Why PC gaming is important

I am a long standing PC Gamer. I have played PC games since the days of Doom and Duke Nukem. I own a PS3 and an Xbox 360 but I don't play them half as much as I play PC games. I don't know how many times on forums I have seen "No one cares about PC gamers, shut up!" and it honestly just kind of drives me nuts. Now, before I start, I am not trying to incite a fanboy war here. I am simply explaining why PC gaming is important to me, and why I think it should be important to all gamers in an age where most people are trying to say that PC gaming is dead.

PC gaming has traditionally led the way for all of gaming. Most of the great innovations we see in gaming were spurred by PC games and concepts. The reason that it has led the way is because PC gaming has endless possibilities. Let me first define what I see as "PC gaming". PC gaming to me is not just the companies that make games, but also, and maybe more importantly, the community of PC gamers. The first games were made on the PC and, in my opinion; the greatest games ever made are on the PC. Games like Half-life, Starcraft, and Battlefield 1942. All of which revolutionized gaming when they were released. Half-life set the standard for the First Person Shooter genre, and Starcraft did the same for Real Time Strategy. Battlefield 1942 brought us a seamless integration of vehicle and infantry combat. We are within days of one of the most anticipated games of all time, Modern Warfare 2. Where did Modern Warfare 2 begin? On the PC with the original Call of Duty, and became popular because of the PC gaming community's support for the game.

The PC inherently has more potential than any console because of its ever developing hardware. The PC has the sheer power to spur innovation. PC gamers have taken this hardware advantage and made it their own. The ability to mod on the PC is what sets it apart from consoles, and is why PC gaming is so very important to the gaming world. Modding is the gamer's way of showing the industry that the customer is always right. We have seen countless examples, where a mod becomes popular, the companies realize it's potential, and make it into a game. The shining example of this? Counter-strike, one of the most celebrated PC titles in history. The original Counter-strike was released in 1999 as a mod and became wildly popular. Today in 2009 you can start up the original Counter-strike and find thousands of people still playing, not to mention its sequel, Counter-strike: Source. Gamers have the ability to shape the industry and show the companies what to do next.

Consoles have yet to catch up to what the PC is currently accomplishing. Look at World of Warcraft, arguably the most successful game of all time. The MMO is one of the greatest innovations in gaming in recent history and it could not have happened without the PC. Consoles are just now starting to develop MMOs. Let's not even start on the engines used to run games. Most console games use engines that were built for PC games, again a shining example, the Unreal engine. Consoles thrive on PC technology, graphics and otherwise. Even the business models that games now use are based on the PC game business model. For example the DLC model. PC games have been patching their games and providing additional content and support for years, console developers have just now caught on.

Without the PC, gaming would not be what it is today. All I am asking is that before you say "PC gaming is dead" next time, please consider all that the PC has done for gaming.

I cant stand most of the console games that i have played recently. Halo3, MGS4, RE5, are examples of what console gaming is to me. They all feel like cut down versions of the games i am getting on PC.Iantheone

[QUOTE="Iantheone"]I cant stand most of the console games that i have played recently. Halo3, MGS4, RE5, are examples of what console gaming is to me. They all feel like cut down versions of the games i am getting on PC.BenTheJamin

I really don't understand the last sentance of this. You say that PC gaming can't be dead because of all it's done for the industry, but I've seen many things die after they've made an impact on something.

Also, don't you think that this is more blog worthy? I mean, there's no question or discussion being raised here.

I cant stand most of the console games that i have played recently. Halo3, MGS4, RE5, are examples of what console gaming is to me. They all feel like cut down versions of the games i am getting on PC.Iantheone

[QUOTE="Iantheone"]I cant stand most of the console games that i have played recently. Halo3, MGS4, RE5, are examples of what console gaming is to me. They all feel like cut down versions of the games i am getting on PC.Chogyam

[QUOTE="Chogyam"][QUOTE="Iantheone"]I cant stand most of the console games that i have played recently. Halo3, MGS4, RE5, are examples of what console gaming is to me. They all feel like cut down versions of the games i am getting on PC.Iantheone

I laughed a little, thinking i had totally overlooked a better than MGS4 (i really love that game, but i think the whole MGS world is awsome) game on PC :)

Yeah, pc used to be great, used to have games like doom or half life or deus ex and many rpgs, etc ,etc. But the thing is that pc gaming is no longer important to anyone. Almost all games nowadays are 90% console focused. The pc gets bad to terrible ports. Game developers no longer care about the pc anymore.dakan45

Hence the 'PC is important thread!'.

