Code Like It's 198x

Programming, game-making and computing history, explored through classic computers.

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Dash from the Code Like It's 198x NES curriculum, showing a character and platforms on a black background.
Dash · NES curriculum

Code Like It’s 198x is a place to learn programming and game-making through classic computers. Building real games gives the ideas a purpose, while shared subjects explore the foundations, maths, craft and history behind them.

The Problem

Modern programming education starts with high-level abstractions. You can build a career without understanding how memory allocation works, what “await” does at the CPU level, or why your algorithm is slow. When you need to optimise performance, debug hardware, or work on embedded systems, that gap catches up with you.

Vintage computers force you to confront fundamentals because there are no abstractions to hide behind.

The Constraints That Teach

Commodore 64 (1982) — 1MHz CPU, 64KB RAM, no operating system in the modern sense. Every byte matters.

ZX Spectrum (1982) — 3.5MHz Z80, 48KB RAM, no hardware sprites. Want graphics? Draw them yourself, pixel by pixel.

Nintendo Entertainment System (1983) — 1.79MHz 6502, 2KB RAM. Fixed 60Hz frame rate — miss it and your game stutters.

Commodore Amiga (1985) — 7.16MHz 68000, 512KB RAM. Custom chips for graphics and sound, but still bare metal programming.

When you have 2KB of RAM, you can’t import a framework, use inefficient algorithms, or ignore optimisation. You learn to count cycles, manage memory manually, understand hardware directly, and optimise ruthlessly.

Ways to Learn

There are routes through BASIC and assembly on the ZX Spectrum and Commodore 64, AMOS, Blitz BASIC and assembly on the Amiga, and assembly on the NES. Beginners can start with The Basics before choosing a machine or language.

The shared subjects explore ideas that travel across systems: programming foundations, maths for games, controls, movement and feedback. The Pattern Library collects techniques and their trade-offs; the Vault and Timeline explore the machines and their place in computing history.

Current Status

Code Like It’s 198x is live and operational at www.code198x.com. I’m also actively developing the wider 198x family.

The site includes real course captures such as Safe Cracker on the Commodore 64, Dash on the NES and Flock on the Amiga. Coverage varies between routes; the systems and curriculum directories show what’s available.