PC Gaming Is Alive, Thriving And Always Evolving
Their has been talks about windows based gaming is so called dead or at the very least in last place when it comes to heavy blockbuster title(s) availability. From my perspective nothing has changed at all. Let me be more frank.
I am not going to bash any other platform in this post. I will explain to you what my true thoughts are on the current affairs of PC Gaming. Hit the break for my run down.
I for one have to admit that I’m first and foremost a computer gaming bandit. I love the unmatched visuals and openness of most PC titles. What I mean by openness can refer to computer game “MODS” a.k.a. free DLC. Over the decades of my gaming on a computer, I’ve grown accustomed to downloading free add-ons and user generated content. Not until we started connecting our home consoles to the internet did the main stream gamers even know about adding new content to any game on a console, but us PC gamers knew this as second nature.
I’m not just talking about MODS that change the skin of your in game character but I’m talking about complete remakes of levels, gameplay mechanics and even going as far as adding multi-player options to a game that has no online options at all. This is we’re I know for a fact (at least for the foreseeable future) console makers will not allow to happen.
Yeah we have some cool games that allow you to share very limited content with other gamers on a console but when compared to the PC platform, it’s really quite a joke by comparison.
PC Gamers aren’t ones to rest on their laurels. Unlike their console brethren, they’re constantly changing and updating their games to fit their whims.
Team fortress is played to this very day..! How can you compare any other platform to this level of dedication. Now let me continue on to the the topic of hardware upgrades. This is were the real argument lies when you try and explain updates and upgrades to a computer. No you do not need a fucking upgrade for every title that is made for a PC.
To keep this post reasonably short I will just focus on some of the main reasons for upgrading a PC Gaming rig. Building your own Gaming Rig is and will always be the best value for any true PC enthusiast, I’ve been gaming on a Laptop for the better half of 2 years and have yet to hit any bottle necks of graphic intensive titles. Fallout3, Oblivion and even Batman Arkum Asylum did hiccup on a few instances but with the ability to fine tune everything down to the amount of fog, reflections, shadows and even view distance I am able to run all of these games on my monitors maximum resolution. Not to mention that computers don’t need to upscale video or real time graphics like our consoles that claim “TRUE” native 1080p.
I laugh at this because I have been playing games on a computer for at least 10 years now that have had support higher than 1080p resolutions. I personally feel like the consoles are holding back developers from supporting higher resolutions since the resolution cap for our current HD consoles stop at 1080p.
Here’s an amazing article from UGO on PC Game Mods.
Now truthfully I would be lying to you if I said I didn’t love console gaming since I’m on XBL just about everyday and use my other console as a great BluRay player with a few titles games on at per year. But my true love is on the Windows based PC titles that (IMO) are the true complete versions created. Just a reminder that all console games are made on computers.
I know I’m normally just a News Editor, but on occasion I feel like talking about games on the computer platform. For those that love PC gaming and want to join the fight check PC Gaming Alliance site.
I know this post might seem like a rant about home consoles, but it’s far from being such a thing. I am merely pointing out the facts that PC Gaming is very much alive and thriving I don’t ever see this trend so called dying.
I won’t get into the benefits of the free online options on just about every game made for the PC gamers, since to be quite honest their is no true comparable platform on the market that even comes close to my online experiences on the computer. With a ton of voice and chat programs on the market for PC Gaming it’s almost an insult to other gaming platforms. So on that note I’m out. I hope you found this article interesting and look forward to your comments. Please keep it respectful. I am not claiming to know everything about PC Gaming, but I think with over a decade on on and offline PC Gaming I’m not just spitting fanboy rhetoric but more of my own personal view on the PC Gaming talk of the platform ding. Peace!
Here are a few PC centric articles to mull over.
“I love my PC forever” – The Social Gamer
News Editor for TheBitbag.com
According to Steam PC Gamers are Flocking to Windows 7 (via STEAM)
…One demographic is breaking the adoption mold, that group is PC Gamers.
Razer Sixense Motion Gaming Controller for PC Gamers
PC gaming enthusiasts need not envy those with Wii consoles and their ability to play games that require motion tracking controllers any more.
