Finding myself in a Paris 8 lecture hall watching demos coded by students is not the most usual way to enjoy a Saturday afternoon, so I might need to explain how I first jumped into the demoscene, over two decades ago.
My first memories of demoparties date back to my years studying CS at Paris V (1993–1995), where I discovered – as a visitor – rows of microcomputers (16/32-bit and PCs) operated by machine code wizards. I remember a coder who had his IDE (probably Seka assembler) to boot from the Amiga’s startup-sequence, allowing him to get back over and over into his code after every crash. My next visit was a few years later, at the Saturne Party. At the time, as a student at the Fine Arts School in Orléans (then IAV, now ESAD) I had brought a short film project made with Lightwave 3D. The Saturne Party ended abruptly for the sceners due to the hall’s underpowered electrical system, and I had to leave early – but I knew this was were I belonged.
What followed were quick incursions to the Volcanic Party (France) and the Wired Party (Belgium), but my first technical participation in a demo dates back to 1998 at the RTS Party in Grenoble. Still an art student, I had noted the date and location of RTS. I checked that my PC fit in my backpack, carried a greyscale cash register monitor in my arms and jumped on a train to Grenoble. Once there, I produced my first hand-exported 3D meshes for a fully software-rendered 3D engine, that was as unaccurate as it was expressive. Its author now teaches computer science in Denmark and in tribute to that early experience, I created the Pouet.net page for that forgotten demo.
Over the years, the demoscene and my job have often overlapped – but let’s fast-forward to May 17th, 2025: Norway’s national day (home of my demogroup Resistance) and more importantly, the date of the API8 demoparty, organized by teachers at the University of Paris 8.
Event poster, illustration © Marie Haumont.
I discovered API8 in 2024, and while wandering the corridors of Paris 8, I spotted a poster about the event. The competition, organized by the “Programming and Fundamental Computer Science” department of the UFR STN in partnership with the LIASD lab, invites students to create productions in four categories: demos (64K or 64MB) and video games (full Godot or “script only” Godot).
Although API8 is not open to professionals, I contacted one of the organizers and we agreed that I could submit a production as a non-competing participant. The demo category imposes some tool constraints – Unity3D and Unreal are not allowed – which encourages students to tackle their projects the hard way, using C++/OpenGL/GLSL.
I began work on my demo on March 16th (says GitHub) and delivered it on May 14th. Since this report isn’t meant to detail my own production, I’ll simply note that I explored a physical paradox, and in two months developed a fairly complete piece – powered by a soundtrack from the talented Riddlemak and my favorite Lua-based framework.
The API8 competition began around 2pm, in the impressive Amphi X lecture hall at Paris 8, with its size and high-end audio/video system. It reminded me of the Eindhoven University auditorium (Netherlands), which hosted the TakeOver parties in the 2000s – the place where French landmark demos like VIP2 or This Is… were released.
I arrived shortly before the competition started and was able to test my production on the projection machine – a powerhouse PC running Ubuntu LTS and equipped with an Nvidia RTX. I grabbed a seat, and to my surprise, Zerkman showed up – he’d crossed Paris to meet me in Amphi X!
Selfie in Amphi X, featuring Zerkman’s adorable face.
I’ve been told amphi X hasn’t always available in past editions of API8, but it’s perfect for one of the most original aspects of the competition: each demo creator presents their work before it’s shown, watches the projection alongside the teacher/MC and then answers any questions from the audience. This kind of format – seen in some game jams like the GGJ – encourages students to speak in public and is a great opportunity to practice show & tell. Zerkman and I used these moments to ask students about their methods – many of which seemed to rely on the GL4Dummies project developed within Paris 8.
Dreversed, Resistance (2025, API8, Linux/Windows).
My production was screened second – a sweet spot in the lineup. It’s always an adrenaline rush to watch your demo on a giant screen with full sound – and to fear it might crash before the end! It was also the first time I got to explain publicly why and how I made my demo – a role usually reserved for Pouet.net comments.
The rest of the 64MB entries gave Zerkman and me a great chance to appreciate the students’ talent and hybrid skillsets. Some showed a well-developed sense of demo aesthetics, mastering sync and visual design. Notably, some teachers also presented their own demos (outside of the official ranking), created in C++ or Js/WebGL.
I also noticed that many demos – beyond their technical merits (size coding or visuals) – gave space to more personal narratives, often enriched by the creators’ explanations. We also observed encouraging gender diversity among the students.
Among the recurring themes, the concept of time stood out (something my demo also addressed, by coincidence!). One student even submitted two versions of their project: a 64MB demo that ran forward, and a 64KB version that ran the same visuals in reverse! This playful use of the competition’s format shows a critical perspective on both the medium and the event. Other productions subtly integrated personal stories – likely supported by Paris 8’s identity as the “University of Creations”. This dynamic was described to me by the co-founder of the startup Biru, who graduated in CS at Paris 8 after starting out in visual arts. That same desire to connect art and technology can be found in the ATI curriculum.
Between demos, intros, games and workshops, the afternoon flew by. In between screenings, I had the chance to speak with students about our experience developing a 3D engine, while a developer-musician gave a live performance using his own audio software – entirely coded under Linux! It was also the perfect occasion to catch up with Zerkman (our last IRL chat dated back to 2020!), to admire the students’ work – and to keep count of how many demos ended in a segfault.
The “video game” category also sparked some interesting discussions, especially about a project called Nigauds Socials, created by a Sorbonne student. It offered a socio-critical take on Twitter (now “X”). The “script only” category asked participants to use only the lowest-level Godot API – frame rendering callback only – with no access to the scenegraph. Out of that constraint came a loads of clever and expressive projects – some even played with old-school game like Donkey Kong or Frogger.
API8 2025 organizing team.
Twenty-six years after my first demoparty – backpacking a PC into an overnight train – I now find myself projecting a demo in a university amphitheater, alongside students who, in turn, experience the strange thrill of seeing their code run in real-time on a giant screen.
I want to thank the API8 team again for allowing me to join this experience. And as the time was short, I’d like to say to the students that the demoscene would be happy to discover their work. You can share your productions on sites like Pouet.net or Demozoo.org, and host them on Scene.org, Framagit or GitHub.
See you next year!