1984–1990: From digital underground magicians to magical game developers. The computer youth of the 1980s was on its own when it built up a digital identity. This is the captivating story of a European swarm intelligence that fought against a truly limited 16-bit machine, creating extraordinary digital art. 

• Hardback Edition, Offset printing, Sewn binding
• 230 × 170 mm Landscape format (12" Atari screen size)
• 400 pages Atari- and Demoscene history
• 135g/m² matt coated paper
• Extra fine raster print with vivid colours
• Multi-page specials with 500 screens, more than 40 demos exposed
• 420 historical plates of adverts, photographs of developers, etc...
• Double sided illustrations and compositings
• 30 Features / Flashbacks with sidekicks and behind-the-scene facts
• Tools of the makers and the programming story
• Popculture integrated: influencial music, movies and inspiring artists 
• Thalion classics with international press analysis
• 40-pages Interview appendix with the makers
• Sync scrolling & Fullscreen special by guest author Troed Sångberg
• Explanations on techniques like Bit-blit, Antialiasing, Dithering, etc....  

With a foreword by Prof. Dr. Gundolf S. Freyermuth, co-founder of the Cologne Game Lab. In BREAKIN' THE BORDERS, the author of numerous publications on our digital age talks about the roots of “demoscenes”.      

A narrated journey through the Atari ST demoscene – an important subcultural phenomenon in the era of home computers. For the first time, the fast movement designs are recorded on paper. A book in the format of a 12" Atari screen with film-like sequential tableaus presenting over 500 demo screens. How do you combat limits and system requirements? How about making something possible that a machine really doesn’t allow? What challenges did these 16-bit computer freaks face? What did they learn? What are they doing today?

Memories of Makers from The Exceptions (TEX), The Carebears (TCB), The Lost Boys (TLB), Overlanders (OVR), Gigabyte Crew, TNT-Crew, Level 16, The Respectables, ST NEWS, Delta Force, Omega, 2-Life Crew, Nordic Coders, SYNC, AAC, Flexible Front, Phalanx, Vector, Total Vision Inc., and many more ...

With Erik Simon (ES), Jochen Hippel (Mad Max), Michael Bittner (Hexogen), Richard Karsmakers (Cronos), Michael Raasch (Daryl), Timothy Moss (Manikin), David Moss (Spaz), Michael Schüßler (Sammy Joe), Stefan Posthuma (Digital Insanity), Stefan Kimmlingen (Tyrem), Niklas Malmqvist (Tanis), Anders Cedronius (AN Cool), Marc Rosocha (Thalion), Michael Grohe (Thalion), Monika Krawinkel (Thalion), Holger Flöttmann (Thalion), Celal Kandemiroglu (Thalion), Mike Mee (Mug UK), David Mistouflet (Dim) and Patrick Bricout (Mr. Bee) ...

Demo classics: B.I.G. Demo, Cuddly Demos, Delirious Demo 2, European Demos, Life’s A Bitch, Mindbomb Demo, Overscan Demos, SoWatt Demo, Syntax Terror Demo, Union Demo, and many more ... 

Thalion/Eclipse games: Chambers of Shaolin, Dragonflight, Leavin’ Teramis, Seven Gates of Jambala, Warp, Wings of Death, To be on Top, Ninja Remix.

BREAKIN’ THE BORDERS goes back to the time when Atari ST and Amiga were still revolutionary mouse control devices and DTP and interactive design still meant the future. The book unveils the founding of Atari Corporation, touches on the marketing of Atari Computers and explores the origins of the Atari ST demoscene, whose creative people were on a rollercoaster ride into the thriving digital entertainment industry.