The Demoscene
Demoparties, compo graphics, the history of the scene on the Amiga, the Atari ST, and the Commodore 64, and the question of when you may call yourself a demoscener. These are my reports and essays from inside the demoscene.
22 articles, newest first.
October 2026
Multicolor Mayhem
My Ten Days as a Commodore 64 Art Robot on a Deadline
In late September 2026, Drees of the C64 group AMID asked me to draw the pictures for a demo about a camper van in a jungle and a T. rex. The Deadline demoparty in Berlin was about ten days away. This is how I turned into an art robot, fought the Commodore 64's multicolor mode in Multipaint, and followed from a distance as Thunder in Paradise ranked fifth in the ORWOhaus.
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August 2026
Finding Peace in the Process
How to Survive the Perfect Demoparty
In late August 2026, I joined hundreds of sceners at my fifth Evoke demoparty: the night sky was full of programmable drones, a wasp made off with a chunk of somebody's sausage, and I slept on the floor. We managed to submit two demos across two groups, and I conjured a Phoenix from ten colors. What follows is my long, fond, and slightly rambling account of all of it.
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May 2026
ST-News Disk Mag
A Digital Archaeological Analysis of Its Evolutionary History and Cultural Impact
ST-News was one of the first disk mags I ever read. And what a catch it was! A true labour of love, made by enthusiasts for enthusiasts. That infectious passion completely captured my heart. All issues of ST-News are preserved on its creator Richard Karsmakers' website, and a few years ago I set out to write a paper about this disk mag for my university studies. It never quite happened... until now. Here is the revised and expanded version of that original article (I kept the pretentious title).
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April 2026
From Pretender to Scener
When Can You Truly Call Yourself A Demoscener?
In a way, we all start as pretenders. Whether we are stepping into a new job, becoming a parent, or submitting our first messy graphic or code to a demoparty, we are essentially wearing a costume and hoping no one notices until we’ve figured it out. But at a recent demoparty, that internal "imposter syndrome" was given a massive, external voice through provocative billboards aimed at the heart of the community.
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February 2026
C for Commodore
The BCC Demoparty 2026
In a Berlin hackerspace, fifty enthusiasts gathered around a 40-year-old computer to create new things. BCC#20, hosted by the C64 Club Berlin at C-Base, celebrated many c-words: craft, constraints, and Commodore. Let me tell you how beige machines glow under spaceship lighting, how questionable karaoke singers are accompanied by beautiful chip music, and how 64 kilobytes are enough to create digital worlds!
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January 2026
Why I Love the Demoscene
The Digital Subculture That Keeps Surprising Me
Imagine a fun community of passionate makers creating art within tight technical constraints. That's the demoscene. A simply amazing subculture of creative coding and digital art. In this personal essay, I explore why the demoscene has captured my heart and continues to inspire me.
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November 2025
From Zero to Koala
Learning to Draw for the Commodore 64 to Compete at Transmission64
I joined the demogroup VCC to make graphics for their Commodore 64 demo without ever having drawn a pixel for this machine. Now my chunky images are part of a quirky Ski Jumper demo, released at the remote demoparty Transmission64 in late November. I learned more about retro art, collaboration, and community than I expected. This is my making-of and demoparty report.
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August 2025
Exhausted at Evoke 2025
A Very Personal Recap of the Demoparty
Evoke 2025 once again turned Cologne's AbenteuerHallenKALK into a playground of code, art, and sound. This year's edition brought some fresh surprises: From live Amiga coding battles and a dazzling drone show to heartfelt reunions with old friends. For me, it was a slower, more reflective Evoke. Yet still full of moments worth remembering.
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April 2025
Revision 2025
A Journey Through Train Chaos, Creativity, and Community
Traveling from Thessaloniki to Saarbrücken wasn't easy, but for the Revision 2025 demoparty, it was absolutely worth it. Amid wonderful demos, arcade machines, bonfires, and a sea of creative minds, I found once again what makes the demoscene so unique: the awesome community of technology and art.
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April 2025
From Spectator to Juror
My Tiny Role in the 'Oscars' of the Demoscene
Wanting to contribute to the demoscene in a bigger way, I became a jury member for the midschool category at the Meteoriks 2025 awards, sifting through an overwhelming number of demos, debating their merits, and helping to decide the year's best. It was a wild but ultimately rewarding experience that deepened my appreciation for the passion and craftsmanship behind the scene. I even delivered one of the award speeches.
