The Best of Creative Computing

October 11, 2005

In the process of researching a few recent blog entries, I found the amazing Atari Archives. The title is a little misleading; it isn't completely Atari specific. The archives contain incredible page-by-page high resolution images of many classic computer books, including The Best of Creative Computing, volume 1 (1976) and volume 2 (1977).

Creative Computing was the original D.I.Y. computer enthusiast 'zine, full of irreverent articles and BASIC program listings for classic text mode games like Hunt The Wumpus, Eliza, and Super Star Trek. In the 70's, computing was almost an alternative culture, as evinced by the R. Crumb art on the rear cover of Volume 2.

The Best of Creative Computing, Volume 1 cover   best_of_creative_computing_volume_two_cover.png

I had so much fun browsing the archives that I wanted a copy of these classics for myself. Surprisingly, there are a handful of used copies available on Amazon, and I was able to purchase both Volume 1 and Volume 2 in excellent condition.

I never read Creative Computing magazine. However, the best BASIC game listings were culled by the editor, David Ahl*, and republished as Basic Computer Games (1978) and More Basic Computer Games (1979). I owned well-worn copies of both. While much more staid and commercial than the magazine, the program listings in these books were illustrated with some distinctive and downright weird illustrations. Here's one for the Man-Eating Rabbit game:

illustration from Man-Eating Rabit BASIC game listing

I spent god knows how many hours typing game listings from these books into the Apple //c, Coleco Adam, and TI 99/4a. It's probably part of the reason why I'm a programmer today. It's also the reason why I'll never type code in from a printed page ever, ever again. Ever! If you want to experience the gameplay gold yourself, a friend of mine actually converted the Hunt the Wumpus 2 game to C# as a lark.

Good times.

* David Ahl is also the original author of Minesweeper in 1973. Go figure. Here's a 2003 interview with David if you're curious what he's been up to more recently. His comments on what Creative Computing would look like today remind me a lot of the current blog culture!

Posted by Jeff Atwood
9 Comments

That cover is by Gilbert Shelton who did the Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers. It's not R.Crumb, although the style is similar.

Todd on October 12, 2005 6:32 AM

I take it back. You were referring to a different image than the one you had posted. Apologies.

Todd on October 12, 2005 6:34 AM

No worries-- that's good to know. I wondered who Gilbert Shelton was. It's also another clear sign of how computers were sorta considered "counterculture" in the late 70's.

Jeff Atwood on October 12, 2005 8:36 AM

The style and illustrations remind me of the classic "How to Keep Your Volkswagen Alive," the original "for the Compleat Dummy" book by John Muir. I wonder to what extent both were inspired by a kind of anti-establishent ethos (aka hippy culture) the flowered (haha) in the 70s.

mike on October 12, 2005 12:26 PM

Writing in code from papers copies, that takes me back...

...What a pain in the ass that was! 30% of the time was spent typing in the thing, then 70% spent finding the minor mistakes you'd made!

Peter Bridger on October 12, 2005 1:02 PM

Or the mistakes the author/printer made...

matt on October 12, 2005 1:56 PM

Wow! That brings back memories! Back in the day you were considered some sort of weird freaky guy if you owned a computer. Talk about counter-culture, there use to be a group in california called "peoples computer company", they ran a free "computer lab" out of a store front somewhere in california. People could walk into the lab and sit down and write programs! What a cool concept. If I remember correctly, I think the author of wumpus wrote it there.

Charlie on February 8, 2007 4:06 AM

There was a science show for kids in PBS(?) called 321CONTACT, at around 1990, which published a magazine monthly. It had a monthly column called "BASIC Training", where they presented you with a game written in,... you know, BASIC, which I typed into the PC. Not many of them worked, but that wouldn't stop me from writing them. I can say I started debugging before I could write my own code!

Lester McGrath on April 9, 2008 5:54 AM

Basic Computer Games. What a blast from the past! I think my criteria for judging a program was whether I could type it in between the end of school and when my Dad came home and would kick me off the TV my TI99/4A was hooked up to watch the news.

Peter on May 27, 2011 7:48 PM

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