!

Now normally I'd answer this with something like the SEGA Dreamcast(One of my Fav systems of all time), or the Atari Jaguar(A console slightly ahead of its time), but you didn't say failed console, you said obscure, So I'll stick to the prompt I was given.

Some part of me would love to say the Apple Pipin, or gosh the CD-i(Look up the God awful Zelda games), but I can securely say my favorite obscure console is the Tiger Game.Com.

Imagine if you will, A game system, An internet capable device, And a PDA, all rolled into a touch screen device(with included stylus), all in 1997(10 years before the iPhone came around). Sound too good to be true? You would be correct. The game.com was the madcatz controller of the handheld world, All the features of a Nintendo DS, in a cheap feeling case, with a real bad monochrome LCD screen. If you want an idea of gameplay, imagine those cheap video game handhelds some McDonalds toys used to give, and then add some input lag and real bad motion blur, That's a generous idea of this game system in action. Worse yet, this came out with a $70 price tag, no native internet(at release) on a device with .com in the name, and such a limited library of games, even someone on a virtual boy could point and laugh. When you factor in that the year it released was strewn with great games for better, more popular consoles, that many likely already had, and that the PDA capability was primitive even at release, you understand that the game.com, was failed from the start. A dead Pac-Man wakka wakka'ing.

Still for all it's faults, I love it, It's such a ludicrous idea to try and release so early in the history of touch screen devices. And so underpowered for it's time that watching it try and run a game is hilariously charming. For all it's faults the game.com is a cute, funny little piece of gaming history, that I love to hate on, and highly recommend looking into if you want some laughable bits of knowledge of yesteryear.

And it's my favorite obscure little console

[legiongamerrd]

#Gamefemerides Hace 29 años se lanzó Streets of Rage 3. Es un beat’em up 2D desarrollado y publicado por @SEGA. Es la 3ra y última entrega de la serie Streets of Rage. Fue luego lanzado en la versión japonesa de Sonic Gems Collection para el Nintendo GameCube y PlayStation 2, y para la Consola Virtual de Wii en septiembre de 2007. El juego también apareció en Sonic’s Ultimate Collection para Xbox 360 y PlayStation 3. #LegionGamerRD #ElGamingnosune #Videojuegos #Gaming #RetroGaming #RetroGamer #CulturaGaming #CulturaGamer #GamingHistory #GamerDominicano #Podcast #SEGA #StreetsofRage #StreetsofRage3 #BareKnuckle3 #ベアナックルIII #SEGAGenesis #Nintendo #GCN #Wii #PlayStation #PS2 #PS3 #PS4 #Xbox #Xbox360 #XboxOne #beatemup #Multijugador https://www.instagram.com/p/Cp46XJDNlve/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[husheduphistory]

Dealt a Hand of Death: The Terrible Table of the Delta Saloon

When gold was discovered in California on January 24th 1848 it changed the landscape of the country with approximately 300,000 people swarming to the state from all over dreaming of striking it rich and finding fortune in the ground. Undoubtedly, the California Gold Rush was familiar to Henry T. “Pancake” Comstock, a Canadian miner and acquaintance with brothers Ethan Allen and Hoesa Ballou Grosh. The Grosh brothers were veterans of the California gold fields and in the fall of 1857 they discovered a promising ore deposit in Virginia City, Nevada. But, before they could claim the land both brothers tragically died. Hearing of their deaths, Comstock took it upon himself to take over their cabin, open their belongings, find the documentation connected to their find, and essentially claim it as his own. In the spring of 1859, two miners named Peter O’Riley and Patrick McLaughlin began to work the area around Six-Mile Canyon when they made a huge discovery, a deposit of silver ore, but their elation was short lived. Comstock claimed the men were working on land he had already claimed for “grazing purposes” and he proceeded to threaten them to the point that in order to avoid issues the miners made him a partial owner in the claim, later named the Comstock Lode.

Mining on the Comstock. Image via wikipedia.com.

