Author Topic: If the following isn't proof that PC gaming is dying, then what is... (Read 3511 times)

Mondain · « **on:** March 28, 2008, 12:39:24 AM »

It was pretty striking at the local Toys 'R Us. There is a small section with about seventy of the latest and biggest PC game releases. And just aside, there is a section just as big with nothing but seventy different copies of the World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade expansion.

Yes it's just a casual gaming store with a younger audience, but it's obvious that PC games keep losing prominence and important shelve space every year.

Howard Alan Treesong · « **Reply #1 on:** March 28, 2008, 12:42:36 AM »

sounds like proof WoW rules, foo

Joe Molotov · « **Reply #2 on:** March 28, 2008, 12:43:43 AM »

My Toys R Us has always had this shelf of about 10 PC games, and this was even like 15 years ago when PC games were actually popular. I remember, it had a little spot next to the Game.com, and I'm pretty sure the Game.com's was bigger.

CajoleJuice · « **Reply #3 on:** March 28, 2008, 12:43:48 AM »

Every PC developer should just work on WoW expansions.

Raban · « **Reply #4 on:** March 28, 2008, 12:44:29 AM »

Quote from: CajoleJuice on March 28, 2008, 12:43:48 AM

Every PC developer should just work on WoW expansions.

Then they'd actually come out on time. Can't have that.

They need to make WoW 2, the graphics are fucking terrible, only thing keeping me from playing consistently again. Game is just so damn ugly, just make it like Guild Wars level, at LEAST

Mondain · « **Reply #5 on:** March 28, 2008, 12:47:43 AM »

In this town there's a Future Shop where I remember having bought a copy of Lands of Lore 2 some ten years ago. Back then if my memory serves me correctly there were about ten large shelves full of PC game releases. Now in that same Future Shop, PC games occupy only one, the back shelf of the gaming section, with about 12-13 shelves of console stuff that obscure it.

demi · « **Reply #6 on:** March 28, 2008, 12:54:33 AM »

It shows that PC devs are starting to veer towards Digital Distro now, which is equally as shitty

Joe Molotov · « **Reply #7 on:** March 28, 2008, 12:57:04 AM »

I remember this one store, Hastings, used to do PC game rentals. Good times.

Mondain · « **Reply #8 on:** March 28, 2008, 12:58:57 AM »

damn, me ten years ago, renting PC games like Gabriel Knight II, Titanic An Adventure out of time, and Interstate '76... good times, good times

Raban · « **Reply #9 on:** March 28, 2008, 01:01:01 AM »

Interstate '76 was off DA BOMB TIP, yo.

Shuri · « **Reply #10 on:** March 28, 2008, 01:28:44 AM »

pc gaming isnt worth it anymore.

Fragamemnon · « **Reply #11 on:** March 28, 2008, 02:28:13 AM »

Quote from: Shuri on March 28, 2008, 01:28:44 AM

pc gaming isnt worth it anymore.

some of us can't get our fix anywhere else. the platform, for all of its faults, still sports a game library that not just has exclusive titles, but entire game genres.

I can't console game, the lack of real manly man strategy titles alone is a deal breaker.

Rman · « **Reply #12 on:** March 28, 2008, 03:00:56 AM »

I agree. Some genres like strategy titles are unplayable on console. I like keyboard and mouse for those especially. And I personally don't think PC gaming will die. There will be increased multi-platform development, but there is a dedicated demographic of PC gamers that still buys software. I don't think development houses like Valve, Blizzard, Epic, and Id will ever abandon the PC.

MrAngryFace · « **Reply #13 on:** March 28, 2008, 03:52:41 AM »

WoW is awesome and I will follow it to the gates of hell.

Sides, getting nostalgic for games 10 years ago isnt nearly oldskool enuff. If you arent pimpin Apogee Demo Discs you fail at PC gaming

CajoleJuice · « **Reply #14 on:** March 28, 2008, 03:59:19 AM »

Yea, 10 years ago is fuckin Starcraft. That seems so recent...

...where the fuck does the time go.

The main thing I miss about having a decent PC is RTS games. CoH

MrAngryFace · « **Reply #15 on:** March 28, 2008, 04:04:36 AM »

Yeah I was talking to a co-worker about Windows versions and i thought back to how long its been since XP came out and I felt old, and felt older when I thought back to 95 upgrade from 3.1

CajoleJuice · « **Reply #16 on:** March 28, 2008, 04:13:23 AM »

Even I remember that. $:-\$

MrAngryFace · « **Reply #17 on:** March 28, 2008, 04:13:54 AM »

we're old

CajoleJuice · « **Reply #18 on:** March 28, 2008, 04:15:01 AM »

wtf

damn kids don't even know what a floppy is anymore

and i remember when they were ACTUALLY FLOPPY

MrAngryFace · « **Reply #19 on:** March 28, 2008, 04:19:12 AM »

APPLE IIE HOLY FUK NUMBER MUNCHER SHIT GOIN DOWN OMG IBM LESIURE SUIT LARRY OMG SPACE QUEST JESUS FUCKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKK CRASHED MY CAR GOIN TO DONUT SHOP POLICE QUEST FUK U

Rman · « **Reply #20 on:** March 28, 2008, 04:19:37 AM »

5.5s. I remember those. Thank god 3.5s are dead. I lost so much work in junior high school on those damn things. By high school I just emailed papers to my hotmail (LOL) account. Hotmails servers were much more reliable than those damn things.

