3 Easy Pieces makes retro game programming feel a lot less mysterious—and a lot more doable. Aimed at beginners with a little experience and a love for old-school machines, this book walks readers through the creation of three simple games using ugBASIC, a modern language built for 8-bit computers from the 1980s.
What sets this book apart is its approach. It doesn’t bury you in code from the start. Instead, it opens with the big idea behind each project, then breaks it down into parts, moving from concept to working program step-by-step. The method is top-down, the pace is gentle, and the goal is to help you build confidence while writing real, working games.
Written to be practical, 3 Easy Pieces encourages programming while reading. You’ll build as you go, using ugBASIC to test each new idea on systems with tight limitations—think VIC-20, C64, or MSX. Along the way, you’ll explore basic theory, get hands-on with procedural code, and see how simple design choices make a big difference when resources are limited.
This isn’t just about following instructions—it’s about understanding why each decision matters, and having enough support to tweak, modify, and create something of your own. Retro game programming can be approachable and fun—and this book shows how.
