Why PC is the common gamer's perfect platform

Some people would complain how expensive PC gaming is and how complicated it can be when dealing with hardware and software issues. They believe PC is only for those who have cash to spend and consoles are better in the regard that it's user friendly and is not a luxury item like a gaming PC.

In the country where I came from, it is the reverse. Consoles are a luxury item and PC is the common man's gaming machine. There are tons of internet cafes and most of the people in those places are gamers. One does not need to buy a game nor own a PC and the fee per hour is freaking cheap. People play together in the same cafe and would have tons of fun. There would be shouting and cursing but there are also sections within the cafe where one is not allowed to shout or curse in case one wants to be in a quiet environment. Console gamers on the other hand are usually people who are from well to do families and they usually play alone. They may invite friends but they would usually just watch. I think this is also the same with some other Asian countries.

So in a sense, PC is the champion of the common gamer. While this may not be true for the Western countries, the fact that this kind of environment exists show how versatile PC is as a gaming machine.

Okay

I worry about pc. Currently steam is absolutely being flooded with early access games are very prices, it borders on scam level. The actual quality of most of the titles borders on wii shovelware.

Also other companies less- reputable than Valve have opened up digital shops with extortionate prices, well, well above physical priced games. In many cases now, double, even.

When people say PC gaming is cheap, for hardware it is indeed much cheaper. Software wise, it is in the danger zone. The **** meter is shooting up.

Thanks for sharing your opinions with us all.

Lack of split screen says no.

Coolio.

I would rather play games in the comfort of my own home. i play mostly single player game so internet cafes, LAN parties, etc are not for me.

Lived in China, Korea, then Russia for a year each as part of my job. I can confirm. I think the mentality of most cultures makes them like games like SC and DOTA more. It's hard to really explain. Americans, from my experience, due to their culture have a different perception of entertainment. Sitting back, relaxing, and gaming seems to be the norm. Games like TLOU and GTA don't really require skill. They are cinematic experiences that you can play while relaxing. Don't get me wrong, sometimes, games like that can be fun as shit.

In asian countries, most people go to cyber cafe's to game. When you're in one of those, surrounded by hundreds of clicking keyboards, it's not exactly stress free. Games like Starcraft, and Counter Strike, require WAY more concentration and effort, and so they work better in that setting I think.

How can you play split screen for strategy games? I'm not aware of any recent shooter game that has split screen. Don't you think it's neat that the people you're playing with are just near you? You can just say something instead of typing on your computer.

We're the same but I just stated my observation. I'm not actually the type who goes to Internet cafes. Makes me feel stress instead. But we all know the infamous stereotype of a PC gamer living in the basement. It seems to be the opposite for Asia. PC gamers are always with people.

billy bulls*it at it again.... more exposure to amatuer devs has its good and bad sides... not every game can be a gem.

regarding Digital download prices, this is rampant in consoles now too. I can get Persona 4 Gold on my ps vita on amazon for £10.... if I want it from sony its £35. plaeanty of other examples. but this is not a problem relevant to PC only.... greenman gaming practically has 20% off always. there are pleanty of 3rd party cd key websites (legit ones) that offer games for much cheaper.

Ever since I built a gaming PC, I spend 97% of my gaming sessions on it. It's fun as hell. My PS4 has been collecting serious dust unfortunately.. I still play TLoU multiplayer on my PS3 from time to time though.

it's a great platform, but not without its flaws.

personally, pc's my goto, if necessary i'd supplement it with consoles. thus far this gen i've quite disappointed with the consoles themselves, and their exclusive games.

and yeah, i love the utilitarian aspect of pc gaming.

Ah. That basement thing again. Fine. Here are some basements:

PC gaming is the absolute cheapest way to game if playing is your primary leisure activity. If you play games like the average person watches TV, PC gaming will save you hundreds of dollars a year. If however you are the sort who just wants to hop into a match or two twice a week, you would be better off with a console.

Fascinating. Simply fascinating.

As someone who use to pc game, id have to disagree with the notion of it being expensive firstly.

