In addition to how many distractions there are now - youtube & stream services, and much better games than in the 80s, the barrier to entry is so much higher.
I had a C64 and only the docs that came with it, until I eventually found a couple of books on assembly, one not even for the C64. But even with that scarcity of info I was just desperate to know how it worked and how to make it do things.
But look at how complex a computer is today! Even though there is endless info for free, it's just too difficult to get something fun going.
Early PCs were still understandable, but todays GPUs etc are just a different world, and expectations are sky high when you see the current gen games. Even an 'indy pixel game' is no laughing matter to create.
I had a C64 and only the docs that came with it, until I eventually found a couple of books on assembly, one not even for the C64. But even with that scarcity of info I was just desperate to know how it worked and how to make it do things.
But look at how complex a computer is today! Even though there is endless info for free, it's just too difficult to get something fun going.
Early PCs were still understandable, but todays GPUs etc are just a different world, and expectations are sky high when you see the current gen games. Even an 'indy pixel game' is no laughing matter to create.