The Direction of PC Gaming?

[BabyHeadCrab]

Today in Study Hall, me and a few mates were debating the future of PC gaming. Several class mates made the point that to the average onlooker, it certainly appears that PC gaming is coming to a screeching halt with a few exceptions i.e. the likes of Blizzard and Valve.

While the prospect of Vista streamlining online play and the knowledge gaps in system requirements, several of them still claimed that PC Gaming is rapidly on the decline. Personally, I argued that PC gaming will remain alive because it's a developer market, with more freedom and less publisher intervention than console gaming, with unprescedented connectivity to downloadable content and online play.

I think Windows approach to "Games for Windows" is severely flawed, simply because what I enjoy so much about PC gaming is that it is not just another platform for games, it's much more multi-faceted than that, industry standards are nice but they should not be set by a single corporation, then you have what I think is ridiculous, constraining developer requirements (like compatability with the x360 controller) and a more difficult time entering the market for the small fries. I believe die hard gamers will alays stick to the PC simply for the sheer costumization and flexability they have to work with. The entire idea of console VS. pc is incredibly mundane in my eyes, because the PC is not, and will never be a device for gaming alone. And, like it or not, the purpose of a console is not the role of an "entertainment system" like Sony would have you believe.

Ideas? Additional comments? (bored in class)

 

[Dynasty]

Personally i disagree. I dont think its coming to a screeching halt at all. MMO's are the future of gaming, simply because more people are having access to broadband, and the idea of playing with someone youve never met from China for example, is just cool.

The PC will always be the best for gaming, simply because its what invented games (as games have to be developed on a PC first), and has such flexability. I agree the PC isnt just for games, and that the idea of comparing a console to a PC is like comparing oil and water. The PC will always win. Yes consoles are equally if not more powerful nowadays and are trying to become PCs through online gaming, keyboards and mice etc, but the console games wouldnt exist if a PC didnt exist.

Several class mates made the point that to the average onlooker, it certainly appears that PC gaming is coming to a screeching halt with a few exceptions i.e. the likes of Blizzard and Valve.

What exactly did they mean by that? Its kind of vague so it could be for any reason why they think that is so. Was it because of the types of games being released? Sales decreasing???

 

[Dekstar]

I think that the PC market is still on the increase if anything. Although its main feature used to be downloadable content (around the Xbox/Ps2 days), that's now coming to the new consoles. But PC gamers can still get pretty much anything user developed, which consoles can't yet do. The only way consoles would be able to do that is to make the environment more PC like (the 360, for instance, is currently leading the way in online content. This is because it has a load in common with PC storage ideas, as it's developed by the daddy of PCs).

Add to that DX10, and its new standardised hardware ideas. Obviously Microsoft saw that developing for computers would be much easier if they were more like consoles hardware wise. This, when released and let to sink in, will give PC a huge edge. Development costs for PC games would decrease a whole load (less compatibilty testing). So yeah, PC's will always have the edge.

 

[Dynasty]

Oh yeah, forgot about DX10. Thats a huge leap forward. Ive played so many games when one of my parents or mates came in and asked what show i was watching (lol). DX10 will make games even more realistic.

 

[CptStern]

there will be a further blurring of lines between the pc and xbox

what bothers me most about the decline of pc and gaming in general is that for the most part gamers encourage it ...I mean gamers dont want more intelligent or complex games, if they did pschonauts would outsell GoW. Even hardcore gamers seem to have accepted things like dumbed down gameplay, games that last between 8-10 hours, paid multiplayer that allows you to play games on the game developers terms, having to pay for every single stupid little detail that once was free ...it's as if gamers (pc gamers who have migrated to consoles especially) willingly ignore everything that previously made pc gaming great and have embraced a simplified, completely controlled enviroment where the developer dictates what type of fun you will have ..and they're ok with it

"oh look here's a dumbed down version of a game that was the leading edge of fps 5 years ago but now it's just a pale watered down shadow of it's former self ...and it's only $69.99? wow what a steal, I'll be sure to get my 8 hours worth of gameplay out of it"

 

[StardogChampion]

Crysis, Quake Wars, Stalker, Supreme Commander, Spore, Unreal Tournament 3, Dragon Age, GoW port soon enough and would've been a PC-first had Microsoft not thrown money at Epic.

Company of Heroes just released, Caesar 4, Medieval 2, Civ 4. Plus we get a lot of console games anyway like Tiger Woods/Fifa/PES etc etc.

 

[Gargantou]

Heh, you got anything to back up your comment about GoW other than 'speculation'?

 

[CptStern]

Heh, you got anything to back up your comment about GoW other than 'speculation'?

yes it was announced yesterday

http://www.eurogamer.net/article.php?article_id=72980


edit: whoops you mean it being a pc game first ...well he's on his own on that statement :E

 

[Tagaziel]

The PC gaming is slowly going downhill in terms of quality. Of course you have pretty graphics, but accompanied by bland, repetitive storylines, unimaginative worlds and simplified gameplay. Instead of perfecting it as an art, the publishers decided that immediate profti is better and decide to churn out hundreds of similiar titles - boring, repetitive and illogical.

Also, I disagree with the notion that MMORPGs are the future of gaming as they offer no way of developing an interesting single player experience and a storyline that appeals to a single character (eg. no more "lone gunman" titles like Call of Juarez or Outlaws - it'll be "10,000 gunman LOLOLOLROXORZ").
They offer no possibility for a twist ending or plot twist - factions have to be balanced in a MMORPG. There is no possibility for a faction to become deliberately weaker and abused or outright destroyed as it would hurt the consumer base.
Not to mention that all MMORPGs eventually become boring.

