I have been a PC gamer for the past fifteen years. I play a lot of games on my PC in my free time, not only to unwind, but also to satiate the hardcore gamer inside me. Off lately, I have been following many gaming forums and websites which are talking about the downfall of the PC gaming scene because of the increasing piracy of the games. This fact is really disturbing for me as I have been an avid gamer and do not want to lose one of my most passionate hobbies.
The downfall is evident from the fact that most of the popular game titles are being released for the consoles even before they make their appearance on the PC, or even a declaration is made that they will be available for the PC. Popular games like GTA (Grand Theft Auto) which were exclusive for the PC in the past years, are now being launched for the consoles first (take the example of the latest GTA IV which has been already released for PS3 and XBOX360) rather than the PC. The foremost reason would be the falling sales figures of the PC titles and the rapid increase in the piracy of games. And because of this reason, major game publishers are switching to the consoles arena where the piracy element is much less. Although some companies are adopting new methods for game distribution like Valve which sells their titles through their online distributor (Steam) which allows you to download all the game content after you have purchased it online. Some game publishers also use strict copy-protection techniques, but then again, these methods install extra software into your computers and totally kill the experience for the gamers.
So, why do you think people pirate games? Is it because they cannot buy them? I really don’t agree with that because if you can buy fuel for your car every time you want to drive, or buy food when you are hungry, so is the case for buying anything that entertains you. The main reason for piracy is that the PC games are easily available for download from the Internet, P2P networks, Torrents etc. Just think how many times have you downloaded a game and then only played it for a short while before deleting it from your hard drive. I am sure this has happened many times. Would you have done the same if you had bought that game? No, I don’t think so. If you ever decided to buy a popular game title, you would have first made sure that you read all the available reviews on the Internet about that particular game, asked your gamer friends about their experiences, and finally based on those opinions, you would have gone out and purchased the game.
Some people also stick to the rule that if they like a game after pirating it, they go out and buy it from the market to support the publishers. What if you like most part of it and for the small part that you don’t like, you decide not to buy it? How many times have you done that? What i mean to imply here is the fact that such opinions cannot be always unbiased and true. If you want to support the gaming companies only after testing their products for 100% results, you are not playing fair. There are always game demos which you can play and try out these games to your heart’s content.
There is one more reason for the decreased number of people indulging in PC gaming. For playing all the new graphically intensive games on your PC, you need expensive hardware (graphics cards, processors, memory) which you have to upgrade regularly to match the latest games’ requirements, and it doesn’t stop there, you also need to be technically sound to patch your games, upgrade hardware etc. On the other hand, consoles are pretty simple. You buy a console system, pop in the DVD and start playing. That’s all there is to consoles. Personally, I do not prefer playing on a console as nothing beats the total control that I get using a keyboard and a mouse.
I think people who like PC gaming should really stand up and support the game publishers because this is the right time to do so. Or else, you can just keep waiting for quality game titles to be released for the PC and gradually watch the PC gaming industry die.
So, what is your take on this topic? Do let me know through the comments.
55 replies on “Is Piracy Killing the PC Gaming Industry ?”
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I live in a third world country and all pc games here are pirated. I’ve only seen physical discs here once and that was years ago in a mall hours away from my house. There is no shipping or online retail so ordering isn’t an option.
One of the main reason people pirate in general is compatibility. Old pc’s can’t run new games. And old games aren’t sold anywhere (in america or here). I don’t think steam has added that many older titles either.
I have friends here who still play age of empires II. GTA 1 is still alive and well. (A local school here just got in a lot of trouble with parents for having it installed on every computer in the lab). I was actually introduced to AEII 10 years ago on a school lab computer.
Another reason piracy is so prevalent is the social aspect of gaming. Friends like playing what friends are playing. Downloading one game and distributing it with a flash drive makes it social without having everyone going out and buying it. If I’m raving about a game all my friends will want to try it and I’ll want them to try it. Its much simpler to hand them a flash drive than having them all go out and buy it. Internet black outs and really slow speeds also make this method more practical.
