Uploaded October 2024 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago
Ever wondered what it would have been like working at Ocean Software? Well Mark R. Jones actually did at just 16 years of age! Dropped off by his mum and dad a long way from home, with just his clothes, Crash magazines and of course, his ZX Spectrum, he embarked on a journey that got his name proudly associated with hit Ocean games and worked with some amazing people too.
Join me as I look at what he did in his first year at Ocean Software. The projects he worked on, how he made the graphics and how he sometimes mucked things up! Did he stay on after the first year or was the pull to return back home too strong?
Credits:
The fascinating book behind this video "LOAD DIJ DIJ" is available completely free for you to download and read. This video only touches a small part of the whole story, so please check it out.
Available on:
Google Drive: tinyurl.com/bddrdutk
DropBox: tinyurl.com/33b72r3d
Mark's Channel Links
Ocean Draw Demo: youtu.be/289mF5XO_I0?si=SsHu8BETb4dnprA7
Ocean Draw Download: drive.google.com/file/d/0BzSzDdO15y7FNUExYVlRb2VMeW8/view?usp=drivesdk
Moving Head Demo: youtu.be/jmB1Hhr-z5M?si=ZYk-vNdsxIipizxE
Chegwin Checks It Out Ocean Footage: youtu.be/ceCHpO9xYUk?si=tU2PjiHtKEbsJWuM
Ocean Office Footage: youtu.be/7hjGcDk7fLk?si=sQl4OI6KqxWIkv4d
Commercial Breaks: youtu.be/ChmQBK_EaUQ?si=9eGDFcVSTsYSHGVv
Other Credits
Lights Out Type in Game: @WhatHoSnorkers
Stevenage Computer Shop Footage: @maxustaxus
Vic-20 Image:By Evan-Amos - Own work, Public Domain, commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=38582541
Dragon32 Image: By Liftarn, Editing by: Bill Bertram (Pixel8) - flickr.com/photos/liftarn/2894913418/, CC BY-SA 2.0, commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=15351920
ZX Spectrum Image: Zx spectrum By Bill Bertram - Own work, CC BY-SA 2.5, commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=170050
Jet Set Willy Movie: @videopdstudio
Britannia Hotel Manchester Footage: @WalkWithMeTim
Hyper Rally MSX: @jperformerretrofuture961
Tatung Einstein: @MarkFixesStuff
Tatung Einstein Image: By Marcin Wichary, CC BY 2.0, commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=9677491
MicroDrive Image: Photography by Scott Telford, CC BY 2.5 creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.5, via Wikimedia Commons
Atari ST Image By © Bill Bertram, 2006 - Own work, CC BY-SA 2.5, commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=500910
Gameboy Image By Evan-Amos - Own work, Public Domain, commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=36853230
SNES Image:By Evan-Amos - Own work, Public Domain, commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=17748368
Cpu 8086 By Stelo.xyz, Pttn, or Thomas Nguyen, CC BY-SA 4.0, commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=46809082
Konix logo By hyperspin-fe.com/profile/966-thk/content/?type=forums_topic_post&page=31, Fair use, en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=59606781
All other Images and Video footage courtesy of Mark R. Jones
00:00 Intro
01:34 Get a Job!
14:59 Keep a Job!
28:26 Make a Game!
46:26 And Then...?
Ever wondered what it would have been like working at Ocean Software? Well Mark R. Jones actually did at just 16 years of age! Dropped off by his mum and dad a long way from home, with just his clothes, Crash magazines and of course, his ZX Spectrum, he embarked on a journey that got his name proudly associated with hit Ocean games and worked with some amazing people too.
Join me as I look at what he did in his first year at Ocean Software. The projects he worked on, how he made the graphics and how he sometimes mucked things up! Did he stay on after the first year or was the pull to return back home too strong?
Credits:
The fascinating book behind this video "LOAD DIJ DIJ" is available completely free for you to download and read. This video only touches a small part of the whole story, so please check it out.
Available on:
Google Drive: tinyurl.com/bddrdutk
DropBox: tinyurl.com/33b72r3d
Mark's Channel Links
Ocean Draw Demo: youtu.be/289mF5XO_I0?si=SsHu8BETb4dnprA7
Ocean Draw Download: drive.google.com/file/d/0BzSzDdO15y7FNUExYVlRb2VMeW8/view?usp=drivesdk
Moving Head Demo: youtu.be/jmB1Hhr-z5M?si=ZYk-vNdsxIipizxE
Chegwin Checks It Out Ocean Footage: youtu.be/ceCHpO9xYUk?si=tU2PjiHtKEbsJWuM
Ocean Office Footage: youtu.be/7hjGcDk7fLk?si=sQl4OI6KqxWIkv4d
Commercial Breaks: youtu.be/ChmQBK_EaUQ?si=9eGDFcVSTsYSHGVv
Other Credits
Lights Out Type in Game: @WhatHoSnorkers
Stevenage Computer Shop Footage: @maxustaxus
Vic-20 Image:By Evan-Amos - Own work, Public Domain, commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=38582541
Dragon32 Image: By Liftarn, Editing by: Bill Bertram (Pixel8) - flickr.com/photos/liftarn/2894913418/, CC BY-SA 2.0, commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=15351920
ZX Spectrum Image: Zx spectrum By Bill Bertram - Own work, CC BY-SA 2.5, commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=170050
Jet Set Willy Movie: @videopdstudio
Britannia Hotel Manchester Footage: @WalkWithMeTim
Hyper Rally MSX: @jperformerretrofuture961
Tatung Einstein: @MarkFixesStuff
Tatung Einstein Image: By Marcin Wichary, CC BY 2.0, commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=9677491
MicroDrive Image: Photography by Scott Telford, CC BY 2.5 creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.5, via Wikimedia Commons
Atari ST Image By © Bill Bertram, 2006 - Own work, CC BY-SA 2.5, commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=500910
Gameboy Image By Evan-Amos - Own work, Public Domain, commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=36853230
SNES Image:By Evan-Amos - Own work, Public Domain, commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=17748368
Cpu 8086 By Stelo.xyz, Pttn, or Thomas Nguyen, CC BY-SA 4.0, commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=46809082
Konix logo By hyperspin-fe.com/profile/966-thk/content/?type=forums_topic_post&page=31, Fair use, en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=59606781
All other Images and Video footage courtesy of Mark R. Jones
00:00 Intro
01:34 Get a Job!
14:59 Keep a Job!
28:26 Make a Game!
46:26 And Then...?
