Is Pc Gaming dying?

[Bizzlenitch]

I guess you have to ask what type of a gamer you are. There is alot of people out there that won't touch consoles. I am one of them I think they look like crap and I don't have any enjoyment on them. However that could be from me being spoiled with cool gear that some people don't get to play with so they never know the difference. But being a die hard gamer I would be ticked right off if PC titles were stopped completely. As I said before PC gaming titles are in the billions as are console titles, but there is not a company out there that would want to give those numbers up.

 

With PC's becoming more powerful games are becoming more realistic and I am sorry consoles are aways a way from being anywhere near the same.

 

While I won't go so far as to say I won't touch consoles, I do find, and have found for nearly 20 years of gaming on consoles and PCs, that the PC is the superior platform from a technological standpoint. If you grew up with it I think PC gaming to an extent becomes so second nature, the type of interaction you can have with your PC being far more intuitive and encompassing. Do not misunderstand me, I've played nearly every console created quite extensively and do enjoy them. A controller is sometimes more conducive to a game, Madden springing to mind without much thought (which I don't think is still being released for the PC). That being said, for going on two decades now I've always come back to the PC. The fact that you can download music, share torrent files, encode video, do whatever in the background, only adds to the PC's value.

 

I think as long as there are technology enthusiasts, people who will use their PC daily for work and also for play, PC gaming will never "die." Change? Maybe. Evolve? Perhaps. Die? I doubt it. The question itself does seem a little counterintuitive given the massive amounts of money PC gaming (and gaming in general) generates.

 

Consoles I think have taken great strides, especially since the XBox and PS2's (actually Dreamcast's) implementation of an online realm within which to game. As time goes on I believe you will be able to do more than ever on a console. The line between the PC and console is already becoming increasingly blurred. However, the nature of console economics will never allow a console to match the performance of its contemporary PC (albeit perhaps a more expensive one).

 

Two cents inserted.

[Bosco]

Ya I have owned tons of consoles in the past as well but I just kept going back to the PC. Now things have changed with gaming becoming more stable I find it more enjoyable now then ever before.

 

Alot of good points you have there as well.

[Fogel]

Would say no - it's just going through the next stage of evolution.

 

At the worst, certain genres may stop or not receive any major titles ...such as how EA no longer makes Madden on the PC. There are genres that will keep PC Gaming alive - RTS, FPS, MMOs to name just three. Many people grow up on consoles because it is easier for many families to invest in a console than a PC. As people get older, either due to school or other reasons PCs get into the picture and a gamer will of course find a way to game on it. Today's generations are growing up on both PCs and Consoles and continue to play on both. Most gamers don't have these pre-conceived notions of what's the better platform. Of course some people are always easily persauded by the popular opinion but many people still do what makes them happy.

 

 

What worries me the most about PC gaming is it seems the majority of PC Gamers are getting sucked into the MMO games. Once they are into MMO games, trying to drag them away into another game is damn near impossible. I am totally assuming this so I'm probably wrong, but I'd guess MMO games reduce sales for the other games. Reduced sales might tell gaming devs there isn't much interest. You have 5 million people playing WoW for say 2-3 years that's great for Blizzard but how much money did those people spend on other games during that 2-3yr stint?

 

I'm not anti-MMO as I have played a couple myself before, but because of that I know how those people think. The only games those people talk about are the next MMOs.

[d3bruts1d]

I use to be a hardcore gamer and like Bosco wouldn't touch a console. Anymore, I just like the simplicity of a console. Pop in a disk, lounge on my couch, and play for an hour or two. Sure, I could hook up a PC to the TV (well, technically I'd need a new TV first) but then it'd be something else to have to update, upgrade, and install stuff on. I'm just over all of that, and have been for years.

 

Key contributors to my lack of PC gaming:

1) Being broke

2) Taking a year+ break from the "enthusiast" market and losing an interest in top of the line equipment

3) Working multiple jobs

4) Laziness

5) Not having a comfy office chair

6) Apathy

7) Boredom with FPS and RTS games. I enjoy RPGs and Action/Adventure games more these days, which play just fine on consoles. I don't care about graphics and multiplayer.

[d3bruts1d]

such as how EA no longer makes Madden on the PC.

I wish they would quit making Madden games. Period.

[Fogel]

I wish they would quit making Madden games. Period.

You and me both brutha.

Then again, I'm not a fan of EA at all.

[IVIYTH0S]

I wish they would quit making Madden games. Period.

I was going to say that's a HUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUGE plus in my book.

[Bizzlenitch]

I wish they would quit making Madden games. Period.

 

 

You and me both brutha.

Then again, I'm not a fan of EA at all.

 

 

I was going to say that's a HUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUGE plus in my book.

 

Heh. While Madden is not the most... let's say, realistic game as far as its portrayal of the sport, it is fun, if you're a die hard professional football fan and enjoy those kinds of things. It is certainly not the most innovative game around and each year is basically a "Pay us and you'll get new graphics (maybe)" affair, but it has its worth. Fact is, if I want to play an NFL game, it's gotta be Madden. It's only too bad the NFL2K franchise was snuffed out, as that was certainly a much better experience (in my mind) than its comparable version of Madden. That being said, Madden '10 has been a pleasant surprise for me and is fun, as far as football games go.

 

I await the inevitable backlash that must follow from anyone supporting Madden in any respect...

[wevsspot]

I await the inevitable backlash that must follow from anyone supporting Madden in any respect...

 

Hey, like I always say..... It's your money and spend it as you wish. Unless someone else here is signing your paycheck it's MYOB

[ClayMeow]

You have 5 million people playing WoW for say 2-3 years that's great for Blizzard but how much money did those people spend on other games during that 2-3yr stint?

More than you'd probably think. I know several MMO players, including WoW players, and although they're addicted as hell, it seems they're always looking for an excuse out. lol. Almost every time a new MMO comes out, they jump ship over to it, hoping it's better than WoW or whatever else they're playing. I have a couple of friends that tried Warhammer, one that tried LOTRO, etc, etc.

 

As for other genres, though MMOs are very time consuming, many gamers at least like to have another game to fall back on of a completely different genre, so when they're not feeling like an RPG, they can go fire up an FPS or RTS.

 

Me? I've been out of "real" MMOs for awhile. The last MMO I paid for was DAOC, back in college. I'm looking forward to SWTOR though.

 

 

I wish they would quit making Madden games. Period.

Yeah, seriously. I won't deny that the Madden games are fun to play with friends, but every year, all you've got is occasionally some graphical improvement, updated rosters, and one new feature, which is usually trivial and/or worthless.

 

I think the last time I played Madden, my friend does a flea-flicker to a second-string crappy RB and the RB throws an 80 yd bomb for a TD. I tossed my controller and was done with Madden

[InCrYsIs]

I was in Best Buy returning something yesterday and noticed the PC game section is gone. They expanded the console gaming area. I don't know if this is old news or not or if it was store specific but I was surprised.

 

Madden 2010 is a really good game.

Edited December 31, 2009 by InCrYsIs

[ClayMeow]

Last time I was in Best Buy, the PC section was definitely still there...it's where I picked up the CE of DAO (the last one available on release day).