Hard Case: The State of PC Gaming
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As the annual Game Developer Conference draws to a close, it’s worth taking stock of the state of PC games. Pundits have been proclaiming the death of PC gaming for several years now, while adherents have been staunchly defending the PC as a gaming platform. I thought I’d take a step back and take a more strategic view of the PC gaming landscape.
The PC Gaming Universe is Not Monolithic
Most of the virtual ink on PC gaming has been either from hard core gamers or industry analysts who take a look at retail data. Either of those viewpoints too narrowly defines what gaming is on a complex and diverse platform that is the personal computer. If all you look at are packaged goods, then PC gaming is indeed doomed. Retail, boxed game sales for Windows (MacOS, too, but that’s still a very small share) have been declining for years now.
Today, we can slice it several ways. First, there’s distribution. People still buy boxed games, even if overall sales have been declining. Then there’s online distribution. Today, I get most of my games from Valve ’s Steam, a few from Stardock’s Impulse and a handful from Gamer’s Gate.
I still buy boxed games on occasion, recently indulging in the Collector’s Editions of Mass Effect 2 and Dragon Age: Origins. But for the most part, I’ve succumbed to the lure of online distribution. About the only thing I miss are manuals; PDF copies don’t cut it. I’m surprised that none of the distribution companies have offered print versions of the manual for a (small) fee. I’m sure buyers would take them up on it.
Another way to slice the pie is genre. We have classic AAA titles – almost all of which are now multiplatform. Then you’ve got the niche players, like Paradox Interactive, which focuses on PC based, deep strategy games – although it also looks like they’re moving into simulation territory as well. Indie developers have been getting good traction, too. Ironclad Studios did huge (for an indie publisher) sales of its excellent RTS Sins of a Solar Empire. Vic Davis’ Armageddon Empires and Solium Infernum have garnered strong reviews and appeal to people looking for a board-game like strategy game.
Then there are the games that most hard core gamers might disdain. They range from social gaming (Farmville, etc.) to lightweight, addictive casual games from Popcap. Most hard core gamers I know, when pressed, have spent a little time on such frothy fare as Plants versus Zombies or Zuma. Let’s also not forget the huge monster that are the Sims series – over 100 million and counting.
Let’s not forget the 9000 beast in the room: massively multiplayer online games. World of Warcraft may be the King, but other games have carved out profitable businesses with loyal followings. Lord of the Rings Online, Champions Online and others have a pretty significant audience in addition to that Blizzard monster. I know quite a few people who are also jumping into Star Trek Online. And let’s not forget that The Old Republic from the masters of RPG addiction, Bioware, isn’t that far off.
The Hardware Conundrum
Whenever you see sales figures for the console game business, those inevitably include hardware sales. On the other hand, PC game sales never include hardware. There is a certain logic to that. After all, PCs are used for a vast array of applications, and many PC users never go near a game.
On the other hand, I’ll maintain that almost no one buys a $200 graphics card and doesn’t use it to play games. I’d be happy if all the analysts would include the sales of GPUs ranging from the Radeon HD 5770 class and upwards in their PC gaming sales. The numbers for the PC gaming biz would look a little more substantial at that point.
The Dark Side
There are elements of PC gaming that conspire to prevent its success, however. Let’s take Ubisoft’s recent DRM debacle. In an effort which Bill Harris at Dubious Quality calls “Suicide by Cop,” Ubisoft has implemented DRM which requires the PC to be connected to the Internet 100% of the time. This is the latest in onerous DRM debacles which only serve to drive away the PC gaming audience. If sales of the PC version of Assassin’s Creed 2 and Silent Hunter V flop, Ubisoft can always blame piracy, not their own shortsightedness.
The PC platform itself is sometimes its own worst enemy. The variation in platform configurations – video cards + motherboards + audio + memory + power supplies – are too vast for any game company to adequately stress test. If a game runs well on 99% of the PC systems, that means it fails on tens of thousands of potential PCs.
