CREATING DESPERATION

David Crookes remembers the time he made a game

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It all began with a game of Scalextric – although not the physical slot-car racing set that scores of kids had set up in their bedrooms.

Although I did own one of those (won courtesy of toilet paper makers Andrex, no less), what actually proved inspirational was the 1987 videogame by Leisure Genius which came free with my Amstrad CPC 6128.

The game was a terrible recreation of a much-loved toy and it looked as dull as it played. But there was a part that enthralled a young me: the bit where you could create your own tracks. I believed I could produce a unique driving game in some small way through a series of sick-inducing twists and turns. From that moment on, the desire to develop was instilled. Trouble is I felt snookered because I’d never truly got to grips with programming.

Instead, I spent months (OK years) looking for shortcuts – packages that could help someone with only a smattering of BASIC knowledge achieve a dream. I dabbled with Incentive Software’s 3D Construction Kit to create worlds to explore but found it too slow. I gave the Graphic Adventure Creator a try but only got halfway towards producing a text adventure before feeling lost with its direction.