Atari 2600 homebrew
Encyclopedia
An Atari 2600 homebrew is a homebrew video game
designed for the Atari 2600
by independent developers following the discontinuation of the console in 1992. The first 2600 homebrew was written in 1995, and since then over 100 homebrew titles have been released. There is an active community of Atari 2600 homebrew developers – the largest among classic video game homebrew communities.
There are several types of homebrew games, including original titles, ROM hacks
of existing games, and ports of arcade game
s, personal computer
games, and games from other consoles. Several homebrew games have received attention outside the homebrew community; some have even been featured on an Atari 2600 game anthology produced by Activision
.
With severe resource limitations including a mere 128 bytes of RAM
and no video frame buffer
, the 2600 is considered to be a difficult machine to program. However, several tools, such as emulator
s, a high-level programming language
, and a wealth of documentation, exist to assist the homebrewer.
Since the console's release, hundreds of different game titles, by dozens of game manufacturers, have been released for the console,
with the most popular titles, such as Pac-Man
, Pitfall!
and Missile Command
, selling millions of copies each. Atari 2600 consoles continued to be manufactured throughout the 1980s, but by 1992 production had ceased.
The last new Atari 2600 game title to be commercially released that year was Acid Drop – a puzzle game sold by Salu Ltd.
Three years after Atari's withdrawal of the 2600 from the marketplace, independent developer Ed Federmeyer released the first Atari 2600 homebrew project, titled SoundX,
a cartridge that demonstrated the sound capabilities of the Atari 2600.
Federmeyer followed this up in 1995 with an unlicensed port of the game Tetris
, titled Edtris 2600.
Since then, over 100 homebrew games for the Atari 2600 have been released,
many by AtariAge
, a website that features "information on game cartridges, consoles, Atari artwork and all other topics Atari".
Among the recently released homebrew game cartridges
are the boxing game K.O. Cruiser by Devin Cook, Halo 2600
by Ed Fries
, and Duck Attack!
by Will Nicholes – all released at the Classic Gaming Expo in July 2010.
There currently exists an active community of Atari 2600 homebrew developers.
Oystron
, released by Piero Cavina in 1997, is an action game in which "space oysters" are opened and pearls collected to earn ammunition.
Duck Attack! allows the player to battle giant, fire-breathing ducks in a quest to save the world from a mad scientist.
Many 2600 homebrews are unofficial ports of arcade and PC games that were popular during the 1980s but not ported to the 2600 at the time. Lady Bug, released by John W. Champeau in 2006, is a port of Universal Games
' 1981 arcade game of the same name
.
Juno First, released by Chris Walton in 2009, is a port of a 1983 Konami
arcade game
;
and Thrust, released by Thomas Jentzsch in 2000, is a port of a 1986 computer game originally designed for the BBC Micro
and later ported to the Commodore 64
.
A popular activity among Atari 2600 enthusiasts is "hacking
," in which existing ROM images are modified. Modifications typically include new graphics and game colors, but may also include more complex changes such as gameplay modifications and the ability to use a different controller (e.g. joystick
or paddle) than the controller for which the game was originally designed.
A popular hack target is the 2600 version of Pac-Man
, in which ROM hackers re-work the graphic elements to more closely resemble the arcade version.
Several homebrew games have taken the basic concepts of earlier games, and expanded them with improved graphics or additional gameplay options. Examples include Warring Worms
by Billy Eno (2002), which took the basic premise of Surround
and added new gameplay modes, such as the ability to fire shots at the opponent;
and Medieval Mayhem
by Darrell Spice Jr., a re-imagining of the game Warlords with enhanced graphics and additional gameplay options.
Another type of 2600 homebrew is the "demake", a port from a more powerful system.
Recent demakes include Halo 2600, a 4 KB game inspired by the Halo series
of games. Halo 2600 was written by former Microsoft
vice president Ed Fries
, who was involved in Microsoft's acquisition of Halo creators Bungie Studios
.
Other 2600 demakes include a Portal-inspired game titled Super 3D Portals 6 and a demo based on the Mega Man
franchise.
selected several homebrew 2600 titles for inclusion in the Game Boy Advance
version of their Activision Anthology
: Climber 5 by Dennis Debro (2004), Okie Dokie by Bob Colbert (1996), Skeleton+ by Eric Ball (2003), Space Treat Deluxe by Fabrizio Zavagli (2003), Vault Assault by Brian Prescott (2001), Video Euchre by Erik Eid (2002), and Oystron.