In my experience, console gaming has always cost me more money.

and while there were some great aspects of pc gaming, the biggest reason why i moved away from it was, simply, i just wasnt interested in the exclusive titles that were being released.

i love indies....but not to the extreme where they have come to dominate the pc library. I need AAA titles firstly, and the indies are a great side dish.

PC gaming is mad expensive and mad boring.

I 100% agree. Every game I was excited about is being pushed for early access now, which completely turns me off. Why release a buggy game and leave horrible impressions? Most people understand that it is a "beta" or something, but there should still be a standard. Games shouldn't be released until they're finished in my opinion. DayZ could of been great if it was released as a finished product, but I'm afraid the sales of that game has set a poor standard. I was really looking forward to The Forest, but I read it will be early access as well. *sigh*

People look at the initial cost of building a PC and think it's really expensive, but in reality, you'll end up spending more on a console in the long run on actual games. You cannot beat Steam sales and other various websites.

Same here. At least these days. Ten years ago, I found PC gaming more expensive. These days I think it's the best way to stretch a limited gaming budget, unless perhaps someone wanted to argue for legacy consoles.

That depends on if you wait for sales. I personally don't buy too many games on the release date.

Says the guy whose system is only known for interactive-movies and being last places in aaa/aa count. Press A to win.

It hardly depends on that. PC games go down in price more and faster.
Well yeah, OK, if you wait a year. But then you could also buy a year older hardware for PC. (i.e. a $1200 pc instead of a $1600 pc)

I'd say it also depends on what kind of PC system you're buying. I'd agree that a smartly purchased mid range PC is going to save money over a few years. If the same gamer is spending 2-3x as much on hardware, then the savings become less obvious. Of course as you mention, game prices can be another huge variable that changes from gamer to gamer.

Typical "I'm bad at games that require some sort of skill" comment.

You can just say something into a microphone.

@jun_aka_pekto said:

Ah. That basement thing again. Fine. Here are some basements:

I use my basement for console gaming

Not really, PC is for enthusiasts. Console is more towards general.

@uninspiredcup: skyrim, fallout Vegas, the witcher 2 , dues ex human revolution, arma 2 , bioshock infinite, tropico 4, outlast, penumbra 1,2,3 and amnesia dark descent and machine for pigs, sim city 4 ......

All of these games combined cost less than a typical ps4 or X box one game.

That is not the case in Asia. A lot of PC gamers don't even have the capacity to buy and own a PC. They just have to go to an internet cafe. If PC is only for enthusiasts, people who can't even afford a PC shouldn't have been able to become a PC gamer. That is why PC is more towards general.

Na, PC gaming is cheaper here in America as well. Well unless you are a casual who only buys a few games a year. Games are cheaper for PC and you don't have to pay to play online like on consoles.

Dude, are you sure that you know what splitscreen is? It's obviously local(!) multiplayer. What would be the point of splitting the screen while playing with people far away?

Nope. PC gaming is neither cheap nor easy. There's a big pricey pile of hardware to buy, a fair bit of knowledge needed, trial and error when configuring settings, ability to decipher techie forums when trying to solve encountered problems, and need to know technical requirements that change for every game.

Contrast with a console which is cheaper, once plugged in "Just Works" , and where there are no requirements or configuration needed.

If you have the money and the knowledge and are comfortable installing, configuring, changing settings, solving problems, being aware of requirements, upgrading different hardware parts, etc. Then by all means, a PC is better for that gamer. I have a gaming PC now and love it. I would never, ever in a million years suggest my casual gamer friends or family get one though. They can stick to Playstation and play the COD, Fifa, GTA, Street Fighter, Elder Scrolls games they want in the cheapest, easiest way.

Dude I freaking know what splitscreen is and it only uses one screen. Have you ever seen an RTS and MOBA that has splitscreen? I think not. Those genres require the entire screen which is why LAN parties exist.

In Asia especially in my country, PC gaming is cheap and easy. You don't need to buy and own a PC. You just have to go inside an internet cafe and pay per hour. Although knowledge of using a computer is needed I doubt there's any gamer who doesn't know how to use a computer. If there are technical problems with the computer you're using you just need to call the person working for the internet cafe and he'll fix it for you or transfer you to another computer. Once logged in "Just Works" and there are no requirements or configuration needed.

