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Why I love PC gaming

Its about time PC gaming got some love

By on July 20, 2008 7:33:15 PM from Stardock Forums Stardock Forums

Now I'm a 20 year old gamer of all kinds. I have had console and handheld systems over the years and I am priveldged to own some real gems in the gaming world that are masterpieces of their time. However there is one system that keeps me coming back, and there is one system that truely drives my love for computerised gaming.

That system is the PC. The PC was one of my first introductions to the world of gaming (alongside the Nintendo Entertainment System or NES) way back in the year of 1992. The earliest game I can remember playing was actually Wolfenstein 3d. Of course back then I barely understood any of the background behind it, but all I knew was it was fun shooting bad guys and thats all that mattered. From there my PC gaming habits developed.

I moved onto more complicated games and games from different genres. I played many classic FPS titles as they were released over the year, I discovered and fell in love with the strategy genre and heavily enjoyed my time spent playing the first two Warcraft titles as well as Command and Conquer. I also had alot of fun playing simulation games including the much-loved Simcity 2000 as well as some other titles such as Lucasart's legendary X-Wing and Tie Fighter series of games.

During my time discovering the world of PC gaming, equal time was dedicated to playing console and handheld titles. Some of these games were highly enjoyable but still there was something that kept me coming back to the PC for my gaming needs. Its taken almost 15 years of playing through and enjoying gaming on the PC to finally come to a conclusion.

The reason why I love PC gaming so much and why I am proud to consider it my primary gaming platform is because of the much more indepth gameplay it can potentially provide. Combined with unsurpassed visuals and the fewer amount of technical limitations compared to its console brothers the PC still remains the platform to have when it comes to the most intricate of games.

A key example of this is strategy games. There is a reason these games have remained king on PC. Its simply because the PC as we know it today provides everything you could possibly need. You have a high resolution display that can show alot of detailed and important information (a recent example being Sins of a Solar Empire's empire tree). You have 2 incredibly versatile and accurate methods of input in the form of a mouse and keyboard, the former providing pinpoint accuracy when directing units physically or making use of an onscreen GUI while the latter provides you with many shortcuts that helps the game run as smoothly as possible while still remaining intricate and indepth. You then have the sheer computational power needed in many of these titles (particularly the real-time ones) to be able to simulate the conflict onscreen in front of you as well.

All of this combined really allows a game designer to go nuts with the design of the game, who could design the gameplay that is indepth and is not heavily limited by technical limitations of all kinds.

The best PC games overall are the ones with the best gameplay design, and some of the best PC (which can be considered the best games out of any platform) games of all time are the ones that offer an experience that can't be replicated on any other platform because of the reasons I mentioned above.

On an endnote, I am not denying that the PC gaming industry is going through some changes. More and more game titles are not PC exclusive and this is mainly because of heartless piracy and increasing development costs. My point of this article is to try and prove that the PC is and always has been a viable and unique platform for game development and hasn't stopped providing the assets to make that so.

+4 Karma | 12 Replies
July 21, 2008 4:15:11 AM from Stardock Forums Stardock Forums

Amen to that. The PC is the most robust gaming system.

July 21, 2008 6:41:40 AM from GalCiv II Forums GalCiv II Forums
Given that the PC is a general purpose computer, you can use it for many things.
July 21, 2008 9:13:29 AM from GalCiv II Forums GalCiv II Forums
Very well said, Phazon.

It's nice to see a post advocating a positive position that doesn't bash someone or try to make the case that PC is better than console.

While I agree with the thrust of your post, I'd like to point out that the only significant difference between PC and console power is age and packaging. There isn't any technical reason you couldn't add a mouse and keyboard to a console and run an excellent strategy game on one.

I think that with the next generation of consoles, there will be even fewer technical reasons to pick one platform over the other for gaming, and it'll all boil down to marketing and economic decisions by the publishers and developers as to what games are available on each.
July 21, 2008 11:18:05 AM from GalCiv II Forums GalCiv II Forums
I love my PC too.
July 21, 2008 3:12:10 PM from GalCiv II Forums GalCiv II Forums
Hmmm.

I find it... ironic that you're advocating PC games, yet your screenname "Phazon88" is the same name as a substance from the Metroid Prime games. As in made by Nintendo. I suspect it's just a coincidence, but it is an ironic one
July 21, 2008 3:45:04 PM from GalCiv II Forums GalCiv II Forums
i actually prefer a hand-held controller in most cases except strategy games, but other than that, spot on.
July 21, 2008 4:47:01 PM from GalCiv II Forums GalCiv II Forums
My favourite genres are RPG and Strategy. As such although I've had great fun with some console games the PC has always remained closest to my heart.

All in all I prefer the console for platorms+first person shooters, and the PC for strategy. RPGs I also find slightly better on the PC (although it depends on the game; nwn and morrowind are best on PC, while games like fable and jade empire are fine on the console). The PC is also great for modding which I like , hence another reason why I like it so much as a platform . Free internet access for playing the game online as well as access to some more basic but free games is another plus point. Meanwhile the games themselves are cheaper, and you may already have a PC for non-gaming use (although in that case it'd be unlikely to be all that great for gaming)

On the downside of course you have the hassle of system compatibility (although it also allows for customisation - e.g. a very powerful computer can run the game much better than if a uniform setting was adopted), installing a game (instead of just inserting the disc and playing it), dealing with DRM, and a heavier requirement for patches.
July 21, 2008 5:10:04 PM from Sins of a Solar Empire Forums Sins of a Solar Empire Forums
the whole reason the pc is cutting edge is that it is not controlled by commercial interests.
Consoles ARE.... you cannot just sit up one day and develop for a console, their are rights and all sorts of crap to go through. You can with a PC, so its the PC where all the indy devs and new ideas are...... its that simple.
July 21, 2008 5:58:54 PM from Stardock Forums Stardock Forums

Alfonse


Hmmm.I find it... ironic that you're advocating PC games, yet your screenname "Phazon88" is the same name as a substance from the Metroid Prime games. As in made by Nintendo. I suspect it's just a coincidence, but it is an ironic one

Oh noes, I must be a console fanboy with a name like that!

 

July 21, 2008 7:33:34 PM from Sins of a Solar Empire Forums Sins of a Solar Empire Forums
Yeah, prolly not going to read that but PC gaming is most definitely a great way to kill time.
July 21, 2008 8:51:03 PM from Sins of a Solar Empire Forums Sins of a Solar Empire Forums
Yeah, prolly not going to read that but PC gaming is most definitely a great way to kill time.


Why does everyone want to kill time. What did time ever do to you... apart from systematicaly take away every second of your life.

Anyway PC Gaming is a way of a life. It's better than reading books or watching films (although I do those too).
July 21, 2008 8:51:08 PM from Stardock Forums Stardock Forums

onikron


Yeah, prolly not going to read that but PC gaming is most definitely a great way to kill time.


Thanks for caring.

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