Why was the early 90's so successful for UK game production?

[D-Ranged]

More time to develop games, less of a rush to get an unfinished product out, and less competition, maybe? Also, things hadn't been done as much as they are these days? The something new and exciting factor, which seems to be very few and far between these days.

 

[Emlyn_Dewar]

I feel like modern marketing, and focus groups have ruined a lot of it.

 

[GGizmo]

I think a big factor in why the UK specially might be because of the BBC Micro computer that was in most schools and backed up by tv programmes.

BBC Micro - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org

The first computer experience I had was when the computer was wheeled into the classroom.

I think either my first or second attempt at programming was done on the BBC Micro too.

Did any other country have a national programme like this?

 

[mcwildcard]

I still have much love for the BBC Micro after having it as my first computer when I was really young.
There was something magical in being able to make your name appear on the TV screen, back in the days long before phone video and casting were so ubiquitous.
Also, the vast universe of Elite gave me an understanding of how unlimited the possibilities were of computer games.
It definitely shaped the adult I became, even if I didn't ever make it into the realms of game design for a career.
I can totally see how it would have inspired others to pour themselves deeply into programming.

 

[mcwildcard]

I just remembered this exists, it's an unfinished (IIRC) pdf book Jeff Minter and his partner wrote about the history of Llamasoft, which covers Jeff's journey into programming.
It's a really interesting account of the early days of bedroom developers.

http://minotaurproject.co.uk/YakImages/AHistoryofLlamasoft.pdf

 

[varkanoid]

I think a big factor in why the UK specially might be because of the BBC Micro computer that was in most schools and backed up by tv programmes.

BBC Micro - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org

The first computer experience I had was when the computer was wheeled into the classroom.

I think either my first or second attempt at programming was done on the BBC Micro too.

Did any other country have a national programme like this?

The BBC did have a big impact in schools but it was more the CBM 64 and ZX Spectrum with regards to games. There was already a tidal wave starting from the Vic 20 and arguably the ZX81. Problem with the BBC was it being sold very cheaply to schools sometimes £50 per unit or even free yet to buy one for the general public it was £200+ and that was just the basic version.

The CBM 64 and ZX Spectrum were much cheaper and hit that sweet spot for the public and were also easier to program games on. The BBC had Elite, and er Elite, oh and Elite, and yes Chucky Egg. School yard conversations of "mine is better than yours" (yes started way way before Nvidia v AMD) was always CBM v Spectrum, with Amstrad skulking a poor 3rd and the BBC owner in the library swotting on books in my era.

A mate of mine used to program for Gremlin Graphics. He got the job by doing demo's (what you would call scene demo's today I guess) he would do the GFX and whizzy effects and I would stick some crappy text scroller on and add music. From this GG picked him up and he ended up coding for some of their best games.