Consoles are winning out because of their universality and dedicated nature. In a sense consoles are computers with extremely simple OS’s. They have very similar components. But consoles are dedicated to gaming. The lack of diversity among consoles makes them much easier to develop for. When you write a pc game you have to make it work on a whole range of screen sizes, processor speed, memory, etc. Hell, you even have to deal with different processor makers (intel and arm). With consoles, you have one set of specs. In a sense this is kinda like Android (highly fragmented and much more price consious and technologically skilled) vs IOs (willing to invest in an expensive console and therefore probably willing to invest in expensive games). I’m not really surprised that game companies are choosing to release games first on dedicated gaming systems (consoles) before other systems.
I will tell you why people pirate. It IS the price of games. Take EA for instance … They sold The Sims for $60 when it first came out, charge you $30 for countless expansions and Stuff Packs that hardly have anything worth a crap and then charge almost $80 on their online store to purchase single neighborhoods.
As long as they keep doing that then I will keep pirating Sorry, not paying hundreds upon hundreds of dollars on a game and most people wouldn’t.
Not to mention that most people who pirate wouldn’t buy the damn game ANYWAY!
The only reason I download pirate versions of games is because my parents are not willing to pay money for them… they think games are a waste of time and that I should go and play outdoors. When I start making money, I’m gonna do the legit thing — buy them!!!
This post is really incredible, one of the most helpful I have ever read, indeed.
you are a retard, GTA 1 was pc only… it came out for no other platform
No, you’re a retard. Please consult the internet before commenting again.
there’s another way of testing and that’s playing the DEMO not downloading the entire game to ‘test’ it out.
they rarely make demos..
Your parallels to buying food and fuel are really not parallel. Those are necessities, video games are amenities.
After reading all this, I couldn’t help jump into this discussion. Piracy, exists everywhere, not just PC. I think consoles are getting more priority than PC so that they get sold more, the more and better games there the more the consoles sold, despite the benefits of a PC, system-selling is what’s being done. As we are aware that there are many exclusive titles.
I do live in a 3rd world country too and I admit its a shame that I haven’t yet touched an original game disc. Neither do we get the support even if one had access to original game. So that brings to a conclusion that 3rd world countries like mine were never the target for sales/profit and yes piracy exists here. What I think is piracy is hope for people and countries like mine, it is what’s keeping gaming alive even when it never was supposed to exist.
PC gaming will never go down, because PC are cheaper and better and available here, console gamers are very rare compared to PC gamers here. Doesn’t matter whether newer titles hit the shelves or not, classics like Quake or CS or maybe AOE and such will keep it alive, as those games hold high values and replayability than those of today! 🙂
It’s so simple actually, If you have enough money to buy a game and you pirate it that is awkward.
But if you simply don”t have enough money to buy all these games you want (Currency people !!! 50$ is a fortune to pay in some countries.)
Then what should you do? Sit there wishing you had that game? Hell no, screw companies and do what you want because a pirate is free…
And please stop talking from your comfy chair.
You really want to hurt the developers who put all their effort into it. Artist, Programmers and other people earn less than half the money made from selling a videogame. Think of paying for the games as a “investment” so your favourite developer can make more games for you.
My rig is over two years old now, custom build. I still run all games that release in 1080p with all the graphics options on insane settings. We don’t have to upgrade as much as you would think. Once you got a solid build going on you might need a new graphics card when you do have to upgrade that’s about it. So don’t not get into computers over something so trivial as upgrading.
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EA killed PC gaming not piracy. EA killed PC gaming a long time ago when it started dumbing down games like, Sim City society which was a flop, Spore, c&c, Madden, and the list goes on the countless games EA have either dumbed down or killed off.
Then we have internet activations which also has killed pc games and Steam. EA made it no secret to MS that they wanted one gaming platform which was rejected by MS.
What about kids or teens who needs to play games.Do you think their parents would happily buy them hardcore games for them like they buy food and fuel???
poor people also have dreams of playing video games. people in 3rd world countries can’t buy video games. so they cause no loss to the gaming industry.
Agree with bagoshift.I am from a third world country.And I love games.And the cds available in my country are pirated too.
i buy tonns of games and also download as a way to preview games then if they are good i go out and buy a copy i would never buy a game off steam i like like to have a box and a manual and a disk,i’m just one of those people who likes to have the box art etc.
the bottom line is if a game is good people will buy it and if its a bad game people will pirate it play it a few times and del it.if game makers put as much effort into making the games good as they do fighting piracy there would be less piracy and better games.
most games now days are very short and have no replay value and thats one of the reasons they get pirated and not bought.its the same thing with movies if a movie is good i will gladly buy it on blue ray.
