PC Gaming is dead! That’s what the console industry and its fans have been saying for years. Every new wave of consoles, or generations I suppose they’re calling them, make this bold declaration stating that PC gaming can’t possibly contend with what the console market has to offer. I’ve never believed it. I’ve been primarily a PC guy my whole life. I prefer keyboard and mouse over controller and the gameplay feels more my style on a PC. I’ve always felt that the PC gaming market and more so the developers of PC games have always responded well. Over the past few years when faced with their prophesied impending doom the PC market has cranked out some amazing titles in more variety than console gaming. FPS games like TF2 and CoD4 – RTS games like SSE, BFME2, and C&C 3 – MMOs like WoW, LotRO, WAR. Are these games released on a dying platform? I would argue that these games have breathed new life into the PC.
Now for the twist. With all the success that the PC has had over the past few years why would anyone working on a PC title cross over to the other side? I pointed out the article in GFW where DICE revealed all the information about Battlefield Heroes and how they want it to appeal to everyone. They called it “Dropping the entry barriers“. The failure of Crysis was mentioned and Editor Jeff Green talked about the winds of change. DICE isn’t alone. There are many other developers and investors suddenly wanting more. I can understand the interest in trying something new. Test the waters. The popularity of these free to play kiddy games has to be appetizing to the money moguls investing millions into game development. But why would you shoot yourself in the foot? I’m baffled why suddenly the PC market wants to cannibalize itself?! Look at PC gaming now vs. 5 years ago. I can’t imagine for a second that anyone would deny it’s getting better and better.
It’s ironic. PC gaming isn’t going to die in a war with consoles. It’s going to die because people can’t leave well enough alone. The idea of ‘Hello Kitty Battlefield Adventures’ where I can meet with my school chums down at the tank yard and talk about how Billy’s Penguin looks neater in camo than my Puppy does is not the least bit interesting to me. Unless I’m totally out of touch with reality I’m fairly certain that a large portion of the PC gaming community (the portion that is holding this industry together) agrees.
Convert one of the greatest series of FPS games into a money machine. Eliminate the model that has worked for PC gaming from the beginning. Gone are the days of the $60 box and the need to upgrade your rig to meet the requirements. Dumb down the gameplay so that your games appeal to little Billy because you know his mom wants to drop $40 to buy his penguin a jacket. Knock out the “hardcore” gamer mentality.
Do all those things and let the winds of change bring in a new era of PC gaming. Then watch as you kill PC gaming for good.
PC gaming is never going to die, no matter what titles get released on it. Nobody has any hold over what is created for the PC, so no matter what path some people may go down, there will always be other people to go down another path. Maybe you personally don’t like the idea of Hello Kitty Battlefield Adventure, but that wouldn’t kill PC gaming, that would expand it to another type of person. That’s not a game that can be done as easily on consoles, and yes, the item shop would fit in perfectly for that type of game. I never want people to “leave well enough alone”. I like new and different types of gaming, I don’t want the same old recycled garbage, THAT is what would kill PC gaming (although I’m just saying that really, as nothing is ever going to kill PC gaming – as too many different types of games will continue to be made on it). MMORPGs will forever keep PC gaming where it is, because it just doesn’t play the same on consoles, and while we toss our old consoles on a heap, the old PC games can be patched to work with new PC upgrades. The PC gaming industry isn’t in danger of falling apart, and it’s not being “held together” by narrow minded people who want the same games remade over and over with better graphics. What isn’t interesting to you may be very interesting to others, and there is room for all types of games here, not just those that interest you and your hardcore friends. PC gaming isn’t in danger, not even a little, it’s like you’re pulling out an old argument from 10 years ago and trying to argue it today even though nobody is saying it anymore. What’s next? Are you going to argue why women should have the right to vote in the US? How about arguing how it’s good to breathe? That’s another great one sided debate for you 😀
Might want to check your sources and then reread what I was saying. 😉 ‘People’ are saying PC gaming is dead every day and some are even beginning to act upon the idea as though it were around the corner. Taking drastic approaches to change up the current pc gaming trends and making decisions influenced by a chaos theory – those are the actions and people who will lead PC gaming to a stale and premature “death”.
As for comparing it to breathing air or voting rights – you’re on your own there. I won’t even try to comprehend how you took it to that level.