Joe Molotov · « **Reply #21 on:** March 28, 2008, 04:20:50 AM »

Quote from: You know.. on March 28, 2008, 03:52:41 AM

WoW is awesome and I will follow it to the gates of hell.

Sides, getting nostalgic for games 10 years ago isnt nearly oldskool enuff. If you arent pimpin Apogee Demo Discs you fail at PC gaming

They're not demos, they're SHAREWARE!

(I never shared any of mine.

)

MrAngryFace · « **Reply #22 on:** March 28, 2008, 04:21:09 AM »

I remember 3.5s being on the list of school shit. God damn I hated back to school shopping. Its like shopping with the firing squad for the gun theyre gonna shoot you with.

MrAngryFace · « **Reply #23 on:** March 28, 2008, 04:23:36 AM »

Well a good 2% of PC gamers buy games, and we're all in this thread.

CajoleJuice · « **Reply #24 on:** March 28, 2008, 04:27:13 AM »

Even I still buy games! Orange Box and Audiosurf in the past 6 months.

Van Cruncheon · « **Reply #25 on:** March 28, 2008, 04:30:09 AM »

i'll be honest: if i can't play it on high-ish settings + 4x AA/AF minimum @ 60 fps on my EX6850 + 8800GTX rig, i'm probably not gonna bother

Smooth Groove · « **Reply #26 on:** March 28, 2008, 04:38:01 AM »

I buy my PC games even though they can be easily downloaded. PC needs all the support. It's not a dead platform yet, unlike the PSP.

PC gaming isn't going to die. There're too many people that still game on PCs. Even with piracy problems, many companies are still able to make money.

Co-developing PC games with PS3/360 is also cheap and easy enough that the bigger multiplatform publishers are going to keep doing it.

Also, no self-respecting PC gamer buys PC games at Toys R Us anyways.

Quote from: Professor Prole on March 28, 2008, 04:30:09 AM

i'll be honest: if i can't play it on high-ish settings + 4x AA/AF minimum @ 60 fps on my EX6850 + 8800GTX rig, i'm probably not gonna bother

That's a major reason why many PC gamers, including myself, still enjoy gaming on the PC. It's really the only option if you like gaming with high resolution, good IQ, and fast framerates.

The PS3/360 are touted as being so powerful yet they can barely handle 30fps at 720P.

Mondain · « **Reply #27 on:** March 28, 2008, 08:14:54 AM »

these days I'll play the occasional game on PC and a bunch of nice exclusives, but most of the times I can't be arsed with a more complex menu and a mouse/keyboard interface... when you decide to play a game often you don't have much time and don't feel like doing anything, and the conveniency of just sitting on a couch, taking a gamepad, inserting a game disc to play and admiring a huge screen is more important than anything else

and of course I virulently hate clickfests, MMORPGs and RTS'es, so that removes a whole lot of the attractive PC gaming content

Eric P · « **Reply #28 on:** March 28, 2008, 09:23:08 AM »

Quote from: You know.. on March 28, 2008, 03:52:41 AM

WoW is awesome and I will follow it to the gates of hell.

Sides, getting nostalgic for games 10 years ago isnt nearly oldskool enuff. If you arent pimpin Apogee Demo Discs you fail at PC gaming

demo discs?

you mean trolling BBS's for the latest demos?

GilloD · « **Reply #29 on:** March 28, 2008, 12:18:37 PM »

Mondain, you have to remember that far more of the PC market is leaning towards digital distro. than in the console markets. There is less and less of a reason for a big inventory, brick and mortar shop like TRU to carry a stock of PC software.

T234 · « **Reply #30 on:** March 28, 2008, 12:42:03 PM »

Quote from: Professor Prole on March 28, 2008, 04:30:09 AM

i'll be honest: if i can't play it on high-ish settings + 4x AA/AF minimum @ 60 fps on my EX6850 + 8800GTX rig, i'm probably not gonna bother

I wish I made cash money :'(

I obviously ain't gonna make any money as a programmer

spoiler (click to show/hide)

I kick ass in my Cisco classes though, and that IS what I'm doing alongside Unix admin stuff as well.

[close]

Eric P · « **Reply #31 on:** March 28, 2008, 12:58:02 PM »

Quote from: T234 on March 28, 2008, 12:42:03 PM

spoiler (click to show/hide)
I kick ass in my Cisco classes though, and that IS what I'm doing alongside Unix admin stuff as well.
[close]

cisco stuff is fun and aweomse

damn shame i'm doing essentially customer fucking service

Mondain · « **Reply #32 on:** March 28, 2008, 01:17:41 PM »

Quote from: GilloD on March 28, 2008, 12:18:37 PM

Mondain, you have to remember that far more of the PC market is leaning towards digital distro. than in the console markets. There is less and less of a reason for a big inventory, brick and mortar shop like TRU to carry a stock of PC software.

just how many people, especially casuals, are just completely oblivious to digital distribution or unwilling to mess with it, give their credit card number online, or to buy anything else than hard copies... I don't buy that kind of argument

digital distribution like Steam is a force to be reckoned with, but there's no denying that this is a fading market

APF · « **Reply #33 on:** March 28, 2008, 04:23:44 PM »

The PC / desktop computer isn't going anywhere as a games platform in general; it's the hardcore gaming market--which appears to be a dwindling base regardless of platform--that's dying. Casual games, browser-based games, etc,--these will still be played by an extremely large userbase.

News:

Author Topic: If the following isn't proof that PC gaming is dying, then what is... (Read 3511 times)