The men had no idea what they had discovered. The Comstock Lode was a massive deposit of silver ore, the first of its kind in the United States, and news about new riches found under the earth brought back the excitement of the California Gold Rush from less than ten years earlier. From its discovery in 1859 to 1882 the Comstock Lode yielded what would today amount to over ten billion dollars worth of ore. However, none of the men who discovered the claim never saw that level of wealth. Patrick McLaughlin sold his 1/6 interest in the claim for $3,000 but the money was quickly lost and he died after working multiple odd jobs to scrape by. Peter O'Riley held on to his interests at first but eventually sold them for approximately $40,000. He used the money to invest in other endeavors including a hotel and another venture into mining but his attempts were unsuccessful. He lost everything, was declared insane, and his life came to a close in a California asylum.

Henry Comstock sold his interests and went on to open various shops in Carson City and Silver City. He too lost everything in bad business decisions and in September 1870 he died in Montana after shooting himself in the head.

Henry T. "Pancake" Comstock. Image via legendsofamerica.com.

When the Comstock Lode was discovered it completely transformed Virginia City, Nevada. Once a small mining town it was quickly filled with hundreds of thousands of prospectors, driven by the re-ignited dreams of fortune just waiting to be dug up. The influx of people brought everyone imaginable to Virginia City, and it quickly transformed into a place where law dared not tread. Filled to the brim with bordellos, saloons, and opium dens, the city became the darkest definition of the wild west. In 1872 Mark Twain published his semi-autobiographical novel Roughing It where he wrote about his travels by stagecoach through the American West and later the islands of the Pacific. In the book he writes about his trip to Virginia City stating that “Two days before I lectured in Virginia City, two stagecoaches were robbed within two miles of the town.” Twain himself was later robbed at gunpoint once he arrived in the city, losing his money and a gold watch.

Dreams, greed, and human beings all swept through the west and Virginia City, but there was one more thing that was keeping all of their minds occupied, a card game called Faro. Played using one deck of cards and being fairly easy to learn, gamblers quickly made Faro the dominant card game of every gambling hall in the west from 1825 to approximately 1915. One man who was well versed in the game was a Virginia City gambler named “Black Jake” who decided he was going to capitalize on its popularity, buy himself a Faro game table, and make himself rich taking cash out of every pocket he could. He was known for being a greedy man, but one night in 1861 karma came back strong and the table turned on its owner with Black Jake losing multiple rounds and $70,000 in one night. With absolutely no way to pay out that amount of money, the equivalent of two million dollars today, the disgraced gambler grabbed his pistol and took his own life at the table. With Black Jake gone the table needed a new home, and a few years later it found a new owner whose name has been lost to time. This new owner operated the table for exactly one night where he too lost everything, including his life. It is unknown if he chose to take it himself, or if it was taken from him.

Playing Faro in a saloon circa 1895. Image via wikipedia.com.

Having claimed two lives, the table was stored in the back room of where it was last used, The Delta Saloon, where it would sit undisturbed for decades. It wasn’t until the late 1890s that wealthy businessman Charles Fosgard laid eyes on the table, and he was happy to buy it. Fosgard had a lot of money, but he was looking to reinvest it and in Virginia City with its thrill-seeking gamblers looking to strike it rich in the saloons when they couldn’t in the mines, it made perfect sense to Fosgard to bring the notorious table out of retirement. After converting it into a blackjack table, Fosgard went into business.

One night a drunk miner sauntered into The Delta Saloon and made his way to the blackjack table. To Fosgard’s delight the miner lost hand after hand until he only had one thing left to offer the businessman, his gold ring. He bet the ring against a five dollar coin and finally, he won a hand. Then he won another….and then he won another. The miner and Fosgard went face to face over and over again and a crowd grew to watch as the businessman was forced to hand over everything. By the end of the game the miner was the new owner of Fosgard’s stagecoach, his share in a local gold mine, and $85,000 (over 2.5 million dollars in today’s money.) Fosgard’s fortune was decimated and he did the only thing he could think of, he pulled out his gun and took his life at the same table as the previous two owners (and in the same way as not only them, but also the less-than-legit founder of the Comstock Lode that brought them all there.)

The table was soaked in enough tragedy and it was put out of commission with a new dubious nickname of The Suicide Table. Year after year, and as the population of Virginia City depleted, the story of the table only grew and it was eventually made a feature of The Delta Saloon. People came from all over to see the table, guided by a sign that cheerfully read “See the Suicide Table” in bright paint as you approach the building that had been restored as faithfully as possible to how it was in its heyday in the 1800s. The table itself was also restored, brought back to its original state as a Faro table. It stayed a Delta Saloon attraction for decades, saw in new centuries, and lived quietly with its tragic past and infamy.

