Too Much Fun

A fun book about a home computer that appears to have been largely forgotten by people, especially those who want to make it seem like the home computer revolution only happened in Silicon Valley: the Commodore 64. It would go on to become one of the most popular home computers of its era, based on sale numbers. According to the author, the Commodore 64 would go through five lives: as a family computer, a computer for games, used to give striking demos, to keep up with more advanced computers and, finally, celebrated as a retro computer.

The first part of the book looks at the Commodore 64 (C64) as a computer for the family, education and business. The C64 was released at a time when the public didn't know much about computers or what it can do for them. At this time, Commodore targeted different segments of the public with advertisements and software showing off what the computer could do for the family in areas like education, learning programming through BASIC and productivity. They did not emphasise on graphics and sound capabilities of the computer or the ability to play games.

Part two looks at the C64 as it was mainly used for once people became familiar with it: playing games. Initially, games for the C64 were ports of arcade games, as programmers were still getting familiar with the capabilities of the computer. As new (non-arcade) games appeared, a split in the type of games popular for the C64 appeared between the US and Europe (and UK). US games were usually hero based games (where the player wins by achieving a target through challenges), while European and UK games became more experimental, featuring anti-heroes characters or open-ended worlds. As programmers mastered the C64 hardware features (smooth scrolling, hardware sprites, music synthesis), higher quality games appeared. Games also diversified away from arcade style games: adventure-type or exploration games that feature large, scrolling areas. It was also a time of piracy of games and the passing around of ways to cheat at the games (by POKEing and PEEKing at memory in the computer to gain more lives or bypass anti-cheat operations).

Part 3 looks at a period of time when technical video tricks lead to the creation of 'demos'. One of the first techniques discovered (also technically explained in the chapter) was displays images in areas of the screen that are usually reserved for the border on the C64. Other technical video tricks would be discovered by various groups exploring the C64's video capabilities, leading to gatherings where they can show off what they have discovered (known as a Demoscene). Some groups emphasise more on video techniques, while others uses the techniques to showcase artwork in their demos.

In part 4, years have passed since the release of the C64, and newer computers (like the Commodore Amiga) are released that are technologically superior. This part looks at efforts to keep the C64 relevant. With GUIs on the rise, a GUI was produced for the C64 (GEOS). Amiga games, like Lemmings and Defender of the Crown, are also ported to the C64. While the C64 versions can't match the graphics and sound abilities of the Amiga, the ports are considered good enough.

Eventually, the C64 is considered obsolete in technological terms, and people move on to other computer. But as this part shows, the C64 still has a life. Computer artists and programmers now live with the limitations of the platform and use it to produce art and games that celebrate the C64. The original hardware continues to be used, even in new and fascinating ways (like the "Commodordion", an accordion made using two C64s). The original hardware can also be replaced by software (emulation) or recreated using with new hardware, which helps to keep the C64 alive in the minds of current day users.