Explore the first part of a two-part lecture series titled "The Joy of Lattice Gauge Theory" presented by Margarita Garcia Perez from IFT UAM-CSIC as part of the KITP Program "What is Particle Theory? #particles25." This 76-minute lecture is part of the weekly "The Joy of..." series that aims to bridge diverse perspectives in particle theory, combining formal, computational, and phenomenological approaches to address central questions in particle physics. The program seeks to accelerate progress toward long-standing goals while potentially generating entirely new questions for the particle theory community. The lecture provides insights into lattice gauge theory, a computational approach to understanding quantum field theories that underpin particle physics.