PC Gaming’s Richness Is Thanks To The PC’s Complexity
I’ve always been a PC gamer first. It’s where I started and what I like to use. I prefer mouse and keyboard, I like tinkering with my PC, I like mods and variety…
Blizzard: PC Gaming Is Not Dying Out, BlizzCon Proves It
"The death knell of PC has risen and fallen over the years, and we keep releasing PC games, and they keep doing incredibly well," said Martens…
One last article by Joe Martin over at Bit-Tech.net the title speaks for it’s self: Is PC Gaming Dying? NO!
It’s probably an over-inflated issue too because, interpreted in the widest possible way, the answer to ‘Are PC Games Dying Out?’ is simple. No, they aren’t. PC games have never been bigger
I hope this brings a little truth to the age old question about the PC Gaming platform dying.
34 Comments
is it so alive, thriving and evolving that you had to post the exact article twice?
^lawlz
LOL.
But seriously did we need to state this i mean PC gameing speaks for itself theres no need for u guys to do this.
I will agree that PC gaming is not dead. The PC is the grandfather of the videos industry. PC have influenced the console gaming, Yes. The hardware possibilities are almost endless. But PC do little to convert people to there platform. Your average PC is not some monster uber graphics power house. The average PC can’t handle the the requirements of today’s console heavy hitters. So that leaves the SIMS and games like that. Sorry not my game. I’m guessing that about 10% of all PCs can do this, and that number is probably high. If people don’t have the money to get one ” Enjoy what you have”:John Shaw. Cloud gaming will change the land scape of gaming. The promises of not needing to have the the super PC is looking to inject some vitality back into gramps.
2009 Top 10 PC Game Software Titles, Sorted By Units
1 PC The Sims 3 E Jun-09
2 PC World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King Expansion Pack Nov-08
3 PC The Sims 2 Double Deluxe Electronic Arts Apr-08
4 PC World of Warcraft: Battle Chest Sept-07
5 PC Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 Nov-09
6 PC World of Warcraft Nov-04
7 PC The Sims 3: World Adventures Expansion Pack Nov-09
8 PC Spore Sept-08
9 PC Dragon Age: Origins Oct-09
10 PC Empire: Total War Mar-09
This is what JoePC is playing and or buying
This is great news for pc gamers. I’ve been gaming since the atari 5200. I remember the videogame crash. However, I never felt the urge to start gaming on the pc.
Hiphop may have been wrong about the consoles eliminating the pc, but he sure hit the nail on the head about the type of games that are on the pc. The only games I ever see on the pc are fps’s, rts’s, and mmo’s. I know there are other types of games on the pc but these are the main types of games that are popular and move units. Whatever floats your boat. Happy gaming everybody! Peace!
HipHop has never owned a gaming PC. So how is he qualified to discuss the topic? World Of Warcraft Cataclysm is coming out this year at some point, along with Starcraft 2. Lets take a look at those sales numbers when that happens then come back and tell me PC gaming is Dead. What a fucking joke.
And why are people so interested in trying to push PC gaming out the door? This topic has been beat to death, but I did enjoy this post.
Console gamers better hope that nobody makes a game that allows PC gamers and Console gamers to play against one another in an FPS. Because a PC gamer would beat the fuck out of the console gamer with the luxury of having far better hardware, and the accuracy of a keyboard and mouse.
Fighting games, nuff said.
Firstly, very nice article.
Secondly, Candid Anthony; brilliant riposte.
Thirdly,
“The average PC can’t handle the the requirements of today’s console heavy hitters.”
This left me on the floor and shows a complete lack of technological knowledge and commonsense.
How old is the Xbox 360? Here, let me help you out. It’s 4 years old going on 5 now.
Was the Xbox 360 cutting edge tech 4 years ago? No, it wasn’t.
So guess what? A 4 or 5 year old gaming computer can just about run all the shit an Xbox 360 can.
Anyone with a PC from the last 3 years or so with a half decent gfx card will have no problem running anything the Xbox 360 can put out EVER throughout it’s entire lifecycle. It is OLD technology in the PC arena. Come on the Xbox 360 can’t even run Dx10 and we are on Dx11 now already.