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I don’t believe piracy is killing the games industry, it is a fact and has already been stated, that piracy in the gaming industry has existed since we were loading games up with cassettes on the first home computers. Piracy did not kill anything off then, if it had then where would developers like Activision for example be today, certainly not the multi-billion international games company it is.
As someone who does pirate games for both the PC and Nintendo Wii, here is my own take on piracy, this is just a personal viewpoint and I cannot speak for others in a different situation.
I live in North China, I am British but moved here years ago with my wife. When I lived in the UK, I always paid for my games whatever platform they were running on. I had a good job, was well paid and so paying for games was not an issue for me in any way whatsoever.
Since moving here I have run into problems. First of all China is the pirate capital of the world. Walk down any high street in any major city here and all the stores that sell games be they for the PC or console are selling pirated games. They don’t try hiding the fact, they are on display for all to see and stores that sell consoles all chip said consoles in store.
When I arrived here I brought my UK bought Wii with me. I had no choice to put a mod chip in it if I wanted to continue buying games due to the fact that the games are NTSC here and won’t normally play in a PAL Wii.
When it came to buying PC and Wii games I quickly realised that it was a big problem. 90% of the games you would buy were extremely poor copies that either would not read due to being scratched badly or just badly burned. Very often the game you thought you had bought turned out to be a different game on the disc or sometimes not even a game at all, I once bought GTA IV and found Microsoft Office on the disc!!
So here is my dilemma living here. If I buy games on the high street, first of all the money is still not going to the developers as they are pirated and secondly they are usually unplayable or not what you thought.
Buying games in the form of a digital download is out of the question as all the main places like Steam and Direct2Drive recognise the fact my IP is on the Chinese mainland and will not allow me to do so. Using an open proxy to fool their service into thinking I am in the UK or USA is also out of the question as they are not safe for the purposes of using your credit card details and/or Paypal account, unless you want them emptied.
I could buy games in a physical format online and have them shipped to China, but this is also a big issue. the reason being that to do this would mean I spent 3 to 4 times the purchase price for a title having it shipped and then paying the import taxes, plus the fact that on the odd occasion I have had things mailed to me here, they never arrive or at least very rarely. This is because of the fact that I cannot input an address in Chinese characters and have to use pinyin, something that fails miserably upon arrival in China.
So, I am faced with two simple choices. Don’t play games again ever or download a pirate copy.
I cannot speak for anyone else but from my perspective not playing games ever again is out of the question so what would you do in my position?
Then on a side note there is one other fact that has arisen recently which stops me loosing any sleep at night. More and more these days , developers shaft the PC gamer with poorly coded games and buggy ports which NEVER get fixed. Look at GTA IV, what a complete and utter F@@k up that turned out to be. Even people with the most powerful computers ran into performance issues that hampered gameplay and they have still not been fixed properly to this day. Once Rockstar had taken the profits from the sale they closed the door on GTA IV for the PC bar a handful of pointless patches that never really addressed the main issues people were having. Made feeble excuses as to the reasons for the problems, like stating the game had been design “Future Proof” and was mean to be played on PC’s that, ahm, hadn’t quite been invented yet!!
This is a growing trend with many developers and whenever I play a game that is that buggy and does not get fixed, annoyed as I may be I cannot help but smile and get a warm tingly feeling when I think that I did not line the pockets of some miserable, greedy corporate weasel.