In 2005, SCSIcide, Oystron, Warring Worms, Skeleton+, and Marble Craze by Paul Slocum (2002) were listed as the "Best 2600 Homebrew Games" in the book Gaming Hacks: 100 Industrial-Strength Tips & Tools by Simon Carless
.
Medieval Mayhem has been featured in several retro-gaming tournaments.
Other 2600 homebrews that have received attention outside the homebrew community include Halo 2600
,
Duck Attack!
,
and A-VCS-tec Challenge
by Simon Quernhorst (2006), an unofficial port of the 1981 Atari 8-bit
game Aztec Challenge
.
Homebrewers Thomas Jentzsch and Andrew Davie have announced a Chrstmas 2011 release of an official version of Boulder Dash
, a title they had been working on for nearly 10 years.
capabilities the 2600 offers are one-dimensional 1-bit and 8-bit patterns; creating a two-dimensional object requires changing the pattern between each line of video.
Creating a homebrew Atari 2600 involves many steps: learning the system specifications, designing, writing, and testing the game, and creating the physical cartridge. Atari 2600 emulators such as Stella
and z26 are often used by homebrewers to test their games as they are being developed.
Unlike later consoles, the Atari 2600 does not require a modchip
to run homebrew cartridges; it will run any properly written program without checking for a digital signature or performing any other type of authentication.
It was this aspect of the hardware design that enabled third-party companies such as Activision
and Imagic
to develop Atari 2600 games without Atari's consent in the 1980s. This led Atari to incorporate authentication features in its later console, the Atari 7800
, to prevent other companies from creating and selling their own 7800 titles without Atari's permission.
chip, as its CPU
, most homebrews released are written in 6502 assembly language
. However, in 2007, developer Fred X. Quimby released a compiler, "batari Basic," which allows developers to create 2600 games in BASIC
, a high-level programming language.
Game designer and Georgia Institute of Technology
associate professor Ian Bogost
has used batari Basic in his classes to teach students video game concepts and history.
An integrated development environment
(IDE), Visual batari Basic, is also available. Written by Jeff Wierer and released in 2008, it runs on Microsoft Windows
and requires .NET Framework
3.0.
Homebrew (video games)
Homebrew is a term frequently applied to video games or other software produced by consumers to target proprietary hardware platforms not typically user-programmable or that use proprietary storage methods...
designed for the Atari 2600
Atari 2600
The Atari 2600 is a video game console released in October 1977 by Atari, Inc. It is credited with popularizing the use of microprocessor-based hardware and cartridges containing game code, instead of having non-microprocessor dedicated hardware with all games built in...
by independent developers following the discontinuation of the console in 1992. The first 2600 homebrew was written in 1995, and since then over 100 homebrew titles have been released. There is an active community of Atari 2600 homebrew developers – the largest among classic video game homebrew communities.
There are several types of homebrew games, including original titles, ROM hacks
ROM hacking
ROM hacking is the process of modifying a video game ROM image to alter the game's graphics, dialogue, levels, gameplay, or other elements. This is usually done by technically inclined video game fans to breathe new life into a cherished old game, as a creative outlet, or to make essentially new...
of existing games, and ports of arcade game
Arcade game
An arcade game is a coin-operated entertainment machine, usually installed in public businesses such as restaurants, bars, and amusement arcades. Most arcade games are video games, pinball machines, electro-mechanical games, redemption games, and merchandisers...
s, personal computer
Personal computer
A personal computer is any general-purpose computer whose size, capabilities, and original sales price make it useful for individuals, and which is intended to be operated directly by an end-user with no intervening computer operator...
games, and games from other consoles. Several homebrew games have received attention outside the homebrew community; some have even been featured on an Atari 2600 game anthology produced by Activision
Activision
Activision is an American publisher, majority owned by French conglomerate Vivendi SA. Its current CEO is Robert Kotick. It was founded on October 1, 1979 and was the world's first independent developer and distributor of video games for gaming consoles...
.
With severe resource limitations including a mere 128 bytes of RAM
Random-access memory
Random access memory is a form of computer data storage. Today, it takes the form of integrated circuits that allow stored data to be accessed in any order with a worst case performance of constant time. Strictly speaking, modern types of DRAM are therefore not random access, as data is read in...
and no video frame buffer
Framebuffer
A framebuffer is a video output device that drives a video display from a memory buffer containing a complete frame of data.The information in the memory buffer typically consists of color values for every pixel on the screen...