“So that leaves the SIMS and games like that. Sorry not my game.”
Really? Dude this is laughable. Check this list of games on the PC for 2009 and 2010 and this is by no means all of them. The PC gaming market is the biggest and most diverse market of all. This list is all broken down nice and simple by genre including all the multiplatform titles near the end just to give a little flavour so no excuses :
http://adrianwerner.wordpress.com/previous-years/games-of-2009/
“I’m guessing that about 10% of all PCs can do this, and that number is probably high.”
I love these guys who appear on N4G and here in the Bitbag comment section who just can’t resist pulling numbers out of their ass. Here let’s throw down some numbers based on fact.
“According to research company IDC, there are over 1 billion personal computers world wide. The PCGA maintains that 250 million are being used for GAMING.”
[Source:http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/7960498.stm)
So based on your 10% you are only hmm let’s see 150Million out. Yeah good try.
Take all your Wii sales (lol I’m just throwing that in there to help you out), take all your XBox 360 sales, take all your PS3 sales, add them altogether and you are still DWARFED by the PC gaming market.
“2009 Top 10 PC Game Software Titles, Sorted By Units
1 PC The Sims 3 E Jun-09
2 PC World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King Expansion Pack Nov-08
3 PC The Sims 2 Double Deluxe Electronic Arts Apr-08
4 PC World of Warcraft: Battle Chest Sept-07
5 PC Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 Nov-09
6 PC World of Warcraft Nov-04
7 PC The Sims 3: World Adventures Expansion Pack Nov-09
8 PC Spore Sept-08
9 PC Dragon Age: Origins Oct-09
10 PC Empire: Total War Mar-09″
Sorry what’s the point of this NPD list? Maybe you are not aware but as far as NPD figures go in relation to the PC they mean virtualy NOTHING at all.
The reason? Digital distribution. The PC gaming market is way more mature than the console one and has already embraced digital distribution in a major way. Sooner or later console gaming will go the same way it’s just a matter of time. To illustrate the point let’s take a quick look at the 2009 CNET estimates:
* Global retail PC game sales: $2.37 billion (23% decrease)
* Global digital PC game sales: $5.09 billion (78% increase)
* Global in-game PC ad sales: $1.32 billion (26.8% increase)
* Global subscription and microtransactions: >$5.98 billion (unknown % increase)
* Total 2009 global PC game sales: $14.76 billion-plus (minimum 13.5% increase)
Notice the digital distribution figures? @68% of total game sales, which for the most part you will never hear anything about and certainly not through the seriously inadequate NPD system.
A $14.76billion + industry growing by @13.5% in a global recession is dying? Don’t make me laugh.
PS As already eluded to by Candid Anthony let’s just wait and see what the biggest selling game of the year is and on what platform. I know where my money is and it’s not on any console game.
The reason is what PCs are playing or buying. Don’t get mad Twon.
ps. Eat a dick WoW
Come on dude is that the best you can do?
Please bring some facts and numbers about what people are buying and playing on PC. I’ve already explained to you that NPD figures are irrelevant and why that is the case so please enlighten us.
Btw all I did was take what you said and countered it. No one is mad but I’m guessing you’re just not used to be taken apart so easily.
No it is not the best I can do. I say anything bad about PCs. I was giving credit where credit is due. PC are a great platform. It just these crazy numbers that PC guys vomit out.
1 billion personal computers world wide. The PCGA maintains that 250 million are being used for GAMING.” Not everyone has a gaming rig. If you want to call solitaire a PC game then you have 1 billion gaming rigs.