So that is my take on game piracy. Agree or disagree with my train of thought, I really do not care much. No one will ever make me feel guilty nor will I loose any sleep over piracy, unless of course its because I am playing a pirated game till the early hours 😉
You are very wrong and ill informed. If you think about it, Piracy has always existed since the early days of gaming, and is just as bad on the consoles. The main reason that pc gaming is in decline is because of hardware, Laptops, and retailers like PCworld. Usually when the average consumer needs a new computer they will go to the nearest reailer to buy their Desktop/Laptop. What they don’t know is that retailers ship PC’s with very poor hardware to keep costs down and profits up. Unlike the old days, PC games today have very high hardware requirements to be playable the way that a developer intended a game to be. So many find that their PC’s simply are just unable to meet these hardware requirements, or have a very poor experience because they played a game on low/medium settings with a laggy framerate. Therefore they do not buy games for their PC’s and instead go the console route.
the companies think of us like mindless consumers,like why buy a new cod game a year after the previous one for 60 dollars whille the game engine is the same,no update on graphics animation,nor textures,only a few new weapons…they brought it to their selves,they dont respect us we dont respect them
Your talking alot of bull
pc gaming is bigger than ever it’s coming to the time where consoles are taking idea’s from the pc’s pircy is a very small percentage considering on the amount of ppl that still play faily
Steam for instence is brillant downloading games and taking them round my mates to download and play
Mmo’s something consoles just dont have yet or the right amount of buttons to pull off
RTS’s dont sell at all on the consoles
pircy everyones proberly done it and deleted the game after they got half way though it EA sees it as demo’ing and there sales have gone up from pircy theres still people that are willing to buy for the mp option
pc gaming is growing it’s not dieing at all look at more info before saying anything.
i could build a pc for £200 i can buy a console for £190+ and yet my £200 pc is more like a swiss army knife millions of uses and the consoles just one the tech needed to run the “good” pc games are easy cod4/hl2/l4d/sims my £20 9500gt runs them all perfectly on 60+ fps
i buy games all the time and the only reason console gaming is doing better is because it’s easyer.
I’ve always enjoyed gaming as a hobby and have been building my pc game collection for years. I actually like having the original disk in it’s packaging with the nicely printed games manual. Lately, however, I’ve been sorely tempted by illegal and cracked pc games – nothing to do with the cost, though. The anti-piracy security has been getting more and more inconvenient and now we’re at the point where you can hardly find a decent game that will install without an internet connection and some fancy online downloader like Steam (which doesn’t work half the time due to bandwidth restrictions in many countries). As I don’t have an internet connection at home (I only use internet in the office) this means buying legal games is no longer an option for me. Others I’ve spoken to also agree that with all the anti-piracy security (which obviously isn’t having any effect on internet pirates) it is actually far less hassle to install a cracked copy of a game rather than a legal one. In our country, internet fees are so high that downloading a cracked game usually works out far more expensive than buying a legal version in a store, yet everyone is doing it for the abovementioned reasons.
Who is killing the pc game industry? No one other than the pc game industry itself. Make user-friendly ‘installation’ games and try making purchased games a better deal (provide a second disk with modding tools, for example). If a purchased game is more convenient and has something extra, serious gamers will buy it. Making a legal version more complex and irritating to install than an illegal version is just plain foolish.
There will always be a big market for good pc games – face it, consoles are very limited (and useless for strategy games unless someone thinks to add a mouse and keyboard for consoles). They may be cheaper to produce but also remember pc games have a much longer life span due to the active modding community and the ‘expansion pack’ industry. Game company marketing executives just need to start thinking a little more strategically themselves and stop being obtuse and short-sighted.
I believe that piracy will ultimatly kill PC Gaming. Just the other day I read about Spore having been illegally downloaded 1.7million times. I would say thats a huge amount of lost revenue, sure EA have bags of cash but imagine how demoralising that must be for the developers who have worked hard to create entertainment for gamers. That in itself would be enough to make them turn round and say “you know what, screw the pc market lets concentrate on consoles”. As for the cost of PC’s, I dont go for that being the main pc gaming killer. I priced up a mid range PC for £450, and that was with a blu-ray drive, Nvidia 9800GT, 2GB RAM and an Intel C2D 2.4Ghz processor. Remove the blu-ray drive and its £60 cheaper already and that spec system will wipe the floor with a PS3 not to mention be more versatile. PC games are also cheaper than consoles by a big margin. And for someone to moan that they use pirated games because of the like of securom et all.. is rubbish. I have never, ever had an issue with any of the anti-piracy measures developers use when installing a game on my system or whilst playing. . PC game piracy needs to be stopped before it destroys PC gaming!! There is no defence for it at all!!