, the 2600 is considered to be a difficult machine to program. However, several tools, such as emulator
Emulator
In computing, an emulator is hardware or software or both that duplicates the functions of a first computer system in a different second computer system, so that the behavior of the second system closely resembles the behavior of the first system...
s, a high-level programming language
High-level programming language
A high-level programming language is a programming language with strong abstraction from the details of the computer. In comparison to low-level programming languages, it may use natural language elements, be easier to use, or be from the specification of the program, making the process of...
, and a wealth of documentation, exist to assist the homebrewer.
History
The Atari 2600 game console was introduced to the market by Atari, Inc. in 1977 as the Atari VCS, or Video Computer System.Since the console's release, hundreds of different game titles, by dozens of game manufacturers, have been released for the console,
with the most popular titles, such as Pac-Man
Pac-Man (Atari 2600)
In 1982, Atari Inc. released a port of Namco's hit arcade game Pac-Man for its Atari 2600 video game console. Like the original arcade version, the player controls the titular character with a joystick...
, Pitfall!
Pitfall!
Pitfall! is a video game released by Activision for the Atari 2600 in 1982. It is the second best selling game made for the Atari 2600, with over 4 million copies sold.-Gameplay:...
and Missile Command
Missile Command
Missile Command is a 1980 arcade game by Atari, Inc. that was also licensed to Sega for European release. It is considered one of the most notable games from the Golden Age of Video Arcade Games...
, selling millions of copies each. Atari 2600 consoles continued to be manufactured throughout the 1980s, but by 1992 production had ceased.
The last new Atari 2600 game title to be commercially released that year was Acid Drop – a puzzle game sold by Salu Ltd.
Three years after Atari's withdrawal of the 2600 from the marketplace, independent developer Ed Federmeyer released the first Atari 2600 homebrew project, titled SoundX,
a cartridge that demonstrated the sound capabilities of the Atari 2600.
Federmeyer followed this up in 1995 with an unlicensed port of the game Tetris
Tetris
Tetris is a puzzle video game originally designed and programmed by Alexey Pajitnov in the Soviet Union. It was released on June 6, 1984, while he was working for the Dorodnicyn Computing Centre of the Academy of Science of the USSR in Moscow, Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic...
, titled Edtris 2600.
Since then, over 100 homebrew games for the Atari 2600 have been released,
many by AtariAge
AtariAge
Atari Age was a magazine distributed to Atari Club members from 1982 until 1984. It was published by The Atari Club Inc., a subsidiary of Atari, Inc.-History:...
, a website that features "information on game cartridges, consoles, Atari artwork and all other topics Atari".
Among the recently released homebrew game cartridges
ROM cartridge
A ROM cartridge, sometimes referred to as a cart, is a removable enclosure containing read-only memory devices designed to be connected to a computer or games console....
are the boxing game K.O. Cruiser by Devin Cook, Halo 2600
Halo 2600
Halo 2600 is an action-adventure video game developed for the Atari 2600 video game console, inspired by the Halo series of video games.Halo 2600 was written by Ed Fries, former vice president of game publishing at Microsoft,...
by Ed Fries
Ed Fries
Ed Fries was vice president of game publishing at Microsoft during much of the Xbox's lifecycle. He was a prime evangelist of the platform to game developers and had an important role in the acquisition of developers Bungie Studios, Ensemble Studios and Rare....
, and Duck Attack!
Duck Attack!
Duck Attack! is an action-adventure video game developed for the Atari 2600 video game console. It was created by Will Nicholes and released by AtariAge in July 2010 at the Classic Gaming Expo in Las Vegas.- Plot :...
by Will Nicholes – all released at the Classic Gaming Expo in July 2010.
There currently exists an active community of Atari 2600 homebrew developers.
Types of homebrews
Many 2600 homebrews feature original concepts. SCSIcide, released by Joe Grand in 2001, is a paddle-based game (the first among homebrews) in which the player acts as a hard drive read head picking up color-coded data bits as they fly past.Oystron
Oystron
- Background :Created by Piero Cavina and released in 1997, Oystron was one of the earliest homebrew games developed for the console. The game, Cavina's first, was released by XYPE, an independent group of Atari 2600 homebrew developers....
, released by Piero Cavina in 1997, is an action game in which "space oysters" are opened and pearls collected to earn ammunition.
Duck Attack! allows the player to battle giant, fire-breathing ducks in a quest to save the world from a mad scientist.
