Bulletin board
Farmer was born in New Jersey to Frank and Katherine Farmer, and grew up in Michigan. His interest in computers began as a teenager in 1974, as his Junior High School had access to a teletype. He played an early "Star Trek" game, Mike Mayfield's "STTR1", and learned that he could add modifications to it. He began writing his own games at Henry Ford II High School in 1976, and then "COMUNI", an early Bulletin board system.