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Greetings Professor Falken, Shall We Play a Game?
There are two types of gamers in the world.
PC gamers and Video gamers.
PC gamers can own and enjoy a dedicated game console and Video gamers can have a lot of fun with a PC but it is just not possible to like them both the same amount. I myself am a console gamer who has been using PC and Macs since the early 80s. My first videogame experiences were on the Atari 2600 and the Colecovision. But I had friends and relatives who were into games on the PC such as Zork and Kings Quest. Both were fun but they were their own types of fun.
Now when I say "PC game" and I am not just talking about an Intel compatible personal computer that is a descendant from the original IBM PC running an Microsoft OS. I am talking about a programmable multi-purpose computer that can do every thing from write a letter to grandma, figure your tax return and download pornography from the Internet.
PC gamers are strange and fascinating creatures.
They can run DOS, OS/2, Windows, NT, Mac, Linux, Be OS, Amiga, Mac OS X, Net BSD, C-64 and what ever OS you can come up with and processors ranging from the Intel 8086 to the PowerPC G4.
They will put up with bugs, glitches, intentional incompatibility, driver issues, endless patches, worthless patches, OS software conflicts, all for the sake of playing a game.
They can spend $300 for a super cheap PC or break their piggy bank for the best of the best.
They can be off the assembly line pre-made engineered or they can be made from and assortment of salvaged parts that make MacGyver blush.
It seams that they have more things separating them than in common but they are all essentially PCs and people will find a way to play games on them.
This week I am going to be examining the hardware, software and culture that influence the world of PC gaming. This is not going to be the end all ultimate guide because as the world of PC gaming evolves it re-invents itself every couple of years. It will just be my 100 Yen.
Jake at June 9, 2003 
Games
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Comments
You underestimate the power of the hardcore gamer. :)
I own practically every console system released in the US, plus I keep a game PC, which I continually upgrade with better hardware.
I play games regardless of what platform they're on. I can leap from PC to Mac to GameCube to SNES to Xbox to PS2 to GBA without a single thought.
Posted by: jason at June 9, 2003 7:09 AM
Oh I know better than to underestimate hard core PC gamers. One of the things I want to write about is the 20/80 effect. Twenty percent of PC gamers buy 80% of the games. This is a mixed blessing.
Posted by: Jake at June 9, 2003 9:30 AM
There really is a huge difference between hardcore pc gamers and super hardcore console gamers like Jake. For example there is a huge hardware geek tweaker market out there where pc gamers are overclocking video cards and talking about pixel shaders and technical details where as most console gamers i talk to are really into talking about game play and game design...it is just that the topics are so much different between the two groups. Me, I am a pc gamer because i am spoiled by high resolution graphics displays and i hate playing games on a tv because it is really blurry compared to a XVGA monitor which is so clear that it almost approaches HDTV clarity. I find that pc gamers care more about graphics than console gamers do. The one advance that could steer me towards a console gaming system is the advent of component video out capability that will allow me to use my HD monitor to play video games like a giant pc monitor....55 inch monitor?....oh yeah baby!
Posted by: pete at June 9, 2003 10:39 AM
Count me in as one of the PC gamers. I own a PS/2 and 8 games. I played each of those 8 games for 2 solid weeks after buying them and then they sat on the shelf collecting copious amounts of dust. Besides fighting games, I prefer the PC for just about every type of game there is. Console RPGs like Final Fantasy might be the exception, but I enjoy the PC RPGs like Neverwinter Nights and the Baldur's Gate series just as much.
I put up with a certain amount of bugs with a PC, but I trade that for the expense of upgradeability. If I want a game to look better, I'll buy a new video card. If I want it to sound better, I'll buy a new sound card. I like the flexibility that PC games offer.
Posted by: Jeff at June 9, 2003 1:31 PM
You mean a Sony PS2 right? the PS/2 was an old PC from IBM.
http://www.8bitjoystick.com/archives/jake_psa_ps2_is_not_the_ps2.php
Posted by: Jake at June 9, 2003 1:35 PM
I am going to disagree. I believe that in most cases you are right. There are PC Gamers and there are Console Gamers. However, there are also hardcore gamers. Like myself. I own an almost equal amount of PC games as I do any on of my console systems. (Considering there are not as many PC games put out as there are console games) I upgrade my PC on a religious basis to make sure my PC can handle the bigger and better games that will be coming out in the next six months. I also own almost every U.S. Console system ever released. There are a few I have gotten rid of at this point due to lack of software, but I still own more than the average 'gamer.' I also play my console games religiously. If I am not at work I am either playing a console game or the PC. You can not tell me, you have to be one or the other. I'm not buying it.
Posted by: Mici at June 9, 2003 1:51 PM
Well you are an exception mici. I think there are two different tribes but i also notice that most people in general have some type of console gaming system...hmmmmm I think generally speaking that most people will play both but usually favor one or the other. You are pretty damn hardcore though.
Posted by: pete at June 9, 2003 4:21 PM
For me, the biggest difference between playing on a PC and playing on a console is that with a PC, I have to worry about things like HD space and install time, whereas with a console, I can just slap the game in and be good to go. And then there are the couch vs. office chair and controller vs. keyboard issues.
Whenever a game is available for everything, I'll usually end up getting the Xbox version. It's about on par with a PC's performance, I don't have to install anything and it's easier to get rid of the game if I don't like it. And there's always the allure of Xbox Live support.
Posted by: Evilninja at June 9, 2003 7:55 PM
Whoops, point taken. I didn't mean PS/2. Sorry - what a typo. Of course, I meant OS/2. Now that was an operating system. It played some killer games.
Posted by: Jeff at June 10, 2003 6:57 AM