Vintage postcard showing The Suicide Table on display at The Delta Saloon. Image via ebay.com.

Then, on March 11th 2019, Virginia City was shaken when a gas explosion occurred at The Delta Saloon. Amid the damage sat The Suicide Table, unscathed other than receiving a coating of dust. Movers were brought in and the table was relocated to the Delta’s sister saloon, The Bonanza Saloon, right across the street where it remains on display under protective plastic housing.

The Suicide Table is still a major attraction in Virginia City, attracting the gaze of thousands of people lured in by its horrific past. In a time and place that encompassed the lawless American West like Virginia City, there are many shocking tales to tell. But standing out in the crowd is a simple Faro table, created as a game of chance, and tied to at least four lives suddenly lost in the bloody name of greed.

*****************************************************

Sources:

Step Back in Time Virginia City Nevada by The Virginia City Tourist Commission. 2022. https://visitvirginiacitynv.com/history/

Comstock Lode – Creating Nevada History by Legends of America. 2023. https://www.legendsofamerica.com/nv-comstocklode/

The History and Nostalgia of The Delta Saloon by The Delta Saloon. 2023.

The Old West Card Table With a Deadly Past by Danielle Hyman & Adam Aronson. The Daily Beast. September 3, 2018. https://www.thedailybeast.com/the-old-west-card-table-with-a-deadly-past

Men’s luck ran out at gaming table by Dave Maxwell. Boulder City Review. June 17, 2020. https://bouldercityreview.com/community/mens-luck-ran-out-at-gaming-table-61432/

[pjsgames]

Ah, Blue Dragon, released back in 2006 for the Xbox 360. It's been quite some time, hasn't it? This role-playing game brought together the talents of Hironobu Sakaguchi and Akira Toriyama, and you could certainly feel the influence of their work in the likes of Final Fantasy and Dragon Ball Z.

The game follows young protagonist Shu and his friends as they embark on an adventure, discovering their mysterious shadow powers. While the story might not have been groundbreaking, it did a decent job of keeping players engaged. The turn-based combat system, on the other hand, was a familiar and comfortable experience for fans of the genre.

The world itself was vibrant and colorful, sporting Toriyama's signature art style, which gave it a certain charm. In the grand scheme of things, Blue Dragon may not have been the most revolutionary RPG, but it did provide a solid experience for Xbox 360 owners back in the day.

Looking back at Blue Dragon now, it's interesting to see how it's aged. While it may not be a top-tier classic, it remains a memorable title for those who played it during its heyday. As a piece of gaming history, it's worth revisiting if you're feeling nostalgic or if you're interested in exploring the rich library of the Xbox 360.

https://pjga.me/bd

[pixelarabcom]

ناصر جبلي: عبقري البرمجة الذي ساهم في انطلاق Final Fantasy في مث�� هذا اليوم قبل 38 عامًا، صدرت لعبة Final Fantasy لأول مرة على جهاز Nintendo Entertainment System (NES)، لتكون بداية سلسلة أسطورية لا تزال مستمرة حتى اليوم. وراء نجاح الألعاب الأولى من السلسلة، كان هناك عبقري في البرمجة يُدعى ناصر جبلي، الذي تولّى تطوير الأكواد والبرمجة لأول ثلاث ألعاب في السلسلة. جبلي، الذي قلما يظهر في مقابلات أو أحداث عامة، اشتهر

[shiyozushi]

Neon Genesis Evangelion (1999) [ 新世紀エヴァンゲリオン ] - Full Game Playthrough | Nintendo 64 - 4K UHD

[stileteckel]

Unlock the Legend: Richard Garriott's Silver Serpent Pendant Now on eBay

[caveloot]

Unlock the Legend: Richard Garriott's Silver Serpent Pendant Now on eBay

[nationsandcannons]

We are at PAX! Check us out at booth 3651

[adafruit]

🎄💾🗓️ Day 15: Retrocomputing Advent Calendar - BBC Micro🎄💾🗓️⌨️🇬🇧

The BBC Micro was an 8-bit microcomputer introduced in 1981 by Acorn Computers under the BBC Computer Literacy Project of the UK, launched with a 6502A processor running at 2 MHz, supported 16 KB to 32 KB of RAM, and featuring a BASIC environment. The machine was versatile, having very good-for-its-time graphics and multi-colors. Expansion capability for educational and experimental use with an assortment of I/O ports, which included a 1 MHz bus, user port, and cassette interface.

