A book was just released, about coding for the original Game Boy using assembly. The goal of the book is for readers to learn real systems programming: Assembly language, memory management, interrupts, etc, by building games on actual Game Boy hardware. The book isn’t cheap, at $35 for the Kindle edition and $50 for the paperback, but if you’re serious about assembly/GB coding, this might be a good reference to have:
Purchase via Amazon: https://amzn.to/4o0HndX
Direct: https://nostarch.com/game-boy-coding-adventure
UPDATE 10/30: The publisher has offered RetroRGB readers/listeners a 25% discount from their store, simply by using the (MIS-SPELLED, lol) coupon code “retrogb” at checkout. This is only for their their store and won’t work through Amazon. I’d check both and see which is cheaper overall, including shipping.
I’ll be blunt: I’m not smart enough to code. And I have no idea if this book could be a help or not. But what I do know, is that often when I’m learning something new, I like to have a reference handy to always flip to. Maybe that’s a tablet/eReader, or a book…but either way, I like to have my learning materials ready at all times. So I figured I’d pass this along, in case anyone is interested in doing the same.
According to a press release, this book will walk you through “creating tile graphics, sprite animations, and sound effects; The Game Boy’s simplified 8-bit architecture makes it the perfect learning platform — stripped of modern complexity so you can see exactly how software and hardware interact.” I think that’s excellent for people who are interested in learning the coding backend, but if you’re just looking to try making a game, GB Studio is a much easier start: https://www.gbstudio.dev/
