Make a real 6502 game, with sprites, tiles, and FM sound!

Welcome to the first Picocomputer 6502 Game Jam! Until October 30, your goal is to make a game for the Picocomputer 6502, a real computer with a 65C02 at 8 MHz. Its video and sound systems are modeled on the arcades and home computers of the 8-bit and 16-bit era, with far more headroom than those machines ever had. Two entrants each win an unpopulated RP6502-PICO circuit board.

Game jams are a great way to learn something new, even if you've never written a line of 6502 code. All skill levels are welcome, and everyone who enters has a chance at the prize drawn at random. This jam is about learning and having fun, which is why AI tools are allowed if you want to use them. Join us on Discord or on this jam's community page to ask questions, share your progress, or even cheer from the sidelines.

Do I need a Picocomputer?

No. You write your game in C, 6502 assembly, or Microsoft BASIC, and it runs in the emulator. Entries are played right here on itch.io.

It's a real computer, though. The same game runs on the RP6502-PICO you can build yourself, and on an Analogue Pocket.

Getting started

Read the manual. It opens with a game you can play right away, and it's laid out to read from beginning to end. Everything is in there, from installing the tools to putting your game on itch.io. In the announcement video, I tour the documentation and the GitHub repositories.

Example games

• Flappy Coo is made to learn from. It has title and game over screens, animated sprites, scrolling tiles, a bitmap, sound, and a saved best score.
• Star Hopper is a more advanced game you can learn from along with other games by Dr. Jason Rowe.
• Super Star Trek is a text game in BASIC.

Rules

• Your game must be for the Picocomputer 6502.
• It must be playable right here on itch.io in the browser.
• It must be a full game with a start and an end.
• It can be any kind of game. A text game in BASIC is fine.
• Teams are welcome.
• Your source can be open or closed.
• You may use AI tools.

Prizes

There are two prizes. One is chosen by a vote of the entrants. The other is drawn at random from all other entries.

Each prize is an unpopulated RP6502-PICO circuit board, for building the machine your game already runs on. You supply the parts. I'll pay to ship it anywhere the United States Postal Service reaches. You pay any taxes, duties, or customs fees. I'll contact you through itch.io, and I'll never ask you for money.