Honestly, like, say, arcades, PC gaming is only a shadow of its former self, but it still matters. Its a completely open platform so its nice for small indies, and big budget games like MMORPGs and The Sims games do very well on PCs but are only niche on consoles.

It reallyhurts PC gaming that the dominat maker of operating systems has zero interest in promoting the PC as a gaming platform.

[QUOTE="dakan45"]Yeah, pc used to be great, used to have games like doom or half life or deus ex and many rpgs, etc ,etc. But the thing is that pc gaming is no longer important to anyone. Almost all games nowadays are 90% console focused. The pc gets bad to terrible ports. Game developers no longer care about the pc anymore.CarnageHeart

Hence the 'PC is important thread!'.

Honestly, like, say, arcades, PC gaming is only a shadow of its former self, but it still matters. Its a completely open platform so its nice for small indies, and big budget games like MMORPGs and The Sims games do very well on PCs but are only niche on consoles.

It reallyhurts PC gaming that the dominat maker of operating systems has zero interest in promoting the PC as a gaming platform.

[QUOTE="Iantheone"][QUOTE="Chogyam"] What Cut down PC version is MGS4 might i ask? I'll totally agree with Halo and RE5 thoughChogyam

I laughed a little, thinking i had totally overlooked a better than MGS4 (i really love that game, but i think the whole MGS world is awsome) game on PC :)

Honestly, like, say, arcades, PC gaming is only a shadow of its former self, but it still matters.CarnageHeart

It's annoying to have to explain to my friends why PC gaming is so awesome. Every time it's brought up, they always have this type of notion that only 3 people play games on computer as opposed to the many that play on consoles. Don't get me wrong, I love my xbox, but nothing will ever beat the feel of a keyboard and mouse while playing games that look far better and perform better.

Of course PC gaming is important, and mods are definitely important in bringing fresh ideas and concepts to the gaming table. CTF was originally a mod. Team Fortress was a mod. Counter-Strike was a mod. Portal was a mod. There are many other examples, and these mod ideas eventually seep through until they either become full-blown games, or parts of them are utilised in multiplayer game modes. Many map designers also started by making custom maps for popular games, and were later hired by development studios. That would not have been possible without access to the tools (and the game engines) provided on the PC platform.

I think it was more clearly stated by Gordon Van Dyke of DICE on the BashandSlash podcast today - no matter what they as developers come up with in their games, modders can always come up with something else that surprises them.

This is probably because a modder has no real constraints of time or budgets...they simply let their imaginations run riot and then try to do it. Without that kind of creative melting pot to draw upon, some commercial titles might not be as enjoyable as they are.

By a similar token, the PC is also more suitable for Indie titles, because you can get a small group of people in a bedroom coming up with interesting concepts, and not having to pay license fees to distribute their work. Although, granted, many do now choose to use distribution channels such as Xbox LIVE to get their work noticed. But still, there is a considerable number of flash-based games and freeware games that can be downloaded. A game is a game is a game - it doesn't have to be a big-budget AAA title, as long as it offers enjoyment to those who play it.

Many things are explored and tested in the PC arena, and eventually refined and condensed before being implemented into games that become available on consoles.

[QUOTE="CarnageHeart"]Honestly, like, say, arcades, PC gaming is only a shadow of its former self, but it still matters.UpInFlames

The fact porting from the most popular console this gen (for the purposes of third parties) to PC has made for more PC ports, but it doesn't say anything about the health of PC gaming.

As for your claim that 'sales are higher than ever', let's take a look at the bestselling PC games of September 2009. PC is the go-to platform for MMORPGs, the Sims (which I love) and real time strategies, but not much else...

