So today marks Amiga 40th birthday, 40 years of Amiga computing fun, its kinda amazing that tech that was developed in the 80s and early 90s that there is still a strong community that support it and Amiga are still being used today to create, to do thing with and most importantly, to have fun with.
I mean it’s even more amazing when you think Amiga development and management has been all over the place in its lifetime. It had 5 owners, Commodore, Escom, Gateway, Amino and now Cloanto (kinda of), I know official it’s not Cloanto but more collection of investors, but been that its now ran by the same guy, I say it pretty much Cloanto.
The Lawsuit and bankruptcy that the platform been through have really held back some potential and directions the brand could of gone and still could do.
But lucky the thing that kept Amiga alive was not these companies, it was the community, refusing to move on, we just discovered something that extra special about the machine.
For the 40th year, I really tried to think about the very first time I even heard of the Amiga platform, it was not in July 25 1985 at A1000 launch. I think my first memory I got of hearing about the Amiga was more than likely late 80s. Likely from the back of video games, my brother had a ZX Spectrum and on some games box’s it showed screenshots of the game from different platforms, the one that always looked the best was Amiga. Then there was the odd gaming magazine we got that covered all consoles and gaming platforms, “CVG – computer, video & games” & “Games Master” magazine are the ones that come to mind.
In the shops I remember seeing the big box’s that Amiga games would come in, picking them up, reading what they where about. I think one game that for reason really stuck with me, was the box art and description of the game Space Quest 3, it just looked and sounded like my perfect game. “Explore the galaxy and visit monolith burgers on your way..”
I think the real thing that pushed it over edge to me wanting an Amiga was reading about how video games were made on the platform. Then there was S.E.U.C.K (shoot em up construction kit) that boosted about how easy it was to make a game. Amos as well was advertised and in the magazine all about how program games in it.
So it would be a few more years before I could get Amiga, but once I did, it was and always has been an amazing platform, it would be years of discovery, learning about just how powerful the machine was.
Its the only platform I felt kind of empowered/in charge and brave enough to look behind the curtain of how it works and could still figure it out. Not that Im a expert, but I just felt there was fun to learning stuff on Amiga, that I have never gotten from Windows / Mac.
So I just want to thank the original guys that brought the platform to life. Amiga is my fav computer platform, likely always will be. Thanks to the community, developers, webmasters, magazine writers and other that contribute to this Amazing platform and so here to 40 years! May we have many more.
As a special treat for Amiga Fans, I thought the next Amiga box I should do really was the Amiga A1000, so print out your own little A1000 box to make.