PC Gaming Dies Again: Part 2

Last week I put on my pink Pundit Cap (I have a yellow one too!)and discussed the current state (and possible future of) PC gaming. I concluded that the PC games industry will remain the resilient industry that it is, supported by innovative studios, indie developers, a dedicated hardcore audience and a growing mainstream market. The PC has fallen on rough times before but it has always remained the stalwart gaming platform for savvy gamer.

In terms of revenue potential and exposure, however, I'm afraid the consoles still have the upper hand on personal computers. As always, I have a little anecdote that (hopefully) illustrates this reality. Hit the jump for the full goods!

I have been a staunch supporter of PC gaming for years, reveling in the broad variety and innovation that seemed to thrive in the industry during the '80s and '90s. Ironically, I have never owned a cutting-edge gaming rig, always lagging behind the curve by a good two or three years. Despite my hardware deficiencies, there was never a shortage of worthy games to play. When a system-crunching blockbuster came knocking on my door, I only needed a minor upgrade and a few config file tweaks to get up to speed on the latest & greatest.

I'm older now with a lot more money to back my gaming habits, yet on the flip side, I have less time and less patience to deal with all the fringe activities related to PC gaming. Things like installing patches, upgrading hardware and optimizing performance settings are all things that I used to endure as my means to enjoying the best in electronic entertainment. Back in college, I didn't mind troubleshooting my Voodoo video cards or installing a new set of RAM into my aging rig. Nowadays, I can't be bothered. I'm always working out the time/effort ratio of fussing over my PC just so I can play a new game. These days, I just want to plug and play.

I was at an impasse prior to buying my Xbox 360. My current PC was still capable of playing recent titles but it was fast becoming a dinosaur in the face of quad-core processors and physics-processing cards. I knew I could throw wad of cash into upgrades or even a wholesale system replacement but the sensible part of my brain resisted.

"Whoa there, Mac. The computer you have now does everything you really need it to do. You can do your design work, surf the web, get your e-mail and download your pr0n. And now you're considering dropping more than a grand on upgrades just to play the newest games for the next year?"

Ten years ago, that sensible part of my brain would be have smacked down by my gamer's passion. Today, I admit defeat and take the path of least resistance.

In the end, I just want to sit down and get lost inside a great game. Each successive generation of game consoles have brought them closer and closer to the sophistication of PCs, yet still maintaining that ease of use that appeals to not only the "mainstream", but lazy old dogs like me.

Eventually, I will upgrade my PC to keep pace with the next phase of game releases. After all, I will need to play Spore the moment it hits store shelves, whenever the hell that may be. For now, I feel like I've picked a winning horse in the Xbox 360 and plan to use it as my main gaming system for a long time to come.