Your point about the importance of mods is a good one though. Like I said (in the context of game development, not mods, the openness of PC means that it will never be completely irrelevant even though the X360 has eaten most of PC's lunch (which is good and bad for the PC, since if the harder to port to PC Wii or PS3 were the dominant consoles, PC support from publishers would be only a small fraction of what it is now).

http://www.edge-online.com/news/npd-september%E2%80%99s-top-20-pc-games

Top 20 (last month's position)

01. ( ) Aion - NCsoft
02. (01) The Sims 3- Electronic Arts
03. ( ) Champions Online - Atari
04. (02) World Of Warcraft: Wrath Of The Lich King - Blizzard
05. ( ) Aion Collector's Edition - NCsoft
06. (04) Mumbo Jumbo Assortment - Mumbo Jumbo
07. (03) The Sims 2 Double Deluxe - Electronic Arts
08. (06) World Of Warcraft: Battle Chest - Blizzard
09. ( ) Reel Deal Slots Treasures Of The Far East - Phantom EFX
10. (08) World Of Warcraft - Blizzard
11. (09) Spore - Electronic Arts
12. ( ) Grand Theft Auto IV - Take-Two
13. (11) Starcraft: Battle Chest - Blizzard
14. ( ) Zuma's Revenge - PopCap
15. (13) World Of Warcraft: Burning Crusade - Blizzard
16. ( ) Batman: Arkham Asylum - Square Enix
17. (19) Reel Deal Slots Adventure - Phantom EFX
18. (10) Nancy Drew: Ransom Of The Seven Ships - Her Interactive
19. (17) Civilization IV: Complete Edition - Take-Two
20. ( ) The Sims 2 University Life Collection - Electronic Arts

NPD doesn't count digital distribution, though, right? I bet tons of games are sold through stores like those of Steam, Direct2Download, etc.

The fact porting from the most popular console this gen (for the purposes of third parties) to PC has made for more PC ports, but it doesn't say anything about the health of PC gaming. As for your claim that 'sales are higher than ever', let's take a look at the bestselling PC games of September 2009. PC is the go-to platform for MMORPGs, the Sims (which I love) and real time strategies, but not much else...CarnageHeart

I doubt that Capcom is porting games to PC just for the hell of it. There's obviously money in it, otherwise why bother?

Obviously, MMORPG's are huge on PC. So are The Sims. The biggest PC releases of the past couple of months were The Sims 3 and Aion so it's hardly surprising that they're dominating the charts. However, NPD is beyond irrelevant when talking about PC gaming. The latest estimates conclude that over 50% of all PC sales come from digital distribution. Also, America is the smallest PC market. NPD is America-only and retail-only. If we were to go by NPD's numbers, Crysis would have sold 80,000 copies instead of 1.5 million.

If you want indications of PC gaming's health, you need to look at Steam, Direct2Drive, Impulse, Gamersgate, GOG, etc. Definitely not NPD.

Current Steam top-sellers:

1. Dragon Age: Origins
2. Dragon Age: Origins Digital Deluxe Edition
3. Left 4 Dead 2
4. Mass Effect
5. Borderlands
6. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
7. Torchlight
8. Football Manager 2010
9. Shattered Horizon
10. Aion

Yeah, pc used to be great, used to have games like doom or half life or deus ex and many rpgs, etc ,etc. But the thing is that pc gaming is no longer important to anyone. dakan45

I'm all for PC gaming, but alot of PC Gamers I have met have been insanely elitist. I think when you go around insulting peoples intelligence for prefering a console to a PC....you need to check yo' self!

PC gaming isnt dead. Nothing truly dies, I mean, people still listen to Disco and Punk rock.

But its DEFF. not as prominent as it was in the 90's. I've been gaming since the Atari 2600. With consoles now so advanced that their almost as tech savvy as a PC, no one feels the need to drop the cash to upgrade their rig every time a new game comes out.

With a console, you know your purchase will be able to play every game optimally. You dont have to screw with settings to see if the game will run faster or the graphics look sharper.

An age old saying: When you game on a PC, your money is spent on your system. When you game on a console, your money is spent on games.

An age old saying: When you game on a PC, your money is spent on your system. When you game on a console, your money is spent on games.grim0187

I think the other advantage of the PC is the way you can extend the longevity of the games (particularly if you are a collector). I still have games in my collection that are 20 years old, and I can still play them on modern PCs. One of the disadvantages of consoles is the relatively short lifespan of the hardware.

