Summary
Graphing calculators are an indispensable tool in High School and College math classes. They are handy for visualizing data and calculating complex formulas. The Texas Instrument series is among the most popular. Surprisingly, these devices have also become a gaming platform.
TI calculators have a small but active community, developing versions of popular games for the calculator’s limited hardware. Even when Texas Instruments actively works against it, dedicated programmers find a way to make it appear as though one is doing work on the systems, when in reality they are just having fun. Here are some of the most ingenious ports of games to calculators.
TheSoviet-madeTetrisis a deceptively simple game of stacking blocks and filling rows for points. As more rows of blocks are cleared, the game moves faster, requiring quick reflexes and expert spatial orientation.
ProgrammerKermMartiandeveloped this rendition of the famous game for the TI-84 Plus CE. It boasts “5 unique modes of gameplay for hours of fun.” This is probably one of the most math-focused games that can be played on a calculator, and the accessibility of the gameplay makes it an all-time classic.
Pac-Manwas an icon of the arcade craze of the 80s. There was evena song written about him. The game by Namco features a yellow dot with an insatiable appetite navigating a maze while avoiding predatory ghosts.
Thanks toMateoConLechuga,Pac-Manhas been faithfully ported to the TI-84 Plus CE calculator. The bright, simple sprites translate well to the device’s limited visual display. It does not have audio, though, so Pac-Man’s signature chomping noise is absent. Even still, one would be hard-pressed to tell the difference between this and the original arcade version at first glance.
Minecrafthas taken over the world. It is on pretty much every system imaginable, and the game itself is dynamic in design.Minecraft’smascots, Steve and Alex, can go on epic adventures throughout the procedurally generatedMinecraftrealm, or just have infinite access to all the game’s available blocks and create whatever they can imagine.
It was probably inevitable that programmers would attempt to port it to calculators.YouTuber The Science Elfbreaks down how he made an isometric version ofMinecraftthat is pretty much a stripped-down creative mode. It allows for multiple worlds to be created, and diverse blocks are available to build simple structures. He uses some clever programming tricks to render the blocky worlds on limited hardware. Now if onlyMinecraftwould getported to the Zeebo.
Among Usbecamethe unofficial game of 2020, at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. The social deduction of astronauts completing tasks and avoiding a secret killer on the team made for a great way to pass the time during lockdown and put Inner Sloth on the map as a developer.
YouTube channel Everyday Codedeveloped a version of the game for the TI-84 Plus CE using the C coding language. Unfortunately, it is only single-player, and the only character option is impostor, but the artwork is easily recognizable asAmong Us.
At this point, Nintendo’s legendaryMariois the Mickey Mouse of video games. Everyone recognizes him, even people who do not play video games. While Nintendo has branched its properties out to mobile platforms,Marioon a graphing calculator was not what they had in mind.
And yet,here is Oiram, created by MateoConLechuga. Visually speaking, it does a great job of replicating the look ofthe masterpiece that is Super Mario Bros. 3. A level editor is also available to create custom challenges, kind of like a miniMario Maker.
Doomis the master of being ported to everything. It has run onpregnancy tests, printers, and even a John Deere tractor. Thanks to the resourcefulness of Alexis Guinamard, Guillaume Hoffmann, and Raphaël Siryani, it runs on a calculator, too.
Titled zDoomis a rudimentary build of the game. Gameplay takes place on a flat plane, and it slows down when displaying enemy sprite animations. Still, it’sDoomon the calculator. It does an okay job of replicating the run-and-gun gameplay of the original version.
Nintendo’sSuper Smash Bros.pitsclassic video game mascotsagainst each other in arena-based combat, where fighters must knock their opponents off the stage. Each entry in the franchise is a museum of video game history, featuring stages, power-ups, and characters from some of its most well-known and obscure properties.
While technically imperfect,what programmer Hayleiahas created for the monochromatic TI-83 Plus and TI-84 Plus is nothing short of a miracle. The playable fighters featured here are well-animated, and the camera zooms in and out smoothly to keep up with the action. Best of all, it has multiplayer, either on one calculator or with two calculators linked.
The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrimhas had much more longevity than Bethesda probably ever thought it could. The land of Skyrim has offered near-infinite adventures to aspiring Dragonborn, and many a dragon to slay as well. The multiple bugs that have been discovered have also added to the adventure’s charm.
Skyrimhas seen a few interesting ports, including to Amazon’s Alexa, butYouTuber Evan Heaton’sversion for the TI-84 is the focus here. It has a simple user interface where the Dragonborn can visit one of several regions in Skyrim, collect dragon souls, and fight creatures in the wild. The presentation is well-designed for the system, including a simple overworld map, illustrations of foes, andwriting that fitsthe world of Skyrim.