The BBC Micro was known for its reliability and emphasis on teaching programming and computer science. The system software, Acorn MOS, was simple and intuitive. With peripherals such as floppy drives and second processors, it performed tasks well beyond its initial use and extended its lifetime by at least a decade or more.

The BBC Micro also pushed forward a lot of gaming and software since this open architecture inspired a thriving community of developers. It also played a big role in the development of the ARM architecture by Acorn Computers, which would change the way modern computers are made in years to come. The BBC Micro has a special place in computing history, which expanded education and brought computing to schools and society through the 1980s.

Have first computer memories? Post’em up in the comments, or post yours on socialz’ and tag them #firstcomputer #retrocomputing – See you back here tomorrow!

[gameznewsinfo]

Discover the most iconic female video game characters who have redefined gaming and inspired millions!

Top 10 Female Game Characters Every Gamer Must Know 🎮👑

[legiongamerrd]

#Gamefemerides Hace 18 años se lanzó Star Fox: Assault. Es un juego de disparos con desplazamiento 3D y disparos en 3ra persona, desarrollado por Namco (@bandainamcolatinoamerica ) y publicado por @nintendolatam para el GameCube. El juego fue promovido en Blockbuster y Movie Gallery el 1ro de febrero. #LegionGamerRD #ElGamingnosune #Videojuegos #Gaming #RetroGaming #RetroGamer #CulturaGaming #CulturaGamer #GamingHistory #HistoriaGaming #GamerDominicano #GamingPodcast #Podcast #BandaiNamco #Namco #StarFoxAssault #StarFox #Nintendo #NintendoGameCube #GCN #Disparos #Multijugador https://www.instagram.com/p/CopFvjLh4E_/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[tachyonblu]

Today at 6:30PM EST! Join Kraut and I as we revisit GamerGate ahead of the 10th anniversary for my upcoming book of interviews.

[ggworldnews]

Blast from the Past: A Rapid-Fire Review of Five Atari Classics!

Asteroids (1979) Dodge and destroy in "Asteroids," where players navigate a spaceship through a cosmic shooting gallery of space rocks and UFOs. Its simple vector graphics and wrap-around screen mechanics make it an enduring arcade staple that still tests reflexes and spatial awareness. Centipede (1980) "Centipede" brings a bug-infested frenzy to the screen, challenging players to take down an ever-descending horde of insects with a trusty pixelated blaster. The mix of shooting action and a touch of the "bottom-up" strategy keeps the adrenaline pumping and the quarters flowing. Missile Command (1980) With the fate of six cities in your hands, "Missile Command" offers a frantic battle against an endless barrage of ballistic missiles. Its trackball control and apocalyptic overtones deliver an intense, defense-focused experience that's both engaging and harrowing. Adventure (1980) Considered one of the earliest action-adventure games, "Adventure" sets players on a quest through a maze-like kingdom filled with dragons and chalices. Its blend of exploration and simple puzzle-solving pioneered key concepts that would define the adventure genre for years to come. Yars' Revenge (1981) "Yars' Revenge" offers a unique twist on the shooter genre with a titular Yar ravaging an alien shield while avoiding deadly counterattacks. The game's colorful graphics, coupled with its distinct sound design, creates an alien atmosphere that's as eerie as it is addictive.

[pixelarabcom]

Shenmue على PS2: المشروع الذي لم ير النور تحتفل سلسلة ألعاب Shenmue الشهيرة من شركة سيجا هذا الأسبوع بمرور 25 عامًا على إصدار أول لعبة منها، وهي التي تعتبر واحدة من أبرز ألعاب الأكشن والمغامرات في تاريخ الصناعة. في مقابلة حصرية مع Hirai، المبرمج الرئيسي للعبة، كشف أن شركة سيجا كانت تعمل على تطوير نسخة مخصصة لجهاز PlayStation 2 من اللعبة الأصلية. المشروع بدأ كجزء من استراتيجية توسيع قاعدة اللاعبين، إلا أن