[nephrenka]

I started to code 35 years ago on a Commodore 64. The beauty of those machines was that you literally had to write code to even load a game (LOAD, RUN, etc.).

As such, the barriers to start exploring programming on your own were low: the development environment was already there, you were familiar with the interface, and it booted in an instant. I haven't seen any modern day technology replicate that ease of access for beginning coders.

[marcus_holmes]

I always consider myself extremely lucky to have started learning tech when I did, because the devices were so simple then. I could code in Assembler on my BBC micro with no problem, because there were only 3 registers and everything was simple.

But the beauty of that was that there was nothing more complex. There are simple devices and environments around today, but they pale in comparison to the more complex environments. You can totally code a game up in a BBC emulator, for example, but it looks shit in comparison to the Unity tutorial game.

I was forced to learn Assembler because it was the only way of writing a video game on the BBC micro. And there was nothing better out there. If I was 14 again and trying to create video games to sate my urge now, I'd be learning Unity. Even though there are simpler environments available.