I will never forget how much learning to make a game on #pico8 has changed my attitude and confidence towards programming.

A thread.

A little background. I have been a wannabe programmer for most of my adult life. I was never a great math student, but programming carried an alluring idea of being able to build anything you wanted and changing the world.

The dream of programming was: it made anything possible

But my lack of math understanding always made me feel like an imposter. I would look at code and get down on myself for not understanding what was happening.

Actually working with programming was confusing and frustrating.

So for years I would pick up a language, tool away for a few days, try a few tutorials and then abandon it. I'd search forums, ask friends, google, but the code on screen just never clicked.

Then I found the pico8 and everything changed.

Pico8 is a fantasy console, a made up computer system based on Lua programming language. It was created by @lexaloffle and if you are a gamer, you might have been introduced to it through the @MaddyThorson game Celeste. Or more recently, the fantastic DOOM port POOM by @FSouchu

The beauty of the system lies in it's simplicity and limitations. Plus there's a strong 8bit nostalgia pull.

But for a non-programmer like me, the big allure was a very simple concept: without any setup of a development environment I can very easily see what my code does!

Because Pico8 has a built in code editor, sprite editor, music/SFX editor, and compiler, you have everything you need in a simple package.

If you read the manual or watch some of he amazing tutorials like those of @NerdyTeachersor @LazyDevsAcademy and you can get started quickly

With a few taps of the keyboard, you are already making something that you can see.

For someone who doesn't always understand the math, the visual representation of your code is a game changer.

So why do I say this changed my life in regards to programming?

Because programming always felt like a tool that was just out of reach. But the confidence I got from Pico8 allowed me to dig into other languages like @ThePSF and @rustlang with a newfound confidence.

There's still a lot to learn but now I know I can learn it.

I don't know where this fire will take me, but I am thankful everyday for the joy it has brought me.

To end this thread I want to leave one piece of advice for any wannabe coders out there. Keep searching for a language that clicks.

There will be one and once you find it, it will unlock your confidence and your learning potential.

Good luck!

PS - Thank you to everyone in the pico8 community. The support you have shown me and countless others continues to be an inspiring reason to keep playing with pico.

PPS - If you want to try out my first venture into pico8 #gamedev, check out Lemonade Stand for free on @itchio https://thoughtlesslabs.itch.io/lemonade-stand 

Might as well turn this into a #FF. There are so many great people. If I forgot someone, please tag them:
@ThatTomHall
@castpixel
@solitalker
@MBoffin
@gruber_music (thank you again for the music)
@WinslowJosiah
@Enargy
@johanpeitz
@johanvinet
@samhocevar
@MachiToons