The future of PC gaming - 2009 edition

[Asher]

What website is that you're quoting? I've not seen it cited before.

[El_Cid]

It's gamasutra.....you dont know it? it's one of the industry sites - quite a good one too, you should read it

[Asher]

Why should I bother -- it's clearly all you read and you're probably second only to LOTM on being out of touch with the gaming world realities. Coincidentally, he's also a fan of gamasutra.

[DrSpike]

I think that the most important thing is revenue....or maybe not....I'm not quite sure.

[Nikolai]

[El_Cid]

It's not my fault that gama posts some great articles

http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=22314

Talking about 'Indies', something close to my heart. As a concept i'm all in favour, even when it morphs into the 'casual'(card-game/hidden game/bubble pop rip off game) and enters the murky world of the console - people need to make money where they can i suppose

Why? well variety, diversity - like a good eco-system you need those key elements to avoid disaster. I find that very applicable to the world of gaming. So yeah i'm a big fan of 'indie' gaming......whatever that actualy means these days. Oh and the PC(Mac) is a great platform for it, the only free fully creative platform

[Asher]

If you cared about indie gaming, you'd have a 360 and be playing the XNA/Arcade games. That's where the bulk of the indy gaming is these days.

If you understood the concept of "good eco-system", you'd see why they've moved to consoles. I can't remember the last time there was a genuinely good creative indy game on the PC, but there's been many on XBLA/XNA.

[snoopy369]

I'm fairly sure you know you are massively exaggerating there, Asher. There are plenty of good examples of good, creative games on PCs. World of Goo, for one example just off the top of my head...

I'm not sure I'd be willing to agree that "the bulk" of indie gaming occurs on XBLA yet (the count is simply not there, in part due to longevity), though it's certainly possible that more high quality new games are being created there than on the PC at the present point... but it's so hard to get those actual numbers (particularly because "good games" or "high quality" are highly subjective). You undermine your own argument by entirely blowing off PC indie games, which certainly still exist, and you simply demonstrate that you're either intentionally misrepresenting the facts, or your knowledge of them is inferior, by suggesting otherwise.

[Asher]

I'm fairly sure you know you are massively exaggerating there, Asher. There are plenty of good examples of good, creative games on PCs. World of Goo, for one example just off the top of my head...

So you could identify 1 game, which also happens to be a console game, as your one and only example?

I'm not sure I'd be willing to agree that "the bulk" of indie gaming occurs on XBLA yet (the count is simply not there, in part due to longevity), though it's certainly possible that more high quality new games are being created there than on the PC at the present point... but it's so hard to get those actual numbers (particularly because "good games" or "high quality" are highly subjective).

Not just XBLA, but XNA as well. That is a very important distinction.

You undermine your own argument by entirely blowing off PC indie games, which certainly still exist, and you simply demonstrate that you're either intentionally misrepresenting the facts, or your knowledge of them is inferior, by suggesting otherwise.

Which good PC-only indy games have come out recently? World of Goo is also available on -- and last I checked, most purchased on -- a console.

[Dis]

PC gaming is pretty much dead (unless you include games that are intended to be ported), but mmorpg's still reign supreme. But how long until a game such as wow tries the console market?

[Asher]

There's several console MMOs in development.

[El_Cid]

I've come across a few award worthy PC indie games today

Dyson(free full version) - you just need to click the 'updated to version 1.01' link i think, slightly confusing

http://www.indiegames.com/blog/2008/06/freeware_game_pick_dyson_alex.html

Osmos(Demo of a few levels available) - kinda like the early stage of spore, nicely done:

http://www.hemispheregames.com/osmos/

Blue Lacuna - gamasutra article with links to the game. It's a free full download interactive novel:

http://gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=22265

direct link:

http://lacunastory.com/

Of those i've only had a blast at the last one, Blue Lacuna; and well it was interesting enough for me to pencil it in for some proper playtime this weekend - there might be something for everyone here

The other two games just came recomended and look interesting.

[snoopy369]

World of Goo was an indie PC game hit. The Wii release was irrelevant, as far as I'm concerned, even if it sold ten million copies. You asked for one, and I provided it... no, I don't know any others, because I don't really play indie games. You said none, and I provided the lone needed counterexample Note that it was a HUGE hit, not just a small one; it hit #10 on the NPD retail sales list the week after it was released at retail - well AFTER it was available (for months) as a download.

In any event, I don't necessarily disagree with the basic point you're making... I'm just saying that you do yourself more harm than good when you exaggerate to the point that you have.

[Asher]

World of Goo was an indie PC game hit. The Wii release was irrelevant, as far as I'm concerned, even if it sold ten million copies. You asked for one, and I provided it... no, I don't know any others, because I don't really play indie games. You said none, and I provided the lone needed counterexample Note that it was a HUGE hit, not just a small one; it hit #10 on the NPD retail sales list the week after it was released at retail - well AFTER it was available (for months) as a download.

In any event, I don't necessarily disagree with the basic point you're making... I'm just saying that you do yourself more harm than good when you exaggerate to the point that you have.

I didn't exaggerate at all. Once again, someone on this site fails to read what is written.

What I very clearly said was:

I can't remember the last time there was a genuinely good creative indy game on the PC

That is NOT the same thing as saying "there are none". This is NOT an exaggeration, it's a statement very clearly specific to my memory and that was made very clearly in the wording. The fact that the one title you could mention was more successful as a console release doesn't prove your point, either.

Are you all working together to fail at basic reading comprehension here to piss me off, is it a massive coincidence?

[snoopy369]

As I said, you either lied/exaggerated, or don't know anything about PC gaming. I leave it to you to tell me which.

Not knowing of a MAJOR hit in indie gaming that became a hit in the last few months, and WAS ON THE NPD CHARTS, not to mention having a thread in this very forum, implies one or the other...