Show HN: Code Like It's 198x

Code Like It's 198x is a learning project that teaches programming by having learners build complete games for classic 8‑ and 16‑bit systems. It frames learning around each machine’s character - ZX Spectrum, Commodore 64, Amiga, NES and more - offering routes in BASIC and various assembly languages. Lessons combine practical curricula (complete game projects like Safe Cracker on C64 BASIC, Dash on NES 6502, Flock on Amiga 68000) with conceptual material: foundations (decisions, loops, bits), craft (controls, game feel, feedback), and “From the Metal” hardware explanations. The pedagogy emphasizes small, concrete exercises (e.g., carrying a pixel across a byte boundary), experiments, pseudocode and diagrams so learners separate ideas from syntax while understanding machine constraints.

Content goes beyond step‑by‑step tutorials to unpack trade‑offs and patterns: a pattern library catalogs techniques with assumptions and costs, the Vault explores hardware, people and history, and the timeline situates machines culturally and technically. Interactive examples show issues like colour clash, sprite limits, input handling, movement and collisions. Open source and community resources - setup guides, teacher materials, Discord, GitHub discussions and Patreon - support learners and contributors, making it a practical, historically grounded route into low‑level programming and game design.