@Chris:- by the way your someone who would be considered a pirate and may go to prison one day (Or pay a fine)
To me personally I think its somewhat everyones fault (or something like that) PC developers arnt cracking down on pirates by taking their IP adress’s or something or saying “You are to attend this court or you will go to jail for (Insert number here) Years”
Pirates steal games for these reasons
1: They dont have money
2: Its simple and easy to download from the internet
3: The game is on another console not yet on the pc and since they dont have it they have a urge to attempt to try to play it on the pc
4: look at 2
5: (Incorrectly for myself actually) I personally think about it and as default normally never steal games unless they cant be bought anywhere and the company shut down. But most people dont think about it and just say Oh a new game me is going to download it now
all I have to say is blah blah wait till xmas for pirates and ACTUALLY DO SOMETHING GAME DEVELOPERS
I pirate PC games all the time – I love it!
Its easier to download a cracked copy, than it is to go to the shop, purchase and install. I just set the game downloading before I go to bed, then when I wake up – I have a brand new game to play!
Sometimes I even get them before they available in the shops.
I don’t care if piracy kills the scene – if that does happen, I will just buy a modded Xbox 360, then continue the piracy.
In a nutshell, I will never purchase a game again.
Thank you very much.
What’s your plan for when games developers stop making any games at all? Since all teh players are pirating, they’ll just do something else and all you’ll have is old games to play
The Force is strong with this one.
PC games can be made secure/less pirated. Steam, as you said, is the perfect example. Steam also allows you to buy games in the store or online. Great way to give your consumers a choice!!
I do disagree with your comment about buying games causing you to play them all the way through to get your money worth. If you buy a game that is not worth playing, you won’t play it much. Example, Quake Wars. It is interesting and alright, but over all not a great game. I bought it, and never really play it. A friend and I both heard good to okay things about it so we got it together to play online together and with others.
Consoles are easier for the average person. However, pirating is not as easy as using a console. Pirating games is also not as easy as installing a purchased game on your PC.
PC gaming is better is so many ways. Look at any strategy or FPS game. A controller is not the best way to aim a gun or command an army. End or that talk 😛
I can see how some people could prefer the controller, it just requires too much practise to get it right. A mouse it aim and shoot. Also requires skill, but the granularity of aiming with a mouse is easier than an analog stick.
I have purchased more games this year than ever before in my life. I don’t own a seventh generation console. (I have an SNES, N64 and GameCube)
PC gaming is the way to do online. Who wants to chat in a game by typing on a controller??
Consoles could be better. They could become more like a PC and take over the market. I would be okay with that, but I will always have a PC anyway. Why not build it so it is good for games and enjoy it!
– Consoles need games like WoW to boost their popularity with PC games.
– Consoles need to accept keyboard an mouse or something like the Wiimote.
– Consoles need to stop charging for accessories like a headset. Include it, more people will have it, and it will make things better for everyone. Hell, bundle it and charge $10 more and let people choose if they want that bundle.
– Stop bundling games with the console, or make it so you can pick the games to be included (saw this with PSP recently)
My closing:
I like the new consoles, but I can’t justify buying one when I have a great PC sitting right here that can do everything a console can do and so much more. I would buy a Wii if there were more games I really wanted for it, or if it was on sale and they had it in stock. But that’s all because the Wii is not your typical console, and they really should be awarded for doing something great.
I imagine that people find it easier to pirate PC games because it is an all in one resource. You have the internet to find what you need, torrent sites to download the content itself and tutorials to get it the games up and running. You never have to leave your seat.
Publishers have tried all sorts to defeat the pirate and that has a knock on effect to the genuine user. I have avoided games that have Starforce or maybe wont let you install where Daemon is installed for example. I detest piracy but I equally detest being told I cannot run certain apps legitimately.
I tend to stick to online clan gaming where CD keys mean that most of the players are using original and properly bought games. I guess piracy is worse on single player.
@rusty
Let me quote you first:
“Suggesting piracy is killing pc gaming is like suggesting internet video is killing tv.”
I seriously cannot believe you consider piracy is not an issue. You have mentioned a ‘shattering’ statistic about gaming industry growth. Accepted. For a normal guy like me, 17 Billion is like unimaginable. But that is the gaming industry on the whole. Keep in mind that when this shattering growth is broken down into individual companies and compared to their annual growth predictions, you will get a different picture.