Unless you can manage to keep a console in good working order, or the next console in a series offers backwards compatibility, or you cheat and use emulators on PC, you may find that you cannot play your older console titles. I've noticed a few gamers 'reminiscing' about games they used to play, which they seem to have put aside for these reasons. I think that is unfortunate.

I know that graphical fidelity is often a compelling argument to drop some older titles, but for me a good game remains a good game regardless of its dated graphical quality. I was glad to see some remakes of older PC games over the last year, to be offered on consoles as well as PC, such as Prince Of Persia and Secret Of Monkey Island Special Edition. Personally I would like to see more of these older franchises revitalised and offered across all platforms.

Yeah, pc used to be great, used to have games like doom or half life or deus ex and many rpgs, etc ,etc. But the thing is that pc gaming is no longer important to anyone. Almost all games nowadays are 90% console focused. The pc gets bad to terrible ports. Game developers no longer care about the pc anymore.dakan45

I'm afraid that we will forget the PC because there are more games for the console.

I'm afraid that we will forget the PC because there are more games for the console.

gamer_96

I'm afraid that we will forget the PC because there are more games for the console.

gamer_96

To be completely honest, the only advantage the console has over the PC is the ability to just pick up and play. With the PC, you have to meet requirements, most or if not all of them being unique for each game. Then there's the whole constant upgrading of your PC and the main attractions being stuff like (correct me if I'm wrong) MMOs and RTS's. Which a lot of people dislike. And if you want the optimum gaming experience you'd most likely have to build the thing yourself.

I think one of the biggest strengths, as well as liabilities, of the PC as a gaming platform is how open and hands-on it is compared to consoles. You can really dig into games and exercise a lot of control over your gaming experience. You get to customize your hardware and software setup (but also have to deal the potential for compatibility problems). You get to use a mouse and keyboard--the most tactile and precise gaming interface for many genres--while also having the option of hooking up any number of different gaming controllers, wheels, joysticks, etc., including the 360 controller, if you so desire (but it's up to you to make the more unusual stuff work). You can download mods and all sorts of other tweaks and user-made maps and other content for most games, allowing for great longevity from games with a strong community, and allowing players to make whole new games out of old ones. The PC allows players to get their hands dirty digging into the guts of their games and playing in ways beyond any single intended way of the developers.

The PC is the most free platform, for better and for worse. :)

[QUOTE="dakan45"]Yeah, pc used to be great, used to have games like doom or half life or deus ex and many rpgs, etc ,etc. But the thing is that pc gaming is no longer important to anyone. Gammit10

[QUOTE="dakan45"]Yeah, pc used to be great, used to have games like doom or half life or deus ex and many rpgs, etc ,etc. But the thing is that pc gaming is no longer important to anyone. Almost all games nowadays are 90% console focused. The pc gets bad to terrible ports. Game developers no longer care about the pc anymore.Adrianstalker

Aww, an american boy with limited perception...How nice...

Take a step away, look at the world and you see that "pc gaming is no longer important to anyone" is about one of the dumbest sentences ever said about gaming in general. In fact, if I was to use my perception from my reality I could say consoles are dead, since here 90% of all gamers are PC gamers and not the other way around. Same thing in Russia, China and Europe.

i prefer console gaming always have. Gaming should involve just popping the disc in and playing. With consoles you don't have to tweak your settings, upgrade your hardware, worry about viruses, have some vital software missing.X-ColdRush-X

But I have met an awful lot of elitist PC gamers that act like the console is just a cheap childrens toy compared to their "home built rig". X-ColdRush-X

[QUOTE="grim0187"]An age old saying: When you game on a PC, your money is spent on your system. When you game on a console, your money is spent on games.UpInFlames

200 bucks for a one-time buy for your console.

While a PC requires CONSTANT upgrading to play games. Every new game that comes out, you need space or a new graphics card or a sound card or this or that or blah blah blah, on and on.

You could get a PC for just as much as a console, but in order to actually play Crisis or Fallout 3 or anything that has to run fast and good, you need to upgrade. True, a basic PC could run those games, but it would be choppy and slow. With a console, you dont have to worry about that. EVERY game will run perfectly.

