40 years of Spectrum: Celebration in Portugal and main PC games – Multimedia
The ZX Spectrum, the 8-bit computer invented by Sir Richard Sinclair was released on April 23, 1982, forever changing the paradigm of the video game industry. Throughout its various models, the microcomputer was the first contact for many gamers, but also the starting point in the career of many programmers who are still linked to the industry today.
The system led to the boom in the industry, as did machine hardware for many companies. The so-called computer programmers are very important for exploring the capabilities of the little ones, which currently continue to be recognized by video enthusiasts.
Even today, gaming communities meet monthly in dedicated ones, even in Portugal and Brazil, as the curator of the Diogo Load ZX Spectrum museum explained to SAPO TEK in a previous interview. The museum curator mentioned that partners in their team are actively involved. “André Leão, Pedro Pimenta, Filipe Veiga, Marcus Garret (in Brazil), are just the people I talk to daily and who are some associated with the Planet Sinclair and Spectro magazine for example. And within the scope of these works, we follow this whole phenomenon”.
See gallery 20 of the games that define the ZX Spectrum:
Just this week, a text adventure produced in Portugal in 1991 was recovered, called Viagem de Vasco da Gama, by Libânio Guerreiro, considered a true milestone for its educational aspect. It was even considered one of the best Portuguese games, according to the Planet Sinclair.
Cantanhede receives from the 40th anniversary of the ZX Spectrum
To celebrate the anniversary of the ZX Spectrum, the Cantanhede museum is promoting an event with several initiatives this weekend with free admission. The family of Sir Clive Sinclair, the creator of the computer, who passed away in 2021 aged 81, will be present. The initiative will take place at Load ZX Spectrum and other spaces in the city of Cantanhede, with lectures, conversations, countries and the launch of the museum’s first book, “Programadores Portugueses”, by André Luna Leão.
The anticipation that is already guaranteed “the presence of the organization or worshipers from England, Brazil and Portugal, which is expected to be the biggest event dedicated to the ZX Spectrum held in Portugal in the 21st century”, refers to that municipality in the district of Coimbra. Crispin Sinclair and Grant Sinclair, son and nephew of Sir Clive Sinclair or Professor Steve Vickers, creator of ROM memory are other guests or guests.
Also participating will be the “Oliver Twins” — Phillip & Andrew, creators of the “Dizzy” game series, Clive Townsend, creator of the Saboteur saga, Jim Bagley, developer of games like Cabal and Midnight Resistance, and member of the ZX Spectrum team released Next in 2020 and also Marcus Garrett Portuguese-Brazilian researcher/author, co-founder of Bitnamic Software.
Miguel Guerreiro, creator of esxDOS and active member of the Spectrum demo, Filipe Veiga, programmer and co-founder of Teknamic Software and editor of Revista Espectro and Álvaro Lopes, an electronics specialist and creator of InterfaceZ will also participate in this event. The panel of speakers also includes André Luna Leão, founder of Planeta Sinclair, João Diogo Ramos co-founder and curator of the LOAD ZX Spectrum Museum and Pedro Cardoso vice-president of the Municipality of Cantanhede.
The classics immortalized online and with a new computer
It is still possible to find computers for sale, but still many may not be in perfect condition for use. However, recently the ZX Spectrum Next, the revitalization of the classic computer. The goal was to launch a machine compatible with the software and hardware of the original machines, but possible to play today, on the latest televisions. The initiative, which began in 2017 in Brazil, continues to raise stimulants, fostering new titles in retro format.
For those who want to remember their games with nostalgia, you can choose from the various emulators available in the communities. Or play directly on portals dedicated to the preservation of the great classics, such as archive.org. In this case, the games are loaded and projected directly into the browser, without the need to download or install the emulator.
The portal presents thousands of games, cataloged by year, by genre or studio. Serve mainly as a historical record and a trip through a computer that has strong connections to Portugal, mainly due to the Timex factory that exists in Costa da Caparica.