Are computer (PC) games dying?

[JohnT]

(possibly long and rambling)

I went to Best Buy yesterday, thinking about getting a new PC game to carry me through to whenever Master of Orion 3 is coming out. Imagine my dismay when I see less shelving for PC games, with more Playstation/X-box games crowding onto the PC game shelf.

It used to be that PC games commanded 3+ full shelves, both sides, at Best Buy - now they cannot even fill up a single shelf. I remember 4+ years ago when the Christmas edition of Computer Gaming World (or PC Gamer) was over 400 pages in size... this years PC Gamer barely broke 150. Many companies are now releasing their PC games as an afterthought to the consoles - I believe even Blizzard is releasing the new Starcraft game as a console only game! (NOOOOOO!!!!!)

My story is probably very typical of the average PC gamer - I'm 35 and have been playing computer (well, microprocessor-based) games since my first Sears Pong box back in 1975. Atari, Colecovision, Mattel handhelds, I've played them all. I got my first PC back in 1990, bought Civilization, and never looked back. But now I have kids, career, family, and very little free time to spend at the computer - and when I do, I usually end up on the net. I just don't play the things like I used to, and when I do I find that going back to Civ2 or Starcraft or SimCity 3k more than suffices to cover my gaming desires. This past year I bought 2 (ONLY 2) games - Civ 3, and Unreal Tournament 2003, whereas in past years I have bought maybe 20-30 games.

I also find the games derivative. The two games I bought this year were sequels, the game I'm looking forward to (MOO3) is the third iteration of that game, and RPG's, no matter how pretty they are (NWN, Morrowind), are still just RPG's. (And who has 100+ hours to dedicate to a single game anyway)? I'm looking at the December issue of PC Gamer and out of 4 "scoops", all of them are sequels, 13 out of 20 reviews were for sequels and expansion packs (and this is for the CHRISTMAS issue!!! You'd think there'd be a hell of a lot more than 20 games to be reviewed!) In other words, a full 65% of the games being developed are dependent upon old coding and already developed "rules." And what good ideas there are breaks down under faulty coding or lack of playtesting (Black and White, anyone?)

So, are PC games dying? I agree that the market was pretty bloated around 1995-1998, but I'm seeing signs of true stagnation in the PC game market and I was wondering what your all's opinion was? I read somewhere that PC game sales actually fell for the first time since the early 1990's, fell by more than 12%. Are we becoming a niche market?

[red_jon]

I don't think so. PC games do go throuh lull periods, especially when a new, imressive console comes out, but it's the only computer games medium which ever survives.

Consoles don't last anywhere near as long as they used to. The SNES and Mega Drive (Genesis) didn't go obselete for ages.

[Urban Ranger]

I think it is cyclical. Just like you, I bought only 2 games last year - Civ 3 and Capitalism 2, both are sequels. The derivative nature of the games is a bit discouraging. Next year could be better.

[Guynemer]

I had the same experience when I went to Best Buy a couple days ago to return a pair of Gamecube games--PS2 & XBox games had invaded the PC shelving. However, keep in mind that PC games now come in much smaller packaging, and they require less space.

I'm not sure if PC Games are dying, but there is no doubt that my favorite genres are--adventure and TBS. There hasn't been a great adventure for a few years (GK3 or The Longest Journey, although I hear Syberia is good), and Civ3 just doesn't measure up to SMAC. If MOO3 is a disappointment, well... just wouldn't be a good sign.

[pg]

i think they have been on the down swing for a while(maybe for a few yrs since the dotcom burst) but i don't think they'll ever be really replaced, unless something better than consoles come along. each year it seems there are less and less original ideas and more and more sequels or rip offs. it's not that this is really that bad, no really it's not, it's just that the sequels are hardly ever better than the originals and rarely improve upon the gameplay(other than a handful of tweaks/features).

i have to admit though that after looking at some history it seems to be about the same. snes really had tons of nes rips offs w/ just updated gfx being a standout example as how things were, and are going to continue to be. just look at how many gameboy games nintendo is selling of old rehashed snes ports! i think gaming is growing so fast and the demand is so great that quantity outways quality in many instantances.

gaming still has sky as the limit though - it might seem as if things are slowing down but if you take a look back at gaming's history i think things are and will continue to keep moving faster and faster.