Okay my point is Joe PC is getting left out in the rain. The most popular computer that is being bought per Amazon is
Compaq CQ4010F Black Desktop PC (Windows 7)
* AMD Sempron LE-1300 Processor (2.3 GHz, 512 KB L2 Cache, 1600 MHz System Bus)
* 2 GB PC2-6400 DDR2 SDRAM memory (1×2048 for ultimate performance) (expandable to 4GB)
* 250GB 7200RPM Serial ATA hard drive; SuperMulti DVD Burner with LightScribe Technology
* NVIDIA GeForce 6150 SE Graphics with 256GB integrated shared graphics memory. Up to 895MB Total Available Graphics Memory as allocated by Windows 7
* Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
Dark Void System Requirements*
Intel Processor - Core 2 Duo E6600 2.4GHz
AMD Processor - Athlon 64 X2 Dual Core 3600+
Nvidia Graphics Card - Geforce 8800 GTS
ATI Graphics Card - Radeon HD 4830 512MB
RAM Memory - 2 GB
Hard Disk Space - 10 GB
Direct X - 9
I have no problem that they are a lot of play games on PC, what they are playing is very different then you would lead others to believe. Take that apart tough guy. Oh that tastes sweet. You totally missed the point.
PS. Don’t come with the hardcore PC gamer (remember the hardcore console gamer argument)
“I have no problem that they are a lot of play games on PC, what they are playing is very different then you would lead others to believe. Take that apart tough guy. Oh that tastes sweet. You totally missed the point. ”
Again I ask you what are they playing? Bring some facts and numbers please, you seem to be the authority on the issue. I haven’t said what people are playing so where did you get that idea? Oh yeah you made that up as well like just about everything you say. I’ve already shown most of what you’ve said to be fabrication and fantasy, please continue.
And this Amazon reference you pull out of an American website (as if that somehow defines global PC gaming rofl). Are you seriously trying to tell me that people who buy a PC that is used for gaming (of which there are 250 million apparently according to the PCGA) are buying them from Amazon? Really? Dude don’t be so ridiculous please bring even ONE single argument that hasn’t got more holes in it than a block of Swiss cheese. I’m seriously beginning to think I’m dealing with kids or people that know absolutely nothing about anything outside of the USA.
Just for reference I have all 3 current systems and a gaming rig.
im gonna tell u something, consoles influence more the pc than pc influence consoles.
4 example the whole wii motion thing was already available on Pc years b4 the wii. did anybody care? nope. cuz it was on pc.
3D is already available for the pc long time ago u can even play gears 1 in 3D, did any1 care? no, cuz it was on PC.
the reason as to why most ppl say that pc gaming is dead is cuz Devs dont really make any games taking advantage of this. srlsy, the perception is that Pc gaming consist only of FPS and RTS.and most ppl here arent giving any counterpoint to this, sure on pc u got your splinter cells your lost planet 2, bioshock, but where r u going to game online? on LIVE cuz most of your friends are on LIVE and u only play on pc cuz of teh GFX.
and it really doesnt matter if the PC can do the motion things or the 3D, it only matters when the consoles do it. why? cuz most gamers game on consoles since the perception is that u need thousands of dollars to get power GFX(srsly ask any1 they actually believe this) thats why 3D, motion sensing will be only relevant if consoles do it.
in that sense u could say that gaming on PC is dead(or mo0re like irrelevant), cuz its not moving foward its just moving to the side while consoles are evolving. most games gamers remember are the consoles games not the pc ones, sure they know who Freeman is but they havent really played the game(and really what is Valve gonna do with Ep3 to make it relevant?) Team fortress is still being played just like smash Bros. or Halo CE. its to bad that there isnt any MMorpg exclusive for consoles.(that is just as awesome as WoW)
and c’mon be serious guys, the best of the best genres are in consoles. the most relevant genres on pc are RTS and fps.
“but where r u going to game online? on LIVE cuz most of your friends are on LIVE and u only play on pc cuz of teh GFX.”
Really? So I guess the 25 million active user accounts on STEAM alone don’t count then (and that’s just one service)?
I understand where you’re coming from but have you noticed that most of the people on LIVE are Americans (usually kids)? News flash buddy, there’s a whole huge world out there and most of them aren’t on LIVE.
If you were to say PC gaming is irrelevant or dying in America well that’s a different story entirely and maybe there’s some truth to that.
I’m back. I did not say PC are dead. You keep saying that I did. This guy hawkie007 picking the wrong fight.
100 million bought the SIMS 3.