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October 2024 Mildly NSFW
Boris Vallejo and the Pixel Art of the Demoscene
As an epic fantasy painter, Boris Vallejo had a great influence on 1980s and 90s fantasy book covers, computer game box art, and the demoscene. Through the decades, his works have been replicated by pixel artists. This article features fantasy art history, demoscene drama, and a lot of pixel art fun creating a Boris Vallejo imitation graphic using only four colors.
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September 2024
The Future of the Past
Avoiding Stagnation in Archives of the Amiga Demoscene
Let's explore the Amiga Demoscene Archive (A.D.A.), examining its role as a demo repository within the demoscene, and take a look at its carefully curated collection. What are the archive's strengths and weaknesses? And what can we learn from this archive of media art?
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August 2024
The Magic of Evoke
Demoparty Report by a Bloke at the 25th Evoke
The 25th edition of Evoke was held from 16th to 18th of August 2024 in Cologne. It was an amazing event full of creativity, cooperation, and demoscene magic! Here are my impressions of this wonderful demoparty.
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August 2024
Making Compo Graphics for Evoke 2024
Evoke is an awesome demoparty. I participated in three of the graphics competitions. Here is how I created my submissions and alternative graphics that taught me what I wanted to do.
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June 2024
Graffathon 2024
Where Coding Meets Art
In June 2024, I went to Graffathon in Finland, an interesting intro to demoscene culture. 28 participants met for this uniquely starter-friendly demoparty, enjoying a good helping of creativity and collaboration. On two and a half days, demosceners crafted seventeen impressive demos, showcasing the talents of both beginners and advanced coders. Here are my impressions of Graffathon 2024, exploring the vibrant intersection of art and technology that defines this extraordinary community.
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May 2024
The Books That Chronicle the History of the Atari ST Demoscene
Over the past decade, a number of books were published that chronicle the history of the Atari ST demoscene. These books provide a detailed look at the creative and technical achievements of the demoscene community, exploring the innovative audiovisual presentations created on the Atari ST computer. Here I introduce and discuss the various volumes in this loose collection.
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January 2024
Demo Beats and MTV Vibes
History and Analysis of State of the Art by Spaceballs
"State of the Art" was a groundbreaking demo for the Commodore Amiga created by the Norwegian demogroup Spaceballs in 1992. It gained widespread acclaim for its innovative use of real-time 2D vector graphics, animation, and sound, becoming an iconic piece in the history of the Amiga demoscene. Let's take a deep dive!
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December 2023
The Commodore Amiga and its Undying Adoration by Anarchist Creatives
Let's investigate the birth of the demoscene, the Amiga platform's revolutionary beginnings, its emotional resonance within a dedicated community, and its broader influence on the field of computer graphics and music. Why is the Amiga still one of the most significant platforms in the demoscene?
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August 2023
Evoke 2023 Demoparty Report
From July 28th to 30th, I visited the Evoke 2023 demoparty in Cologne. After years of study and admiration of the demoscene, I participated in a demoparty in person for the third time. Here's what I experienced, which graphics I submitted for the competitions, and what I learned. I hope this helps newcomers to the demoscene make the most of their first demoparty.
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April 2023
Revision 2023
Back to the E-Werk for Most, First Time for Me
After nearly three long years of distance and postponed events, the moment I stepped into the E-Werk for the Revision 2023 demoparty, I was swept up in radiant waves of sheer enthusiasm. Others were back, I was there for the first time. This is my account of a big, loud, and joyful weekend in Saarbrücken.
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August 2022
Finding My People
A Little Demoparty Report of Evoke 2022
In August 2022, as the world slowly reopened after the pandemic, I found myself boarding a plane to Cologne for something I had dreamed of for years: my first demoparty. What I didn't know yet was that Evoke 2022 would become a personal milestone. It was a moment where my years long interests and my research culminated. I had found my community.
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October 2020
Circuits Ablaze
How Technical Limitations Pushed the Early Demoscene to Produce Digital Art
This is my master's thesis about the demo-group The Exceptions during the years 1987 to 1989 in the Atari ST demoscene. These were the formative years of the Atari ST demoscene, and The Exceptions were the first to produce demos on the computer system.
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