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Ken Levine's latest dive 'n' demolish may have sold a gajillion of its umpteen-rapscillion units on consoles, but the brainy developer's true colors show right through his newfound wall of green. So, though it may be irrational, Levine is a PC man through and through.
"I wish the industry could find a way to make PC gaming more broadly successful. There are so many challenges for PC gaming--the complications from systems specifications to the drivers--most people look at PC games and say, 'What are you talking about?'" Levine replied when asked about his opinion on the industry's "biggest mistake."
"It's a shame because as a gamer, I am never more comfortable than I am sitting with a mouse and keyboard two inches away from my monitor."
Seems like a bunch of developers echo that sentiment -- which is great -- but can anyone other than Valve and Blizzard actually do something about it? What's your take?
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hammerfell
December 04, 2008 at 8:21am
i think developers are making some killer games for pc but those games are also coming out for consoles and therefore aren't doing anything special as far as pc gaming goes. also another thing that kinda kills pc is that most parents would rather buy an "xbox" or a "playstation" cause they know what it is and they know it's a good gift. your not going to go wrong buying one of those for your kids but if you go out and buy a crappy 200 dollar comp that doesn't do anything or play any games then that's a different story. on top of that all the computers that are labeled "gaming" computers cost WAY more than consoles do. i think computer companies need to start making basline gaming comps that aren't monster machines but are simply a cheaper processor, with a decent graphics card(76 or 8600 maybe) and a good amount of ram. just base line stuff so that parents have something to buy with out really knowing what they're buying. consoles are basically the easy way out. eventually though i think there will be no difference. once everyone becomes somewhat computer literate that whole oh hey why don't i buy a "playstation" or "xbox" will go away. all we need to do is have pc survive until then and keep making better hardware than the consoles and always being a step ahead.
Spider-Mom
December 04, 2008 at 3:38am
well teh buddy thing is a big part of it for sure. Being able to play with people in your living room is fine. It suits the pourpose of socializing with your firends almost more than it does for simply gaming.
Ive read reports that when parents play games with their kids on colsose its strengthens their bond and is kind of like that fishing with dad thing.
PC people are MUCH more connected to one another over the internet than people on consoles are. That might changes tho with the next generation. The hardware for that is all there but the openes of the PC with apps like Xfire and Steam reign supreme rite now.
Furthermore, PCs are becoming more and more like consoles and consoles are becoming more and mroe like PCs. After a few more generations what will even be the point to a console? It would be better if everyone just bought PCs and we could come yp with some sort of GOOD consolified standardization. It will say that were going to make games for THIS hardware. A PC with this hardware will cost as much as a console used to. If you want to buy MORE hardware that is optional but you will benafit from it.
I think thats the fate of this hole thing. You can package and prdouce and market PCs the same as you can a console. Were seeing more of that now with PCs gaining more dominance in stores liek Best Buy. Smaller gamming rigs with LEDs and bigger heat sinks ar everywehre. After a while consoles are going to seem like a pretty silly idea. Unless of course you happen to be Nintendo. They wont phucken go anywhere.
b3ar
December 03, 2008 at 11:20pm
cater to different types of gamers. Consoles are for those guys who have a buddy or two over and play competitive games like sports or street racing or fragfests. Good for those guys.
PC gamers, on the other hand, are more...I dunno...they want more out of their games. More story, more entertainment. PC gamers will read the flavour text and search for more, while console gamers will spasm their thumbs hitting the x button to scroll past it.
If you have to divide gamers into two camps, that is. Most hard-core gamers have several consoles AND a computer or two...or at least aspire to.
s3th
December 03, 2008 at 9:37pm
Yea I think it would be nice if their were more companies out there to create bigger and better games, even though I have a hard time keeping up with whats out now, their could be a whole lot more to choose from.
