TheGameCreators Forum Closing - The End of an Era

For nearly 25 years, The Game Creators (TGC) forums have been a cornerstone of indie game development, housing an incredible archive of knowledge, creativity, and shared passion. Spanning classic tools like Dark BASIC, Dark BASIC Pro, FPS Creator, and The 3D Game Maker through to App Game Kit, these forums were more than just a support hub—they were a thriving community where developers learned, collaborated, and pushed the boundaries of what was possible.

Now, that era is coming to an end. TGC has announced that their forums will no longer be active, encouraging users to transition to Discord instead. While an archive may be preserved, access has already been difficult for years, with slow load times and frequent timeouts discouraging participation. Many longtime members, including Richard Davey—the original developer of the forum software—have struggled to even post a final farewell.

The forums weren't just about technical support; they were a place where ideas evolved, projects grew, and programmers of all skill levels found inspiration. Countless threads documented experimental game mechanics, problem-solving discussions, and groundbreaking techniques—knowledge that is now at risk of being buried forever.

With the closure looming, we're left reminiscing about the golden days of the forum: the excitement of seeing new projects emerge, the cycle of experimentation and improvement, and the camaraderie of a passionate coding community. While modern development has moved toward different platforms, something unique is being lost—a shared history of game development that spanned generations.

As we say goodbye to this chapter, we can only hope the archives remain accessible so that future developers can look back and learn from the past.

TheGameCreators - Forum Banner Animation

A Nostalgic Tribute to The Game Creators Forums

For longtime members of The Game Creators forums, this video is a trip down memory lane. As TGC prepares to retire the forums, we take a moment to celebrate the creativity of the community with a showcase of user-made forum banners—each one a piece of history from an era of game development discussion, shared knowledge, and camaraderie.

This animation was generated using PlayBASIC, bringing the banners to life as they zoom and fade in with a gentle wave effect, alongside a scrolling background. It’s a simple yet fitting tribute to the community that made TGC forums such a special place.

Let us know in the comments—what are your favorite memories from the TGC forums?

TheGameCreators - Building Local Forum Search - TGC Forum Archive

Preserving DarkBASIC & AppGameKit Forum Archives

With the shutdown of the DarkBASIC, FPS Creator, and AppGameKit forums, preserving decades of game development knowledge has become a priority. This project builds a local web-based archive using PHP and a local server (e.g., Laragon) to store captured forum threads and discussions.

How It Works