It seems that if you copy programs every day, you will be able to write them
I spent about half a day feeling uneasy, wondering, 'What book opened the doors within me?' and then I remembered.
It was MSX FAN, MSX Magazine, and Micom BASIC Magazine.
Days spent just manually typing in and running the programs published in magazines.
Back then, I was dying to play games on my MSX2+, and I would read MSX Magazine and MSX FAN over and over, happily agonizing over which game to buy with my allowance. This was back when I was between the 6th grade of elementary school and the 3rd year of junior high.
Each magazine also featured MSX BASIC programs (mostly games), and I feel like my days were fulfilling just by repeatedly copying them out and running them.
Since my goal was to play games, I had absolutely no intention of trying to understand the programs I was copying, but before I knew it, the desire to understand programming and create my own naturally welled up. (I think, anyway.)
I remember reading a few introductory books on BASIC, trying to understand programming, and attempting to make a game on my own. In the end, I think I gave up halfway through and just enjoyed commercial MSX games...
Before I knew it, I was able to create programs.
With the passage of time, all these magazines were suspended or discontinued, but I feel that thanks to these three, I was able to maintain my interest in programming. And by the time I was in junior high school, I was able to write C language programs on my own.
You can read MSX Magazine for free.
It seems you can read back issues of MSX Magazine for free on the website of Akashic Library Co., Ltd., which was founded by Kazuhiko Nishi, the creator of the MSX.
I also played Disk Station, Arcus II, the campaign version of Daisenryaku II, and Fire Hawk (Thexder 2)...
MSX FAN is also archived.
Back issues of MSX FAN are archived on the INTERNET ARCHIVE.
'The 8192-Story Tower' and things like that bring back so many memories.
I want to complete a game of my own.
Come to think of it, I feel like I've repeatedly drafted ideas for my own games in junior high, high school, college, and as a working adult, only to dabble in them a little and then shelve them without ever taking shape.
It wouldn't be bad to use the know-how from 'Thinking to Continue' and set out on a journey to create my own game...
I'm going to head out on a journey for a bit...
Tomorrow, I will write a report on the 'Thinking to Continue' morning reading group.