The Demoscene and The Origins of Creative Computing
As the C2HO initiative comes to a close, we take a look back at the beginnings of creative computing as an art form. In this blog post, we'll be looking at the Demoscene and how it has influenced today's creative computing landscape.
A Brief History of the Demoscene
Demoscene.info describes the demoscene as "a worldwide non-commercial network of creative minds involved in the making of so called 'demos'," with demos being "computer generated music clips that show what kind of graphic and sound effects can really be done by using high-end computer hardware to its full potential."
The origins of the demoscene begin in the 1980's with a specific subset of early computer hackers that removed copyright protection from video games, known as "crackers." Once games were cracked, the crackers realized they could replace the usual copyright screen of the game with their own intros, known as "cracktros." As cracking became more of a popular activity, cracktros became increasingly elaborate, incorporating flashier visuals and adding music to the mix. An example of a more elaborate cracktros from the late 80's can be found below.
As cracktros became more of an art form, a subculture of crackers emerged that wanted to create and share their art apart from video games. Hence, the demoscene as we know it today was born. These computer artists began forming "demogroups," with each member of the group having a specific speciality. For example, Future Crew, one of the most successful demogroups in the height of the demoscene's popularity, consisted of an organizer, programmers, musicians, and graphic artists, among others. Beginning in the early 1990's, demogroups would compete against each other to create the best demos as "demoparties," which are large public events similar to a hackathon where demos are created, judged, and awarded prizes based on their technical skill and creativity. One of the most influential and acclaimed demos, Second Reality by Future Crew, can be viewed below.
Since the 1990's, the demoscene has maintained a small but committed community of artists, with some still using the same technology from the 90's to create their demos.
The Technology Behind Demos
The most important thing to remember when watching demos are that none of them contain any pre-recorded video. Everything you see is generated purely by code running live, which is a huge challenge considering the technical restraints. One of the most popular categories for demos are 64KB intros, which is a size taken from the maximum size of a COM executable file. For reference, that's smaller than most jpeg files today! fr-08, a watershed 64KB demo can be viewed below.
In order to render these visuals, hackers must use certain techniques, such as procedural generation and self-modifying code, in order to fit into such a small file size. In addition to the visuals, a mastery of chiptunes are also necessary to create demos in as small of a size as possible.
The Demoscene's Influence
Today's creative computing landscape is clearly influenced by the demoscene. This is evident by looking at programs written with p5.js and Processing, which provide a much simpler way to create audiovisual works in the same style as demos. The demoscene has also influenced everything from modern video game textures and techniques to today's code optimization culture.
The Demoscene Today
Today's demoscene is still alive, with over 8000 members on their subreddit. Some demoparties have transitioned to becoming larger "computer parties," such has Norway's The Gathering, but still maintains connections and competitions relating to the demoscene. Pure demoparties also still exist, including the original and largest demoparty, Finland's The Assembly.
Related Media
The 8-Bit Guy - How the Demo Scene Works!
Procedural Generation: An Overview
Marc Kerbiquet - The Lost Art of Assembly Programming: Self-modifying Code