It’s easy to tell that retro machines had some graphical limitations – sometimes, pretty severe ones. But if you’ve ever wondered about exactly how they were limited, it’s not always been easy to tell.

Luckily, a user called The iBookGuy is publishing a video guide that shows exactly how older systems handled their graphics, as well as the tricks that artists used to circumvent the limitations. The initial video here covers techniques used on the C64 and NES, such as colour cells and hardware sprites, but will cover other systems such as the Apple II and ZX81 in due course. It’s an interesting series, so be sure to take a look at the video above!