If you grew up in the 1980s, you might remember the Sinclair Spectrum personal home computer that changed the programming and gaming industries, especially in the United Kingdom, where the device helped the fields drastically grow.

"The spectrum was massive because it was the first time there was a really relatively powerful consumer computer that you could buy games for. You could buy magazines and type games in from the magazines," Steven Poole, author of the book "Trigger Happy," said in a video interview about the history of HNGN's Throwback Thursday selection that some say rivaled Apple's first Macintosh.

"They never worked, but it was fun for a while," he said of the rubber keyboard. "It encouraged a lot of people to start programming games. You didn't need a large budget. You could do it in your bedroom or yourself every couple of months and some people made a lot of money out of it."

"The Manic Miner" game was one popular game that did well for the device.

Check out Poole's interview in the YouTube video below.