I think the other advantage of the PC is the way you can extend the longevity of the games (particularly if you are a collector). I still have games in my collection that are 20 years old, and I can still play them on modern PCs. One of the disadvantages of consoles is the relatively short lifespan of the hardware.

Unless you can manage to keep a console in good working order, or the next console in a series offers backwards compatibility, or you cheat and use emulators on PC, you may find that you cannot play your older console titles. I've noticed a few gamers 'reminiscing' about games they used to play, which they seem to have put aside for these reasons. I think that is unfortunate.

I know that graphical fidelity is often a compelling argument to drop some older titles, but for me a good game remains a good game regardless of its dated graphical quality. I was glad to see some remakes of older PC games over the last year, to be offered on consoles as well as PC, such as Prince Of Persia and Secret Of Monkey Island Special Edition. Personally I would like to see more of these older franchises revitalised and offered across all platforms.

RobertBowen

I know alot of people that still have their N64 or SNES or even their NES and it works just fine. You can find games easily on ebay or craigslist.

Alot of gamers move on as the tech moves on, and they reminice about the days when Final Fantasy VII was the coolest thing to hit the market. Its all childhood, but console gaming is taking HUGE leaps and bounds, while PC gaming is pretty much staying the same.

[QUOTE="dakan45"]Yeah, pc used to be great, used to have games like doom or half life or deus ex and many rpgs, etc ,etc. But the thing is that pc gaming is no longer important to anyone. Almost all games nowadays are 90% console focused. The pc gets bad to terrible ports. Game developers no longer care about the pc anymore.BenTheJamin

Left 4 Dead and Dragon Age Origins were made for PC and Console at the same time. There was no port. Just different versions.

[QUOTE="X-ColdRush-X"]i prefer console gaming always have. Gaming should involve just popping the disc in and playing. With consoles you don't have to tweak your settings, upgrade your hardware, worry about viruses, have some vital software missing.clicketyclick

But I have met an awful lot of elitist PC gamers that act like the console is just a cheap childrens toy compared to their "home built rig". X-ColdRush-X

Hardware failures you say? I know the 360 has caused a lot of people grief but not for me. I've had my elite for almost a year now and haven't had a single problem with it.

Buyine a new console every few years? That's simply not true and you know it. The 360 and PS3 have been out for around 3 years (orrect me if I'm wrong) and if your console is working fine you don't need to buy a new console. Sony released the PS3 slim but the only benfit I can see with that is it's smaller.

Also I didn't say there wasn't immature and annoying people who use consoles. I said there are a lot of people with elitist attitudes playing PC. I have played online on my 360 a lot and know there to be a huge number of absolute idiots online. But that's not what I said.

PC gaming has traditionally led the way for all of gaming. Most of the great innovations we see in gaming were spurred by PC games and concepts.

BenTheJamin

Nope, that's historically incorrect. I'd actually assert that PC and console innovations are about even but to claim "most" came to fruition on the PC is revisionist history. Several genres and innovations were born and continue to thrive on the console. I respect PC gaming as a very important part of the gaming construct and its place in history is incredibly important and cannot be refuted but when you start manufacturing fallacies to prove your own point, you lose me.

But you are right in asserting that PC gaming isn't dead nor should anybody make the claim to the contrary.

Left 4 Dead and Dragon Age Origins were made for PC and Console at the same time. There was no port. Just different versions.grim0187

I cant stand most of the console games that i have played recently. Halo3, MGS4, RE5, are examples of what console gaming is to me. They all feel like cut down versions of the games i am getting on PC.Iantheone

That's a narrow and incredibly selective list of games to assert represent console gaming, even as it pertains to you personally. RE5 is a stale sequel and Halo is...well...Halo, love it or hate it. If you want to look at the best on consoles, why not consider games like Uncharted 2, Little Big Planet, Foza 2, Ninja Gaiden, etc. ?

There are plenty of outstanding games on consoles that cannot be played (legally) on the PC and vice versa. Once we respect that reality we can begin to have a real, unbiased discussion on the viablity of the medium.

I just kind of got tired of PC gaming in the mid 2000s. Still like playing some PC games though. However I find myself playing mostly on consoles.

