My journey growing up in the golden age of home computing — from playing the retro games of the time, to the creative revolution sparked by the Commodore 64 and Amiga. In this three-part series I explore how open, affordable hardware gave computer enthusiasts a creative outlet to develop some of the most interesting cultural endevors of that time. From revolutionary graphics, studio-quality sound, graphical user interfaces that preceded Windows, and how early Bulletin Board Systems shaped the way in which we communicated to the world.