Thoughts on PICO-8
I thought I would just share that I love the PICO-8, and the idea of fantasy consoles in general.
If you are not familiar with the idea, a fantasy console is a piece of software that emulates a fake computer. Unlike a virtual machine or other type of hardware emulator, a fantasy console is not trying to mimic a real-life piece of hardware. Instead, it's emulating a fake device that is governed by the creator's vision of, “artful restriction,” (my words). One might consider it the software expression that limitation breeds creativity.
In the case of the PICO-8, the fantasy console is an 8-bit machine similar to a VIC-20, or maybe even a Game Boy Color. It has restrictions in allowed program size, the number of available (16!), the memory size, and even the screen resolution (128x128!). All of these limitations are intentionally made in the spirit of forcing creators to focus on creating, and less on trying to push the boundaries of modern technology.
The PICO-8 comes bundled with its own community and publishing platform in the form of SPLORE. Through the SPLORE built-in application, you can download games made by other developers directly into your fantasy console. It is this built-in community that makes me more attracted to PICO-8 as a development ecosystem compared to other real-life restricted consoles like the Arduboy or ODROID-GO. Sampling games on both of those hardware platforms is an exercise in patience, even for the more technically inclined, and it completely eliminates that feeling of serendipity I get when I am browsing SPLORE and find a game that just transports for, if even for 10 minutes.
The last part of the PICO-8 experience that sets it apart is its built in developer tools. It comes with its own code editor, sprite editor and even a music editor. It's a one-stop shop for all things PICO-8 development, and the tools aren't that half bad. Sure, you could use Aseprite or a more powerful code editor, but there I feel it's more immersive to work in the console itself. Just... get used to the font...
I am thinking to try out doing some PICO-8 game reviews here, once I find out the best way to get it into the site.