Today, EA announced that not only was The Sims 3 the best-selling PC title in the US, but also the rest of the world. The publisher pulled its data from a range of independent industry-tracking sources, including NPD, Chart-track UK, Gfk France, Gfk Spain, Gfk-MCC Germany, as well as its own internal estimates.
http://www.gamespot.com/pc/puzzle/thesims3highendloftstuff/news.html?sid=6246870
The games I want to play are not able to be played buy a standard PC. I will stand by what I say.
The SIMS requirements
http://www.thebitbag.com/2010/02/03/pc-gaming-is-alive-thriving-and-always-evolving-2/comment-page-1/#comment-16829
pc gaming is on life support, get over it nerds, its almost dead and you know it!
I love trolls like you. Where would the internet be without you? <3
?
=ÄïÅæÄö
? ? Just by the caption alone I can tell you yes it is(alive and thriving)!
really, how many of you guys are playing farmville, sims, and wow? those games dont define a gamer, they define people who have social problems. most people who play these games dont know how to interact in the real world so they get on their pc and play make believe. every body i know that plays these games are wierdos and shit. farmville and the sims belong to the chicks, if dudes are getting caught up in sims they got a problem. straight up and down. now troll on that.
You really are a troll. It’s great, carry on.
Yup Yup we need more of those here dont we….
I can attest to that my sister loves the sims. I played the first one then gave up on the game because I found the only fun in that game is building a house.
PC Gaming is not dead but it is certainly not growing at the rate console gaming. If I can go to the store and buy a decent laptop $700-$900 it should be able to run all games that are multi platform to consoles. I gave up on PC when my laptop could not run fallout 3 at a decent frame rate. Even if I put everything on the lowest setting it still moved like a snail. I would like to be a part pc gamer but the price of entry is alot higher than owning both a 360, ps3, and wii combined. To me the only way people will start gaming on the pc again is when companies equip the computers with adequate hardware to run most games.
This is the laptop I have. See the price.
http://www.amazon.com/Pavilion-dv9000t-17-Inch-Laptop-Notebook/dp/B000K7FANU/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1265257507&sr=8-3
Don’t buy a laptop to play pc games.
I fucked up like that to dude and know i cant play ME2 cause of it.
oh and it can be expensive if your just using it to play games, but in most cases people use it for other things besides gaming.( like commenting on the The bitbag).
Consoles are great but pc gaming seems to have a addictive aspect to it. Unlike the many FPS were getting on consoles at the moment. (I play them and in about 2 months or less it get bored or have lost interest or theres more games to buy.)
being an avid pc gamer, i own a quite high end desktop and a mid-range gaming laptop. for the price, my laptop was a steal, so much so that they raised the price of it by £30.00
http://www.buyitdirect.co.uk/Fujitsu_AMILO_Pi_3560_Laptop_with_Windows_7_VFY_P3560MRCM2GB/version.asp?PID=10000794
i play l4d2, UT3, FEAR, and tonnes of other games at high settings at 60+ fps on that laptop, it’s german made, very durable and of excellent build quality, the only thing is, it has a cheap monitor, but it certainly gets the job done.
*Looks at comments and ignores the ignorant ones*
*Looks over at Social Gamer and gives the thumbs up*
*Social Gamer snubs him*
*Da_Dios is presently plotting revenge for the humiliation*
*agree with Da_Dios’ previous sentiments*
i wonder if hip hop thinks pc is dead?
Only on planet HHG, it is.
Great Post Social Gamer. Next time HHG wants to talk about PC gaming being dead send this to him….
LOL You guys know what’s really funny I haven’t seen so many PC posts so fast and rapidly until I said it was dead. hmmmmm I wonder why? you guys are funny why? because ya’ll wasn’t even thinking about PC gaming this hard you guys was on your consoles, talking about consoles, all day everyday, and now I mention some negativity about PC gaming and now all of sudden all this PC gaming love come out of the shadows wow.
But Like i said you guys made a good point as long as games are being made for the pc it is still alive but I’ll be playing tekken, god of war, heavy rain, modnation racers, resistance, gran turismo you know games like that and you guys can play the SIMS fair enough peace
your right hiphop, now the bitbag has suddenly become a damn pc gaming site over night. wtf man????
PC GAMING SUCKS