The Commodore 64 Released

The Commodore 64, also known as the C64, was an 8-bit device that helped popularize the personal computer. It democratized home computing, bringing affordable and accessible technology to artists as well as hackers. With its impressive graphics and sound capabilities, it catalyzed the growth of the video game industry and software development. Like the Amiga and Apple’s devices, the Commodore 64 helped alter humanity’s relationship with machines and computers. Bringing them from military, government and corporate control to one’s home demystified machines that only a decade earlier were associated, particularly in the art world, with the military and a severely unpopular Vietnam War fought by the United States, the leader in computing technology. Little-known pockets of illegal software crackers would also use the C64 (and other 8-bit devices) throughout the decade of the ’80s (and beyond!), helping to spawn the Demoscene. So-called “cracktos” were crackers that removed the software’s copy protection and added personalized cracked intros. Hugely influential for its role in democratizing computing and invigorating the creation of computing, the Commodore 64 remains one of the most iconic computers ever built.