The Scratchware Manifesto
Phase One: Prelude To Revolution

The machinery of gaming has run amok.

is an interesting read on sorta this same subject.

[Jaakko]

I don't think PC games are dying, they're just changing. I predict there will be a lot more small guerrilla publishers around in the future, who can make games unhindered by the ignorant marketing suits found in the big companies.

[pg]

Originally posted by Jaakko
I don't think PC games are dying, they're just changing. I predict there will be a lot more small guerrilla publishers around in the future, who can make games unhindered by the ignorant marketing suits found in the big companies.

i hope this happens. it talks about this some in that article i linked. if you look at books, music, hell even movies, you'll see that the these forms of entertainment are considered art and the artist is given much more leeway. sure there are still lots of purely money makers in books, music, but there are also many more weird and niche audience products compared to gaming. to find niche games you have to search the inet and dl old games, or find open source games, etc. i'm sure this will change over time though, and i personally can't wait until it does.

[SpencerH]

I dont see PC-only games dying completely, but as the consoles become more and more PC-like in their abilities the big time publishers will shift to consoles. I think that future Microprose and Blizzard titles will be PC games played on a console.

[Jaakko]

Combat Mission is IMO the best example of what can be achieved in the PC gaming scene, if the authors of the game have free reign to do what they want.

[Zkribbler]

Computer games are dying...

In the two malls nearest me, the computer game stores have decreased from three to one. And in that one (Planet X), the computer games have retreated from taking up 3/4 of the store, to the back shelf and a small display of close-outs.

I mark the beginning of the end with the introduction of Windows 95. DOS games were game oriented. With the introduction of Windows 95, the emphasis passed from creating good games to focusing on good graphics. The games were nice to look at, but they tended to be boring or bug filled.

Also, with all those graphics, games started to cost much more to create. Thus, game makers began looking for "safe bets," i.e. derivative...if not game sequels then at least a game in a well recognized genre, e.g. RPGs. Innovation got flushed.

Jaakko thinks guerilla game makers will arise to fill the void. I hope he's right but I don't think so. Retailers have limited shelf space, and they're going to give it to those products they think will sell: Xbox, PlayStation2, and PCs by well known game makers like Microprose and EA.

The end is near. There is no hope. Give up.

[Az]

oh, who cares. Computers will remain here, and gaming will always exist. plus they practically give away PS and X-boxes so why would anyone care?

[St Leo]

Yawn. People have been complaining about this for years. Consoles will soon burn out and computer games will emerge triumphant once again. Last I heard, no console was shipping with a mouse and keyboard, so they can't have true FPS, true RTS, and true TBS.

[Capt Dizle]

I care because I don't like gaming consoles. I don't want to press the triangle. I want my mouse and keyboard. I want outdated graphics and no sound and deep thoughtful games that bore the hell out of anyone under 25.

[sabrewolf]

yes and no...

for people who just want to play, why buy a PC? more expensive, more complicated, more inconveniences.
the game programmers don't need to worry about 120'000 various graphic cards and 562'000 sound cards. an X-Box is an X-Box, a PS2 is a PS2...

but as a permanent PC-user, why not play the games on PC? and anyway: how would you want to play real-time games without a keyboard?

i expect that in the next 5 years, most multiplayer games and most first person shooters will nearly only be made for consoles. strategy and adventure games however will stay on the PC... and there always will be people like me how prefer a nice strategy game to awsome graphics in a FPS...

[Lemmy]

Computer games will never die, and here's why.
Everyone can make a game for the PC, while you need a license (and an expensive one too) to make games for the consoles.
So i tihnk Jaakko is right about "guerilla games", and games don't need to be distributed, there are some games that are doing ok, and are only available through online purchase.