There is a distinct lack of quality titles nowadays - Beyond Good & Evil, Fallout, Blade Runner, Starlancer, Interstate '76, Homeworld... all are a song of an age long past.

 

[CptStern]

The PC gaming is slowly going downhill in terms of quality. Of course you have pretty graphics, but accompanied by bland, repetitive storylines, unimaginative worlds and simplified gameplay. Instead of perfecting it as an art, the publishers decided that immediate profti is better and decide to churn out hundreds of similiar titles - boring, repetitive and illogical.

Also, I disagree with the notion that MMORPGs are the future of gaming as they offer no way of developing an interesting single player experience and a storyline that appeals to a single character (eg. no more "lone gunman" titles like Call of Juarez or Outlaws - it'll be "10,000 gunman LOLOLOLROXORZ").
They offer no possibility for a twist ending or plot twist - factions have to be balanced in a MMORPG. There is no possibility for a faction to become deliberately weaker and abused or outright destroyed as it would hurt the consumer base.
Not to mention that all MMORPGs eventually become boring.

There is a distinct lack of quality titles nowadays - Beyond Good & Evil, Fallout, Blade Runner, Starlancer, Interstate '76, Homeworld... all are a song of an age long past.

the problem is gamers ...they dont want those games ...if they did developers would be bending over backwards to make games as indepth as intelligent as possible ..the industry long ago went from a craftsman-like profession to a commodity like any other commodity pretty much over night ..why feed your audience a big meal that lasts a long time when you can feed them multiple small meals that will have the same desired effect except it lines your pockets at the same time

games are waaaay too much of a financial risk to be a labour of love anymore ....valve is pretty much alone in this respect ..all others are a slave to the dollar/publishers

 

[ríomhaire]

There appear to be people who don't know that games exist for PCs. My sister's boyfriend was over while I was playing Half-Life 2. He saw me playing it and asked me what it was for, Xbox, PS2...? I was rather confused by this statment seeing as I was blatently obviously playing it on my Dell desktop PC. My reply was, I think, "...er...it's for the PC". He just replied "Oh" and looked slightly confused. I then added "It's out on the Xbox aswell". He then said something along the lines of "Oh, so it's for the Xbox and you're playing it on that". I didn't respond.

 

[Tagaziel]

The problem are publishers - they push games through for a quick buck rather than prolonged profits, as it comes with great titles.

Developers are more than willing to produce great games, but they get dumbed down by the publishers, who appeal to the lowest common denominer, which (ironically) forms a majority of the game market.

Gothic 3 is handicapped due to this - JoWood forced the release.

 

[StardogChampion]

Gothic 3 is handicapped due to this - JoWood forced the release.

TBH they couldn't get it right the first 2 times either. I don't think they had the talent/budget to make the game they wanted to make.

 

[Beerdude26]

This is why I love Valve; maybe they're slow, but they still listen to the community and adjust stuff accordingly while at the same time being innovative (An example would be the Market System for CSS, and the choice to turn it on or off).

 

[Dekstar]

Stern's completely right about the fast track approach. with this new episodic gaming (though lots hate it), I think people can put in a lot of effort to produce something small, then get enough money from that to keep going, if it's liked that is.

 

[theotherguy]

I Think PC gaming will be around long after consoles have died. The PC gaming market has one extreme advantage over the console market: it is dynamic. There are no real lisences, no specific developers, no standardized harware. Consoles have a wall, a little multi-million dollar box they have to live in that only the console makers can expand with their huge projects. PC hardware and software is constantly adapting and changing, and therefore PC gaming can grow without the monstorous input required by a single company to upgrade a console.

I think that gaming in general will eventually evolve towards a will wright type strategy, with mostly player created content and gameplay, with the developers providing only an overall structure. The games of the future will tailor to your needs directley. Imagine FPS games with movement models based on your own preferences, enemies created by other players, weapons crafted from an array of parts. RTS games where each player creates their own race, and balance is provided through natural selection. RPG's with stats, worlds, models, animations, everything created for and by the player. I forsee this as the ultimate end of gaming as we know it, where all of our dreams and desires cumilating in one massive simulation where we can have, do, create, be anything we want to be.

 

[Gargantou]

valve is pretty much alone in this respect ..all others are a slave to the dollar/publishers

ERM, no offense but that's bullshit, if you just take your time, you can find plenty of great shareware/indie devs that make great games for very low prices.. The biggest issue is that GRAPHICS-wise, these games usually have nothing on high-budget games.

But I do agree otherwise to a large extent, I'm a major simmer myself, and I really miss the good ol' days of simming, back when Sid Meier were making sims, F117-A Stealth Fighter 2.0 for example, man.. The Microprose days were imo the greatest days of gaming, constantly churning out a big amount of quality titles!

 

[Space Farm]

This is why I love Valve...but they still listen to the community...

Do you remember the days when Steam was announced?

Also, as countless others have said; I don't think PC gaming will ever die, it'll just eventually merge.

 

[_Z_Ryuken]

And, like it or not, the purpose of a console is not the role of an "entertainment system" like Sony would have you believe.

Additional comments? (bored in class)

N...ES?