Uploaded February 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Summer 1982 was a turning point for British video gaming.
In this sequel to Blocky Wars, we dive back into the pages of Your Computer magazine and explore what gaming looked like the very month the ZX Spectrum arrived. Just six months earlier the UK scene was full of blocky Space Invaders clones and tiny black-and-white ads — but by summer everything was starting to escalate.
In this episode we:
• Explore early ZX81 and ZX Spectrum games
• Compare blocky monochrome graphics with colourful new releases
• Look at the hardware and devices featured in the magazine
• Play through titles from the era
• Revisit the moment the UK gaming boom began
Was this the summer that changed gaming forever?
If you love the ZX Spectrum, ZX81, Dragon 32, BBC Micro and the explosive early 1980s UK computer scene, this one’s for you.
This is Part 2 of the Blocky Wars series.
Summer 1982 was a turning point for British video gaming.
In this sequel to Blocky Wars, we dive back into the pages of Your Computer magazine and explore what gaming looked like the very month the ZX Spectrum arrived. Just six months earlier the UK scene was full of blocky Space Invaders clones and tiny black-and-white ads — but by summer everything was starting to escalate.
In this episode we:
• Explore early ZX81 and ZX Spectrum games
• Compare blocky monochrome graphics with colourful new releases
• Look at the hardware and devices featured in the magazine
• Play through titles from the era
• Revisit the moment the UK gaming boom began
Was this the summer that changed gaming forever?
If you love the ZX Spectrum, ZX81, Dragon 32, BBC Micro and the explosive early 1980s UK computer scene, this one’s for you.
This is Part 2 of the Blocky Wars series.