PC Gaming Continues to Evolve
What’s clear is that PC gaming isn’t going to disappear. However, it will continue to evolve. There are new business models evolving (“freemium” games, social gaming) and new genres being explored. The PC is also has one of the lowest barriers to entry for newbie developers anxious to bring new ideas and gameplay experiments.
The PC gaming experience of old will only become a small subset of the overall PC experience. But if that’s all you expect from PC gaming, you might as well buy an Xbox 360 or PS3. If you do, though, you’ll miss out on a rich variety of experiences from an increasingly wide array of sources.
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MrGeek
March 17, 2010 at 5:54am
A wise man once said "PC's are made for gaming. Anything else is an excuse for April 15nth!" Amen brother! Preach on!
bikerbub
March 17, 2010 at 4:11am
I don't know about the agrement between Microsoft and Bungie, but since they split, i seriously doubt that there will be a halo3 for pc.
FirstPersonGentleman
March 16, 2010 at 10:17pm
Pretty much, the number of gamers seem to be decided by how many boxed copies of a game sole (and some times online buys). Really, the appeal of the console is that it's more uniform in a sense, the console was made just to play games if little else. I didn't game much on my PC in the early 90's/ 2000 because of my computers specs. I played quite a few games, Age of empires, Urban assult, sega games ported to PC (Like the PC version of comix zone and echo the dolphin), etc. It pretty much ended there, where games started making a bigger transition to 3D, and once agian my computer couldn't handle it. (On the PC cover I left the sticker which reads something like "Eye poping 3D graphics! You will be amazed at what this 2mb graphics card..." From there you get the idea) At the end of the day, I feel that computer gaming is superior. For example, I have Grand theft auto Sanandressas, and Fall out 3 for both PC and PS3 (PS2, in teh case of GTA)
They are both enjoyable on either PS3 or PC. Once you beat the game and tire of it, you could always mod it to your hearts content. (Both have huge communities and hundreds of mods)
Almost forgot to mention, the PC is a system where a game developer could create a game how he sees fit and distribute it as he pleases, with the people getting the game having a choice if they want to play it or not. Verses the consoles/handhelds where you have to pay for an exspensive SDK and the like.
chinomon
March 16, 2010 at 9:58pm
the only reason i haven't gotten assassin;s creed is because of the DRM
NOOBZ1LLA
March 16, 2010 at 8:55pm
console gamers are the "cool" guys. They have their "friends" over and play on their Wii's, while PC gamers are hunched in a dark corner somewhere.
All-in-all I think using a PC makes you smarter, and the problem solving makes your brain grow. A computer is more than just a gaming machine..
WindowsXP
March 17, 2010 at 8:54pm
console gamers are the "cool" guys. They have their "friends" over
and play on their Wii's, while PC gamers are hunched in a dark corner
somewhere.All-in-all I think using a PC makes you smarter, and the problem
solving makes your brain grow. A computer is more than just a gaming
machine..------------------
Gaming Computer(+3) +75 ATK (Shock). Tangled cords cause electric shocks to enemies.
20 Armor: Custom aluminum case.
+45 INT. Character gains 45 intelligence points when this item is equipped. +1.5x EXP multiplyer on "Tech" skills.
-30 CHAR. Character loses 30 charisma points when this item is equipped.
samduhman
March 17, 2010 at 8:34am
I thought you were serious but the more I reread it I see sarcasm in your first comment. I was going to rebuttal stating you ever hear of LAN parties and I don't hunch in my comfy office chair. :)
Deanjo
March 16, 2010 at 7:33pm
"On the other hand, I’ll maintain that almost no one buys a $200 graphics
card and doesn’t use it to play games."
Don't tell the Quadro / FireGL users that. You know, the group that subsidizes the gaming cards. Not to mention the various GPGPU users for their Folding/Encoding/etc. I would bet you take a look at any serious GPGPU user and you would find more "gaming cards" searching for Spock or the cure for cancer then you would in the most pimped out gaming rig. Sli / Crossfire isn't needed there but the more highend cards you can slap in the better.
