US culture is way more inclined towards business than European culture. American tech-enthusiasts were thinking about how to make money. Some European enthusiasts were, too, but not at all as singled-mindedly as US ones, no wonder the US owns the tech industry today. Games were a big driver for everyone on both sides, so both sides got a significant piece of the pie there (Asia was way too far back then, and arguably ahead of either).

I started learning to program in 1985, was part of a somewhat relevant demo group, attended The Assembly '94 in Helsinki, helped organize some enocounters in my country, etc...