Even then, lets consider that the gaming industry is making huge profits. Does that make you or anyone eligible to just rip-off a game free of cost? Think about it. Wanting have a cake, eat it too and not pay a penny is not cool.
As I commented earlier, reducing the prices of games will be welcomed with much cheer and joy by one and all and will expand the gaming market and significantly reduce piracy.
@rusty: Since you felt compelled, I feel compelled too, and therefore, I will differ on that too broad a view of yours. A console is not a PC and can never be, because if that happens, there will be no difference in the prices.
A PC is made for several other purposes including gaming. BTW, have you tried playing a strategy or a FPS game on a console?? 🙂
I felt compelled to chime in here as this is a pretty narrow view of things.
First: Game Consoles provide a package that is tested, verified and just works. You never have to wonder if that new printer driver somehow is interfering with your video performance.
Second: Game consoles are, in reality, computers. Therefore you can purchase a screaming console for a fraction of the price of an equivalent pc.
Third: The gaming industry is growing at a rate that is absolutely mind-boggling: over 40 percent growth for 2007 to a “record-shattering” $17.94 billion. What, exactly, indicates any loss of growth or revenue?
A game box IS a pc, its just a special purpose model. Digital cameras did not kill photography and elite consumers still use film for the capabilities that digital cameras don’t provide. Suggesting piracy is killing pc gaming is like suggesting internet video is killing tv.
I totally agree. Personally, I think the P2P networks (torrents) are the main cause of piracy.
If one visits any torrent portal and does a search for games, one can find all that latest games for every platform out there. Given the advent of broadband, most people would not think twice downloading a pirated game off the torrent network. This stand true to other content like Movies, Music, Software etc.
The only way this piracy trouble can be controlled is either:
A. Reduce the prices of games (subsidize it with in game ads or some other way). Reduced prizes will definitely boost sales.
B. Try to find a super secure way of encrypting game CDs/DVDs. This is always futile, but it might atleast help reducing the number of people pirating games.
Its definitely disheartening for the game developers to see all their hardwork get into pirates hands. Without a decent profit, nobody can invest in further R&D for new games which are better in all ways.
Ultimately it is us, the end user, who has the ultimate power to change the scenario. Just like how we prefer a decent restaurant even though food at some dingy road stall will be cheap, same way we should consider paying for stuff that we enjoy.
Well, people do tend to pirate more games on the pc due to the various ways you can do it.
Basically, a PC is the ultimate pirating software and you can play pretty much every game there is out there. Maybe thats why the PC game industry is dying out.
But consoles can be pirated as well you know? The only hack-proof console right now is the ps3 with its blu-ray disc feature but…I fear that it will not last very long.
@ Krazy:
— ” I think people have learned when they install stuff on their PC it seems to go slower.. (I for one know I don’t play any games, even though my system is excellent, just simply because I feel it bogs down my system sometimes and it’s a waste of space usually) ” —
Go to my site (click my name) and read how to solve this issue in the Install XP section. I have many games installed (paid for, yes) and still no problem.
About the Store part: Yes, because people need to get outside to enjoy the light of the Daystar as well, and complain about the real life graphics. 😛 They’ll see the Game store and enter it, look around for a game and then don’t buy it. Really, it happens. Sometimes it’s easier this way because you can actually touch the box.
IP Tracking on Torrents… this is something we, luckily, don’t have in the Netherlands. Downloading is legal here if, and only if, it’s for private use and not resale or rent or whatsoever. Uploading is illegal here though. I gather you’re from the USA… where things are a bit more strict than here. Perhaps you should find out if Usenet is a better solution for you?! That’s not really P2P. 😉
Hey, just to give you a heads up.. I just looked up GTA3 and I noticed it arrived Oct 22, 2001 on the PS2 and May 22, 2002 on the PC. Correct me if I’m wrong (I didn’t check the other releases just the GTA3)
Eitherway, WoW has a HUGE market.. billions of people – I’m sure those billions of people used to be big/semi-big PC gamers who devote all their time to just a simple monthly fee which ends up being cheaper than buying new games. Which, not to mention for some reason WoW players seem to devote their entire life to JUST WoW..
