I started out on the TI99-4A when I was eleven. My first 'real' program used the TI's graphics functions to draw a sprite of a bull. I made 2 or 3 versions with it's legs moving - and one of it squating (where is the going? . . )

Basically, the bull came in from the right side, made it to the middle, squated, left a large suspicious heap, and continued it's path off the left side of the screen.

Then, a little stick figure man with a hat and broom followed the same path and pushed the heap off of the left side of the screen.

These basic techiniques allowed me to write my first game shortly afterwards : Moneybags!

Two bags on the screen, one bag contains a gold coin, the other a bomb. The user moves a cursor to one of the bags and either gets a point or dies.

wow