# BASIC Computer Games by David Ahl

9 Hacker News commenters recommended BASIC Computer Games by David Ahl and 0 criticized it, November 2025 to November 2026. It was recommended in 5 of 13 months; owners who said how long report a median of 50 years (3 owners).

**Verdict:** People recommend it as a hands-on way to learn programming by typing in and modifying classic BASIC games.

## Why people recommend it

- Reusable source for test cases (3 comments): "One thing you could use for more test cases is the book 101 BASIC Computers Games by David Ahl." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49413009)) "the games example -Basic Computer Games- made into a repo at GitHub" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45864490)) "clone the Basic Computer Games from" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47789684))
- Learning by typing and modifying games (2 comments): "I borrowed "BASIC Computer Games" (1978) by David Ahl from the library and typed in several programs" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47822268)) "I learned a lot from typing and trying to modify the BASIC games in it." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48619889))
- Foundational for learning programming (2 comments): "The David Ahl books were foundational for me" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46452584)) "It set me on a path to programming." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45847518))

## Alternatives hackers recommend

- [Crafting Interpreters by Robert Nystrom](https://hackerapproved.com/p/crafting-interpreters.md): 60 recommend
- [Clean Code by Robert C. Martin](https://hackerapproved.com/p/clean-code.md): 31 recommend
- [The Pragmatic Programmer by Hunt and Thomas](https://hackerapproved.com/p/pragmatic-programmer.md): 28 recommend
- [How to Design Programs by Felleisen, Findler, Flatt and Krishnamurthi](https://hackerapproved.com/p/how-to-design-programs.md): 18 recommend
- [Mastering Emacs by Mickey Petersen](https://hackerapproved.com/p/mastering-emacs.md): 17 recommend

## Where to get it

- [See price on Amazon](https://www.amazon.com/dp/0916688402?tag=hackerapprove-20) (affiliate link)
- [Bookshop.org](https://bookshop.org/a/130825/9780916688400) (affiliate link)

## Cite as

Hacker Approved, "BASIC Computer Games by David Ahl", https://hackerapproved.com/p/basic-computer-games/ (counts from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026).