ThornDawg
March 16, 2010 at 7:28pm
lol loved the image... i agree more people need to get out and proclaim to the developers we dislike DRM, get rid of it!
"You've been Sarge'd" - Sarge Red vs. Blue
WindowsXP
March 16, 2010 at 6:36pm
The PC platform itself is sometimes its own worst enemy. The variation
in platform configurations – video cards + motherboards + audio + memory
+ power supplies – are too vast for any game company to adequately
stress test. If a game runs well on 99% of the PC systems, that means it
fails on tens of thousands of potential PCs.
I think this is easily one of PC gamings biggest deterrents for potentinal adopters.
However, its what makes PC gaming absolutely unique.Most of my PC gaming history has been buying a game, tweaking hardware here or there, adding a new card, and so on. But, it was enjoyable. It didnt just plug and play, it gave me a formidable challange. And once you conqueor that area everything else is cake. (Conqueor as in knowing what forums to bug, what software works best with this and that, etc. I dont think one can entirely conqueor their own computer)
I think once you can get over this gap, PC gaming can be a wonderful and unique experience.
As for DRM: I think people need to send more angry emails, vote with their wallets more, and show a more active protest against it. The people who are affected by DRM are a small group, but if we can make a loud enough cry, or rather, action, they can learn why consumers dont like being treated like criminals. I never considered DRM a problem, because I never had a bad experience with it. Unil The Sims 3 came out, and it was unplayable because the key and expansions didnt think I was a legitimate buyer. I was beginning to think just using a cracked version would have been better, so I can actually enjoy what was rightfully mine. I did get a letter soon enough though, and they were supportive..Thank god. Making a game unplayable to a legitimate buyer isnt a good think.
Also seeing this article brings this image to mind:
Biturl'd because the URL gives the joke away.
I Jedi
March 16, 2010 at 6:18pm
Hey Loyd,
I liked your article; however, I have to say that I am rather getting tired of these articles about "IS PC GAMING OVER?!" PC gaming will never die because there will always be someone developing games for the platform, and like you said, Loyd, the PC platform is constantly shifting; moreover, many new markets are just beginning to unfold and take place.
The problem that I have always seen as PC gaming's worst enemy is the DRM issue. PC gamers, who pay for a game, are tired of being treated like scum, and being hit with ridicilous DRM, like Ubisoft's recent trick. I am a loyal PC gaming fan, but I don't appreciate having to put DRM on my system, especially since I know that people who illegally download the game do not have to put such content on their systems.
I think as time goes on, the console systems will continue to be more widely hacked by more and more people. I also believe that gaming disk for the PS3, Wii, and 360 will continue to get more and more widely ripped and distrbuted illegally to friends/neighbors; therefore, causing a loss in game sales to publishers. Oh, and game developers are fleeing to the console systems in the name of "piracy", but I find it ironic that piracy will catch up to them in just a few short years on these systems.
In short, PC gaming is not going anywhere, but we all have to accept that PC gaming is a constantly changing market, where as the console systems seem to have a steady market that continues to grow.
Metonymy
March 16, 2010 at 6:14pm
Clearly, you're looking at the big picture here, and certainly mentioned the complete open-endedness of the platform is critical, as you did.
But on a more personal level, I could never exist without a PC. One machine that is capable of performing with and interacting with all strata of technology, from early conception to finished result, is basically the centerpoint of my entire life. (I'm not ashamed) I consider all other forms of hardware to be nothing more than a inferior version of this primary device. With it being so indispensable, I struggling to see a world where the platform is abandoned completely.
In terms of gaming, the oddball that never gets mentioned is emulation. A PC is every form of hardware in existence, especially for games. Whether it is a matter of months or years, eventually every product is available on the PC.
ThornDawg
March 16, 2010 at 6:12pm
i totally agree with what you have to say. good article. it would be nice to see some true figures for the pc gaming market.
"You've been Sarge'd" - Sarge Red vs. Blue
Havok
March 16, 2010 at 5:49pm
I liked that '9000 beast' comment you made there. Heck, I enjoyed the whole article.
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