In the year when Adam Ant and Flock of Seagulls ruled the airwaves, a revolutionary new computer was making its way into Australian homes in the millions and changing our lives forever.

Released in August 1982, the Commodore 64 (C64) was the first computer many Australians ever used or owned, going on to become the highest selling single computer model of all time.

More than 30 years later, the revolutionary C64 still has a huge global fan club who flock to social media each August on the anniversary of its release.

Almost 17 million Commodores were sold worldwide over its 12-year production period.

But what is it about the humble C64, with its now-paltry 64 kilobytes of RAM and 1MHz processor, that made it so dominant and inspired such nostalgia and passion?

Technology journalist and editor Alex Kidman said it was a revolutionary computer for its time — popular because of its relatively affordable retail price and easy availability through large chain stores.

"At the time even computing in schools was this new radical concept that may or may not take off," he said.

"If you wanted a computer in the home you could go for an IBM compatible — the grandfather of today's Windows machines basically — but those were business computers and they would cost you multiple thousands of dollars.

"Whereas a Commodore 64 could be yours for hundreds of dollars.

"It was a huge difference."

Limitations made us more creative

Mr Kidman said while not marketed purely as a gaming machine, that is what most people used it for.

The Commodore 64's three channel SID sound chip was also part of its mass appeal.

He said users were able to do "incredible things" with the sound chip — highlighting how the limitations of the Commodore 64 actually fostered creativity.

"The sound chip, strictly speaking, could only do three instruments at once but people worked out there was a bit of a bug in the code that [meant] you could actually do four," he said.

"They actually did that because they had to.

"Today of course you could line up music tracking software that can do hundreds of channels — it's a lot easier but it's not necessarily quite as creative.

"If we lose sight of that history, we lose a lot of value in it.

"It's still a platform people produce for until this day because they like this challenge."

Childhood memories spark lifelong passion

Decades later, C64 enthusiast Andrew Crouch can remember the moment his parents purchased the computer in 1985.

"It was a fair stretch for them back in the day, because they weren't cheap," Mr Crouch said.

He was immediately hooked and soon his parents found the lawns were no longer getting mowed.

Alex Kidman said computers were still seen as a "radical" concept at the time of the C64's release. ( ABC South East SA: Selina Green )

"I actually remember missing some chores because I'd be on the computer, so then we'd get banned from the computer for an hour or a day," Mr Crouch said.

"I remember so many wonderful memories — especially some of the favourite games."

These included Paradroid, Boulder Dash and Thing on a Spring.

"I remember playing Wizard of War with Dad, which is basically a very simple shoot 'em up game, and Dad and I would be on the computer all night on Friday nights because it was two-player — which was just mind-blowing and ground-breaking technology," he said.

Mr Crouch was also a huge fan of the SID sound chip and the composers like Rob Hubbard who wrote a lot of the music for the games.

"That music stuck with me right along and even nowadays I'll play a SID tune and it takes me back 30 years," he said.

Worldwide nostalgia unites computer fans

Commodore even had its own fan magazine. ( ABC South East SA: Selina Green )

He is one of thousands of Commodore 64 enthusiasts around the world posting on social media during August for C64 month — sharing videos of gameplay, live performances of game soundtracks and plugging in old consoles.

"There's a lot of enthusiasts out there and [in] 64 fan clubs," Mr Crouch said.

"All around the world for August people will fire up the old Commodore, play the old tunes and it's just a celebration of the Commodore."

Alex Kidman is not surprised there is still so much love for the Commodore 64, even though it is a dinosaur in today's terms.

"The Commodore 64 is essentially an abacus compared to today's computers," he said.

"I think that while computing has obviously moved on in leaps and bounds since then, there's a spirit of creativity to what people did with the Commodore 64.

"All of the computers of that era that fostered a lot of innovation and ideas around what could be done in computing."