While a PC requires CONSTANT upgrading to play games. Every new game that comes out, you need space or a new graphics card or a sound card or this or that or blah blah blah, on and on.

grim0187

Your comment about constant upgrading is false. The last PC I had lasted me 4 years (it was a mid-range model), and the only upgrades I made to it were the graphics card and adding some extra RAM. I had to replace a DVD drive that died as well. It played most of the modern games just fine. So this idea that you 'must' upgrade for each new game is a myth. So to is the claim that you must spend $2000 to get a decent gaming PC. Spend half that and you have a rig that will last you a good few years, with a couple of upgrades later on.

You could get a PC for just as much as a console, but in order to actually play Crisis or Fallout 3 or anything that has to run fast and good, you need to upgrade. True, a basic PC could run those games, but it would be choppy and slow. With a console, you dont have to worry about that. EVERY game will run perfectly.

grim0187

Again, saying that all console titles run 'perfectly' on their respecitve platforms is false. I played Fallout 3 on the X360 recently, and there were obvious frame rate drops when the action became intense on screen, and I experienced an issue with ground textures sometimes lagging before updating properly. There are similar issues with other console titles, and that is why patches are released to 'update' such games. So no, EVERY game will not run 'perfectly'.

Its all childhood, but console gaming is taking HUGE leaps and bounds, while PC gaming is pretty much staying the same.

grim0187

I think you mean 'nostalgia' rather than childhood, because not everyone played those older titles as a kid. For example, I didn't get into PC gaming until I was aged 16 and attending college in the mid 1980s, and prior to that I'd only played on arcade machines. Never owned a console until a few years ago.

But yes, consoles are progressing in 'leaps and bounds', but what you have failed to mention is that some of this progression is simply bringing them up to the same standards as the PC platform, such as multiplayer gaming, and the RTS and MMO genres. These have been around for 15+ years on the PC platform, but are relatively recent additions to the console gaming space. That is why the PC seems to be at a 'standstill' by comparison, because in many ways it has already 'peaked' in terms of the genres and technical features it supports.

That is not to say there are no further innovations around the corner, because there are, and that is true of all platforms, imo.

[QUOTE="Gammit10"][QUOTE="dakan45"]Yeah, pc used to be great, used to have games like doom or half life or deus ex and many rpgs, etc ,etc. But the thing is that pc gaming is no longer important to anyone. dakan45

[QUOTE="BenTheJamin"]

PC gaming has traditionally led the way for all of gaming. Most of the great innovations we see in gaming were spurred by PC games and concepts.

Grammaton-Cleric

Nope, that's historically incorrect. I'd actually assert that PC and console innovations are about even but to claim "most" came to fruition on the PC is revisionist history. Several genres and innovations were born and continue to thrive on the console. I respect PC gaming as a very important part of the gaming construct and its place in history is incredibly important and cannot be refuted but when you start manufacturing fallacies to prove your own point, you lose me.

But you are right in asserting that PC gaming isn't dead nor should anybody make the claim to the contrary.

I'm not "manufacturing fallacies" to prove my point. I am simply, as I said in my OP, stating my feelings on why I believe the PC is very important, and I believe that the PC created most of the genres and game concepts we see in gaming today. Such as FPS, RPG, RTS, sims, etc. I mean the PC pioneered online multiplayer gaming years before consoles even thought about it, and the model of patching and DLCs is straight from the PC. I am not trying to start a fanboy war hear, I am just trying to spur discussion.

BenTheJamin

It doesn't matter what you personally believe because the fact remains that PC gaming did not facilitate "most" of the gaming conventions we have today. Like I stated previously, the percentage is relatively even, with both sides (and the arcade market) contributing heavily to the medium as it exists today.

And yes, you are a fanboy, as evidenced by your bias and your insistence on perpetuating propaganda rather than dealing in facts. I implicitly stated that PC gaming was and will always be viable and important but all you could do in response to my even-handed post was drone on about why the PC is better. Your entire post is a thinly-veiled fanboy manifesto replete with the same inaccuracies and hyperbole you claim the console zealots employ.

PC gaming isn't superior, it's merely different. If you can't admit and respect that then there is no discussion to be had.