@Carel – Lately, they’ve been cracking down on torrents (at least on my IP) and I’ve gotten numerous emails about download various things over torrents. I’m not sure if they’re going to try and attack anyone (if they can) and sue, but I hope it doesn’t turn out to be like that. Also: “We are in the stores to actually buy a copy while others just go to the stores to see which game they can download because the box looks interesting to them.” do people SERIOUSLY do this?? I’ve never even pondered about wasting my time in a store to look at a box that I think looks interesting, usually I’ll see a review or some game play and download it if it interests me, the box NEVER sells a game for me – ever.
I think people have learned when they install stuff on their PC it seems to go slower.. (I for one know I don’t play any games, even though my system is excellent, just simply because I feel it bogs down my system sometimes and it’s a waste of space usually)
My Xbox 360 almost never freezes, and when it does (rarely ever) it can restart and be back to the same point very fast.
Oh yeah, let’s NOT forget – YOU CAN RENT CONSOLE GAMES AND NOT PC GAMES.
How many rental stores are out there? A LOT, and I don’t think any of them at all carry PC games, that’s gotta be a big chunk. If I could possibly RENT my PC games that would be a different story.
I hate being forced to buy something with just a review or two along with some pictures. I want to play it, I download it and in all honesty I haven’t bought a new PC game since The Sims 2. NOR have I downloaded any games, because there simply aren’t any that interest me that AREN’T already on a console.
*phew, ranting is done*
Console constructors (except nintendo maybe) are to blame: they are stealing harcore gamers from PCs.
Pc game editors are to lazy to adapt with new trends. just look at Wow or Trackmania, these are good examples of adaptation to the market.
Right but wrong as well. There’s a huge uprising in the world of Bit Torrents and Newsgroups when it comes to downloading Console DVD’s. It’s very simple to download and burn an illegal copy for a console, almost as easy as for the PC. Now the console could be the NDS or a PS3… it’s so easy.
Now what am I trying to say?: It’s not that reason that the companies are switching over to consoles. It’s about the costs that are involved for the companies that create games. It’s cheaper to release for consoles than for PC’s. (well-known fact)
Now, what should happen to keep games fun and stop piracy? Think World of Warcraft… Buy an account and login each time you want to play. This should get the Companies to actually work on good products (EA Games isn’t really doing a great job) and it could work on any system. Yes, even if it’s a single player game. Times are changing and so should systems.
Now I am a gamer as well and I live by the saying: ‘A Game a day keeps the Daystar Away!’ And I hate to see that such solutions take place… but lately it’s quite a pain in the butt. We are in the stores to actually buy a copy while others just go to the stores to see which game they can download because the box looks interesting to them.
So either ban Torrent and Newsgroup Sites completely from the internet, or we have to live with the fact that things are changing for the worse. We can say many things about this subject.. I guess I just did.. hehehe.
I just want to point out that it is not as easy as you think to pirate Console Games, there are several types of xbox, the easiest to crack still require you to open up the box access the dvd board and jtag dump the firmware (not an easy task, unlike torrenting a pc game). The hardest ones (the recent elites and the new slim style ones) require you to cut and resolder your dvd drives controller board.
In Conclusion it’s much much harder to pirate on the consoles and therefore much more attractive to major publishers and game dev companies.
The only PC games my husband and I really do are DnD based or the Sims/Sim City ones, unless they’re ones for our kids.
I prefer them on a console system for the simple fact that I can take the game itself anywhere, and play anywhere that has that console. I can’t do the same with a PC-game.
That, and with the add-ons that some game makers are putting onto the CD-roms for the games, it’s making people leery of using them, like EA/Maxis putting SecuRom onto their games, which, in some cases (a lot actually), the loss of the ability to use their CD/DVD burners. It’s safer to Torrent a copy of the game than to actually install it through a CD because of that.
I don’t think it’s piracy that’s killing PC gaming. It’s Consoles and the fact that it’s cheaper to get a console then build a gaming machine plus the new console systems like xbox 360 and PS3 can handle games that use to only find on PC.
I think you hit the nail on the head with your last point. People are too lazy and don’t have time to deal with upgrading their system and hardware regularly to stay up to speed with new PC games. Like you said, it’s just so much easier to put the game in the console and go.
I prefer a controller to a keyboard/mouse, but that’s just my personal preference.