Tuesday, July 15, 2008

A Quarter Century of Personal Personal Computing

Last Friday, July 11, an important personal anniversary passed, and of course I didn't have time to blog about it then. I'm making the time now. On that date in 1983, I convinced my parents to buy me a computer. I was this close to talking them into a Commodore 64, but the high price point (at that time) scared them away, and I got a Commodore VIC 20 instead. It was still a win.

On that day twenty-five years ago, I entered a new gaming arena as well as a new place where computers were for far more than gaming. On the VIC, I did some minor BASIC programming, messed around with an art program, kept little journals of what I was doing, and just had fun.

Of course, there were some great games, too. Within a few months I was playing arcade games like Gorf and Omega Race, as well as complex games like Crush, Crumble, and Chomp (a movie-monster game). The VIC was approaching its waning days as its sibling, the Commodore 64, was growing in popularity and lowering its price. Two years later, I would have one.

Although I've come and gone again and again from computer gaming over the years, it's always been a great platform in every era. And those other applications that the VIC gave me a taste of have all blossomed into what we all know and take for granted with computers these days. In fact, it's impossible to imagine life without a computer hooked up in my home. And for me, it all started with the amazing little Commodore VIC 20 just over twenty five years ago.

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