Many 2600 homebrews are unofficial ports of arcade and PC games that were popular during the 1980s but not ported to the 2600 at the time. Lady Bug, released by John W. Champeau in 2006, is a port of Universal Games
Universal Games
Universal Games is a Nevada company that produced such board games as Merger, Titanic: The Board Game, and the Apollo 13 edition of Solarquest....
' 1981 arcade game of the same name
Lady Bug (arcade game)
Lady Bug is a Pac-Man-like maze-based insect-themed arcade game produced by Universal Games and released in 1981.-Description:The goal of Lady Bug is to eat all dots, hearts and letters in the maze while avoiding other insects. The player is represented by a red, yellow, and green character...
.
Juno First, released by Chris Walton in 2009, is a port of a 1983 Konami
Konami
is a Japanese leading developer and publisher of numerous popular and strong-selling toys, trading cards, anime, tokusatsu, slot machines, arcade cabinets and video games...
arcade game
Juno First
Juno First is a shoot 'em up arcade game developed by Konami and released in 1983. It was licensed to Gottlieb in the United States. The game is a vertical scrolling shooter, with a third-person perspective like Radar Scope. It follows in the tradition of space-themed shooting-galleries such as...
;
and Thrust, released by Thomas Jentzsch in 2000, is a port of a 1986 computer game originally designed for the BBC Micro
BBC Micro
The BBC Microcomputer System, or BBC Micro, was a series of microcomputers and associated peripherals designed and built by Acorn Computers for the BBC Computer Literacy Project, operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation...
and later ported to the Commodore 64
Commodore 64
The Commodore 64 is an 8-bit home computer introduced by Commodore International in January 1982.Volume production started in the spring of 1982, with machines being released on to the market in August at a price of US$595...
.
A popular activity among Atari 2600 enthusiasts is "hacking
ROM hacking
ROM hacking is the process of modifying a video game ROM image to alter the game's graphics, dialogue, levels, gameplay, or other elements. This is usually done by technically inclined video game fans to breathe new life into a cherished old game, as a creative outlet, or to make essentially new...
," in which existing ROM images are modified. Modifications typically include new graphics and game colors, but may also include more complex changes such as gameplay modifications and the ability to use a different controller (e.g. joystick
Joystick
A joystick is an input device consisting of a stick that pivots on a base and reports its angle or direction to the device it is controlling. Joysticks, also known as 'control columns', are the principal control in the cockpit of many civilian and military aircraft, either as a center stick or...
or paddle) than the controller for which the game was originally designed.
A popular hack target is the 2600 version of Pac-Man
Pac-Man (Atari 2600)
In 1982, Atari Inc. released a port of Namco's hit arcade game Pac-Man for its Atari 2600 video game console. Like the original arcade version, the player controls the titular character with a joystick...
, in which ROM hackers re-work the graphic elements to more closely resemble the arcade version.
Several homebrew games have taken the basic concepts of earlier games, and expanded them with improved graphics or additional gameplay options. Examples include Warring Worms
Warring Worms
- Background :Warring Worms was created by software developer Billy Eno and released in 2002 under the Baroque Gaming label. The game was Eno's first released Atari 2600 homebrew game.- Gameplay :...
by Billy Eno (2002), which took the basic premise of Surround
Surround (video game)
Surround is an early video game programmed by Alan Miller and published by Atari, Inc. for the Atari 2600, then known as the VCS . It was one of the nine Atari 2600 launch titles released in October 1977.- History :...
and added new gameplay modes, such as the ability to fire shots at the opponent;
and Medieval Mayhem
Medieval Mayhem
Medieval Mayhem is an action game developed for the Atari 2600 video game console, inspired by the arcade game Warlords.- Background :...
by Darrell Spice Jr., a re-imagining of the game Warlords with enhanced graphics and additional gameplay options.
Another type of 2600 homebrew is the "demake", a port from a more powerful system.
Recent demakes include Halo 2600, a 4 KB game inspired by the Halo series
Halo (series)
Halo is a multi-million dollar science fiction video game franchise created by Bungie and now managed by 343 Industries and owned by Microsoft Studios. The series centers on an interstellar war between humanity and a theocratic alliance of aliens known as the Covenant...
of games. Halo 2600 was written by former Microsoft
Microsoft
Microsoft Corporation is an American public multinational corporation headquartered in Redmond, Washington, USA that develops, manufactures, licenses, and supports a wide range of products and services predominantly related to computing through its various product divisions...
vice president Ed Fries
Ed Fries
Ed Fries was vice president of game publishing at Microsoft during much of the Xbox's lifecycle. He was a prime evangelist of the platform to game developers and had an important role in the acquisition of developers Bungie Studios, Ensemble Studios and Rare....
