Posted 08/26/08 at 03:00:00 PM by Thomas McDonald

So is PC gaming hosed? That seems to be the case for games that a) are not massively multiplayer, b) don’t have “Sims” in the title, or c) aren’t played by your mom.

But it’s not really as dire as all that. Mass Effect actually made it to number 2, and Sins of a Solar Empire to number 9, on the current NPD PC sales charts.

Those numbers, however, don’t reflect where PC owners are really gettin’ their game on: with casual games. Remember when you would say you were a PC gamer and people would say, “Yeah, me too,” and you’d ask what they played, and they’d say, “Minesweeper and Solitaire.” And you’d chuckle. Good times!

More after the jump.

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casual, bejeweled, Thomas McDonald, game theory, Crysis, Assassin's Creed, columns, sons of minesweeper, casual games

Posted 07/17/08 at 07:45:05 PM by Thomas MacDonald

Watching Grand Theft Auto IV rack up the highest recorded sales in gaming history was one of the most disappointing things I’ve witnessed in 17-plus years of covering this hobby. (PC gamers should get a crack at the game this fall.) If the gaming press is to be believed, GTA4 is simply the greatest game ever made.

Find out just how wrong they are after the jump.

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game theory, grand theft auto, columns, gta, thomas halfhill

Posted 06/30/08 at 02:26:18 PM by Thomas MacDonald

We’re at a point in history when, if gamers are to maintain credibility, we need to acknowledge both the good and bad in our passion. Grand Theft Childhood ($25, Simon & Schuster) by Lawrence Kutner and Cheryl K. Olson is a fair and comprehensive study of games and violence, and we would do well to pay attention to its conclusions.

Those conclusions, and Tom's own, after the jump.

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gaming, Thomas McDonald, game theory, columns, video game violence, shooters, kids

Posted 06/23/08 at 07:32:04 PM by Thomas MacDonald

Have you heard the one about the 3,500 research studies that show a positive relationship between media violence and violent behavior? It’s an old cudgel often used to bludgeon the gaming industry in the debate about violent games.

Click 'Read On' to see the rest of the column.

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children, grand theft auto, violence, video game violence, gta

Posted 04/29/08 at 03:23:38 PM by Thomas McDonald

PC Gaming Alliance is long on buzzwords, short on ideas.

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column, game theory, pcga

Posted 03/25/08 at 12:15:52 PM by Thomas McDonald

The Independent Games Festival is chock-full of inventive indie fare.

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game theory, portal, developers, indie, igf

Posted 02/27/08 at 07:20:25 PM by Thomas McDonald

2007 was the gaming's best year ever. And even though a lot of the gains were in the console realms, PC users should still rejoice.

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game of the year, games, 2007, best year ever

Posted 01/30/08 at 03:20:57 PM by Thomas McDonald

Unreal Tournament 3 brings some delicious new innovations to the multiplayer shooter genre.

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Thomas McDonald, FPS, game theory, multiplayer gaming, unreal tournament 3, ut3