Contrast with a console which you have to buy (I admit there are also a few of these console cafes but they are much fewer) and when you've encountered a problem, you have to contact the console manufacturer.

@lordlors: Hhhmm.. looks like someone's blog. It's always nice to have opinions. There are thousands of Internet cafes in the U.S. It's not just in Eastern countries.

It's not an opinion. It's a fact. If somebody who doesn't even have the capacity to own a PC can be a PC gamer, then it follows that PC gaming is more accessible to the common man than console gaming is.

I'm scared that Steam may turn into the App store.

So The Forest will be done sometime in 2015. Without the early access program your only options would have been to buy it for full price sometime in 2015, or wait for a few months after it's release to buy it at a discount. Now thanks to Steam's early access program both those options are still on the table (along with a whole bunch of others you can choose if you change your mind) but the time line of the price drop has been substantially moved forward.

Games are now going on sale for half off when they are in beta. Heck Planetary Annihilation is half off today because it reached a development milestone. It isn't like these games will vanish from the market place once the early access period is done. Even if you hate the very idea behind this change, the people who benefit most from the early access program are those who refuse to take part in it. Why? Steam rewards the patient gamer with huge discounts. Early access has redefined the meaning of "patient gamer" to someone who waits until the game is in beta before they buy it. By the time it is finished it will have likely seen a 66% off sale already.

Seriously, please explain to me how that is something to complain about? Where is this downside you folks are seeing?

My friend, this is claptrap. Planetary Annihilation is being sold at £39.99, with the standard pc price being £29.99.

Perhaps you are new to pc gaming but, being an older gamer, I played titles like Quake 3 alpha in lan with my friends at the cost of £0. This concept of helping developers with alpha's and beta's is not new at all. The difference is, opportunistic fucks are now trying to take us for a ride as far as humanly possible.

I've personally posted on the steam forums, put up with fanboy bullshit and challenged the developers of various early access. The excuse is always "oh well, they kickstarted us, we have principles it would be fair on them, so we will overcharge everyone else". i.e. a pile of PR wank...

Also, Planetary Annihilation had a Kickstarter, like many "early access titles". It made fucking 2.2 million from it. It met it's stretch goals, well, well above what was asked. Much like Wastleand 2 and other other titles people funded out of good will. Now they have the money, suddenly and magically, that goodwill dissipates.

I don't give a shit about your forest game or "oh it's on a steam sale and therefor cheap for 20 minutes". Steam is getting flooded with wiiware level shit like WarZ, fucking 30 days to whatever, we are a Dayz clone, money give.

Aside from everything mentioned above, it allows them to avoid critical reviews since it's "unfinished" to the point Valve themselves are now having to actually take down games because they aren't even on the level of a Halflife 2 mod some little dickhead 14 year old could make at the weekend.

It's shit!

mate is that deal still available?

would you kindly let me know where that deal is available please? google's coming up empty.

In a PC cafe, someone buys the hardware and does all the work for you. That's fine, I can see how that'd be easy and fun for casual gamers.

http://store.steampowered.com/app/233250/

My guess is it is US only, and you and UC are not from the US.

First: See the link above. Second: I have been PC gaming since back when Xcom was challenging. Third, everything you posted ignored the facts that you can opt out of early access by simply waiting, and that most early access games go on sale well before they are wrapped up. This means folks who only buy "finished" games are going to get to buy at a larger discount earlier then ever. Sorry if the EU (a guess, no offense if I miss the mark) sale hasn't hit for PA yet, but don't pretend it won't come long before the game is "done".

Finally: Who cares about War Z? Don't buy games you know nothing about from developers you have never even heard of on the day they come out, and you have no problem. We live in an age where breaking gaming news is available 24/7/365. Spend two minutes looking into something before you buy it and you have zero worries. Only people who buy completely blind get burnt. Heck with Steam Reviews up, the worst aspects of every game are displayed on the same page you click purchase.

@kittennose: OK i can see a 40% off deal. that's still pretty good, I'll think about it. we've got a good exchange rate against the US dollar, so that helps. thanks dude.

Yeah I looked at the price not the percentage. Sorry about that, and glad to be of service. Ram an asteroid into a planet for me!