, who was involved in Microsoft's acquisition of Halo creators Bungie Studios
Bungie
Bungie, Inc is an American video game developer currently located in Bellevue, Washington, USA. The company was established in May 1991 by University of Chicago undergraduate student Alex Seropian, who later brought in programmer Jason Jones after publishing Jones' game Minotaur: The Labyrinths of...
.
Other 2600 demakes include a Portal-inspired game titled Super 3D Portals 6 and a demo based on the Mega Man
Mega Man
Mega Man is a video game franchise from Capcom, starring the eponymous character Mega Man, or one of his many counterparts. The series is well-known and comprises well over fifty releases, easily making it Capcom's most prolific franchise. As of December 31, 2010, the series has sold approximately...
franchise.
Notable homebrews
In 2003, ActivisionActivision
Activision is an American publisher, majority owned by French conglomerate Vivendi SA. Its current CEO is Robert Kotick. It was founded on October 1, 1979 and was the world's first independent developer and distributor of video games for gaming consoles...
selected several homebrew 2600 titles for inclusion in the Game Boy Advance
Game Boy Advance
The is a 32-bit handheld video game console developed, manufactured, and marketed by Nintendo. It is the successor to the Game Boy Color. It was released in Japan on March 21, 2001; in North America on June 11, 2001; in Australia and Europe on June 22, 2001; and in the People's Republic of China...
version of their Activision Anthology
Activision Anthology
Activision Anthology is a compilation of most of the Atari 2600 games by Activision for various systems. It also includes some games originally released by Absolute Entertainment and Imagic, as well as some homebrewed games. The Windows and Mac OS X versions are titled Activision Anthology Remix...
: Climber 5 by Dennis Debro (2004), Okie Dokie by Bob Colbert (1996), Skeleton+ by Eric Ball (2003), Space Treat Deluxe by Fabrizio Zavagli (2003), Vault Assault by Brian Prescott (2001), Video Euchre by Erik Eid (2002), and Oystron.
In 2005, SCSIcide, Oystron, Warring Worms, Skeleton+, and Marble Craze by Paul Slocum (2002) were listed as the "Best 2600 Homebrew Games" in the book Gaming Hacks: 100 Industrial-Strength Tips & Tools by Simon Carless
Simon Carless
Simon Carless is a video game industry journalist, editor and game designer. He was born in London, England and presently resides in San Jose, California...
.
Medieval Mayhem has been featured in several retro-gaming tournaments.
Other 2600 homebrews that have received attention outside the homebrew community include Halo 2600
Halo 2600
Halo 2600 is an action-adventure video game developed for the Atari 2600 video game console, inspired by the Halo series of video games.Halo 2600 was written by Ed Fries, former vice president of game publishing at Microsoft,...
,
Duck Attack!
Duck Attack!
Duck Attack! is an action-adventure video game developed for the Atari 2600 video game console. It was created by Will Nicholes and released by AtariAge in July 2010 at the Classic Gaming Expo in Las Vegas.- Plot :...
,
and A-VCS-tec Challenge
A-VCS-tec Challenge
A-VCS-tec Challenge is a video game developed for the Atari 2600 video game console. The game was inspired by the 1980s Commodore 64 game Aztec Challenge...
by Simon Quernhorst (2006), an unofficial port of the 1981 Atari 8-bit
Atari 8-bit family
The Atari 8-bit family is a series of 8-bit home computers manufactured from 1979 to 1992. All are based on the MOS Technology 6502 CPU and were the first home computers designed with custom coprocessor chips...
game Aztec Challenge
Aztec Challenge
Aztec Challenge refers to either of two early arcade-style computer games published by COSMI, as well as to subsequent remakes. In all game versions the player takes control of a running Aztec warrior. The first was a side-scrolling platform-jumping game created by Robert Tegel Bonifacio and...
.
Homebrewers Thomas Jentzsch and Andrew Davie have announced a Chrstmas 2011 release of an official version of Boulder Dash
Boulder Dash
Boulder Dash, originally released in 1984 for Atari 8-bit computers, is a series of computer games released for the Apple II, MSX, ZX Spectrum, Commodore 64, and ColecoVision home computers, and later ported to the NES, BBC Micro and Acorn Electron, PC, Amstrad CPC, Amiga and many other platforms...
