Recent events have both raised and lowered my expectations for where pc gaming is going as a platform for enjoying games both multiplatform and exclusive. With the release of starcraft 2 I felt pc gaming once again had a champion it could call its own as it was developed specifically for pc and utilized its unique feature set with no compromise for consoles. This rare event though has been the proverbial needle in the haystack for many years as I have watched hopelessly as respectable pc classic franchises were ground into a console centric mind frame. From games such as battlefield and call of duty to supreme commander and deus ex (curse you invisible war!!!!) they all show that many developers have forgotten their roots and have chosen to make a quick buck off the console crowd instead of supporting some of the most loyal fans in gaming. Going forward I hope to bring to light just how far pc gaming has fallen from its golden age of gaming to what we have before us now.
What pc gaming was like before consoles took center stage was something of a modern day wonder that console only owners can only dream of. You had games such as half life, HL2 and UT2004 leading the mod scene where many imaginative creations were built and loved. Some even became full games(1) that would be enjoyed by millions. Games like il-2 strumovik made no compromises for its gameplay to create a dumbed down flight sim but instead kept its roots in realism. Games like system shock and deus ex brought us amazing stories and atmosphere that we could influence through our ingame actions and decisions. Games like call of duty and battlefield 1942 gave us insights to the past through honed gameplay and storytelling. Games like world of warcraft and the sims gave us ways to express ourselves outside of real life through alter egos and exploring exciting new worlds.
What pc gaming was like after the consoles took center stage was akin to setting off a bomb in a porta-potty. We have games like MW2 that take no benefit of pc gaming's features and give us instead a minuscule offering of a product(2). We have games like UT3 that do not have the glimmer of greatness that its predecessor had(3). We have games like Fear 2 that don't hold a candle to what a graphical powerhouse Fear was like on the pc(4a)(4b). We have games like Far Cry 2 that have none of the magic that the original had but instead carter to the console crowd. We have games that shake us down for every cent in order to be able to play the newest levels and gametypes.
This fall in quality among previously pc exclusive games reckons back to the growth of consoles worldwide during the xbox, ps2 and gamecube era (5). Game developers could no longer ignore the growing money maker that was/is console gaming. Because of this shift in resources pc gaming took second seat to console gaming and forever since has been there accepting the scraps that fall the table. Many development studios have abandoned their roots in pc gaming for the money rich fields of pc gaming. Studios such as DICE have moved away from what made the battlefield games great and instead carted to the hardware constricted console crowd and I fear we will never see another game of such scope as Battlefield 2 again. DICE is just one example of the many studios that once created great pc games and have seen moved on to the home console.
Is there hope for pc gaming? Yes I say! Some beacons of hope still exist in this seemingly bleak wasteland of pc gaming. Team Fortress 2 is a shining example of what pc gaming (and gaming in general) was all about instead of what we have now with paid dlc and map packs that once would have been given for free as a showing of thanks to the fans and customers that supported your company(6). Companies such as valve show pc gamers everyday why they are still #1 in their eyes with constant updates to pc games for free after their initial release with consoles having still having to pay (l4d2/l4d). Blizzard is another fine example as to showing what pc gaming has to offer. No matter what you think of WoW you cannot deny what blizzard has done some extremely great work on past games and even WoW being an immense accomplishment for mainstreaming the mmorpg genre which has not been toppled yet. In addition to these big developers we also have many Indie developers making their home on the PC where corporate big shots have little to no influence over the restrictions of their imagination. It is in my opinion that Indie developers have spawned some of the best games in recent history with titles such as Red Orchestra, Counterstrike, TF, Portal, Limbo and Torchlight(7).
To conclude, yes pc gaming has fallen from gaming grace but it does not need to wallow in its own self pity. PC gamers everywhere must make a choice either to follow the platform down into obscurity or to support efforts made by developers that are trying to give pc gamers back their legacy. Show your support of the platform by buying games such as torchlight which will support the developers directly and not corporate rats. Show your support by buying pc games that make the attempt to carter to the pc crowd. Show your support of pc exclusives such as Starcraft 2, Civilization 5 and many more that lie ahead. Show your support of multiplatform games that make use of the pc's features and future titles by studios that remain loyal to our platform. With these goals in mind we might just maybe be able to bring about a pc gaming resurgence that will rock the gaming world and bring about a new age of pc gaming where customers are no longer treated like a commodity but instead shown the respect we deserve for supporting our favourite hobby!
Long Live Pc Gaming!
TLDR: PC Gaming can be awesome once again with your help.
Citations:
1) Counterstrike, TF2, portal, red orchestra, etc.
2) http://www.metacritic.com/games/platforms/pc/modernwarfare2?q=modern%20warfare
3) http://www.metacritic.com/games/platforms/pc/unrealtournament2007
4) http://www.gamespot.com/pc/action/fear/index.html?tag=result%3Btitle%3B1 - PC
http://www.gamespot.com/pc/action/fear2/index.html?tag=result%3Btitle%3B2 - PC
5) http://www.industrygamers.com/galleries/opinion-who-killed-pc-gaming/
6) http://www.teamfortress.com/119/
7) http://kotaku.com/5541338/torchlight-sells-half-a-million
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