Video games have been part of our lives for a long time. Although we can currently enjoy next-generation consoles such as the PlayStation 5, the Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S and even the Nintendo Switch, there are those who, driven by nostalgia they refuse to abandon certain iconic devices in the industry.
One of the clearest examples is found when reviewing the variety of retro consoles that can be purchased. From the NES Mini to the Super NES Classic and SEGA Mega Drive Mini 2. But there is also a world beyond these classic editions mounted on modern hardware, the world of those who still program for old consoles.
Programming games for consoles from four decades
The practice of creating new programs using old platforms is not recent. We have known for years that many people do it. However, the mission pursued by a community of british fans of the legendary Sinclair ZX Spectrum is quite peculiar: they compete to create the most ridiculous game possible.
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The Comp.Sys.Sinclair Crap Games Contest, which is what the contest is called, has a series of very clear rules, including the following: “The most ridiculous game wins and the best game loses.” And, under this premise, the competition has been held almost every year since 1996, so we could say that the idea has been a success.
The origins of CGC date back to the late eighties. For a long time, as collected by The Guardiancomputer magazines offered the possibility that their readers could access basic games, but for this they had to copy code without errors on their computers like the ZX Spectrum. This changed years later when cassettes with games began to be shipped.
Advanced Lawnmower Simulator
In April 1988, one of Your Sinclair magazine members, Duncan MacDonald, sent as a joke a game called ‘Advanced Lawnmower Simulator’ created by him that ended up being included in one of the cassettes with several games that were distributed right at the publication. As its name implies, it was an “advanced lawnmower simulator”, something never seen before.
“Fishing Simulator” Graphics
The game mechanics were extremely simplistic. By pressing the M key, the mower would start to do its job, but at any moment it could break down and game over. Curiously, Your Sinclair readers began to send their own games in the hope of being included in one of the next cassettes.
Graphics of the game “problems with the toilet”
So some time later the Crap Games Contest was born, where people strove to create the worst games. Among the guidelines for participation we find such unusual suggestions as giving it a meaningless name, neglecting the graphics, avoiding nice color schemes and “make it ridiculously easy or difficult, with no middle ground”.
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Among the titles presented this year there is one that translated into Spanish is entitled “The AI forced me to do it.” It is a game in which a robot must collect lego heads to pass the level. A “super advanced” fishing simulator” and a title called “Problems with the toilet”, whose protagonist is a plumber who must do his job.
Images | Wikimedia Commons | GCC
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This community of Sinclair ZX Spectrum fans has a particular mission: to make the worst games possible.
was originally posted on
xataka
by Javier Marquez.