, a title they had been working on for nearly 10 years.
Creating homebrews
The Atari 2600 is generally considered to be a very demanding programming environment, with a mere 128 bytes of RAM available without additional hardware, and no video frame buffer at all. The programmer must prepare each line of video output one at a time as it is being sent to the television. The only spriteSprite (computer graphics)
In computer graphics, a sprite is a two-dimensional image or animation that is integrated into a larger scene...
capabilities the 2600 offers are one-dimensional 1-bit and 8-bit patterns; creating a two-dimensional object requires changing the pattern between each line of video.
Creating a homebrew Atari 2600 involves many steps: learning the system specifications, designing, writing, and testing the game, and creating the physical cartridge. Atari 2600 emulators such as Stella
Stella (emulator)
Stella is an emulator for the Atari 2600 game console, and takes its name from the console's codename. It is open source, and runs on most major modern platforms including Windows, Mac OS X, Linux, Windows CE/Mobile, Dreamcast, GP2X, Nintendo DS, and Wii. Stella was originally written in 1996 by...
and z26 are often used by homebrewers to test their games as they are being developed.
Unlike later consoles, the Atari 2600 does not require a modchip
Modchip
A modchip is a small electronic device used to modify or disable built-in restrictions and limitations of computers, specifically videogame consoles...
to run homebrew cartridges; it will run any properly written program without checking for a digital signature or performing any other type of authentication.
It was this aspect of the hardware design that enabled third-party companies such as Activision
Activision
Activision is an American publisher, majority owned by French conglomerate Vivendi SA. Its current CEO is Robert Kotick. It was founded on October 1, 1979 and was the world's first independent developer and distributor of video games for gaming consoles...
and Imagic
Imagic
Imagic was a short-lived American video game developer and publisher that developed games for the Atari 2600, Intellivision and other video game consoles in the early 1980s...
to develop Atari 2600 games without Atari's consent in the 1980s. This led Atari to incorporate authentication features in its later console, the Atari 7800
Atari 7800
The Atari 7800 ProSystem, or simply the Atari 7800, is a video game console re-released by Atari Corporation in January 1986. The original release had occurred two years earlier under Atari Inc. The 7800 had originally been designed to replace Atari Inc.'s Atari 5200 in 1984, but was temporarily...
, to prevent other companies from creating and selling their own 7800 titles without Atari's permission.
batari Basic
As the 2600 uses the 6507, a variant of the MOS Technology 6502MOS Technology 6502
The MOS Technology 6502 is an 8-bit microprocessor that was designed by Chuck Peddle and Bill Mensch for MOS Technology in 1975. When it was introduced, it was the least expensive full-featured microprocessor on the market by a considerable margin, costing less than one-sixth the price of...
chip, as its CPU
Central processing unit
The central processing unit is the portion of a computer system that carries out the instructions of a computer program, to perform the basic arithmetical, logical, and input/output operations of the system. The CPU plays a role somewhat analogous to the brain in the computer. The term has been in...
, most homebrews released are written in 6502 assembly language
Assembly language
An assembly language is a low-level programming language for computers, microprocessors, microcontrollers, and other programmable devices. It implements a symbolic representation of the machine codes and other constants needed to program a given CPU architecture...
. However, in 2007, developer Fred X. Quimby released a compiler, "batari Basic," which allows developers to create 2600 games in BASIC
BASIC
BASIC is a family of general-purpose, high-level programming languages whose design philosophy emphasizes ease of use - the name is an acronym from Beginner's All-purpose Symbolic Instruction Code....
, a high-level programming language.
Game designer and Georgia Institute of Technology
Georgia Institute of Technology
The Georgia Institute of Technology is a public research university in Atlanta, Georgia, in the United States...
associate professor Ian Bogost
Ian Bogost
Ian Bogost is a video game designer, critic and researcher. He is a professor at the Georgia Institute of Technology and a founding partner at Persuasive Games...
has used batari Basic in his classes to teach students video game concepts and history.
An integrated development environment
Integrated development environment
An integrated development environment is a software application that provides comprehensive facilities to computer programmers for software development...
(IDE), Visual batari Basic, is also available. Written by Jeff Wierer and released in 2008, it runs on Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...
and requires .NET Framework
.NET Framework
The .NET Framework is a software framework that runs primarily on Microsoft Windows. It includes a large library and supports several programming languages which allows language interoperability...
3.0.