Programming the Game Boy

Two Hundred Forty First Post: Programming the Game Boy

I was watching 3dbuzz’s C++ VTMs and found in the 3rd series of game programming, they ported the C++ game to the Game Boy SP. Unfortunately, they haven’t finished the VTM that shows how to port to the Game Boy . So I did a web search and found they was a book on the subject. I found free software to compile games and a free book to download. Unfortunately the HAM / VHAM software site wasn’t running, but I did manage to download the free book. You can get it at: http://www.jharbour.com/gameboy/default.aspx

The book was never published due to legal issues with Nintendo. I guess Nintendo foresaw a bunch of inexpensive of free games that might have hurt the sales of its published games. Basically they wanted to control their system. I think this would actually have got more units and more games sold if Nintendo would have supported the book.

That is why games are cheaper on PCs. The system is non proprietary and allowed many manufactures to produce hardware. It also left developers no license fees when producing software. The Mac was a better system over the PC for many years, but the non proprietary system of the PC made it number one.

I still have a lot to learn about C++, but seeing the possibility of porting a game to the Game Boy makes learning the hard stuff that much more rewarding. I have to admit on the last VTM I followed along but did not understand it completely. But the more you work with a language the more it makes sense. I tried to do some stuff in Q BASIC and it is amazing how much stuff I learned from BASIC 10 years ago that I still knew.

But until I find VHAM and port my games to the Game Boy... May the Creative Force be with You