PC game: Difference between revisions
Daveydweeb (talk | contribs) →Popular and notable genres of PC gaming: remove unnecessary list of genres, adding some actual content. Needs expansion. |
Daveydweeb (talk | contribs) →Cultural impact: Removed all country-specific information (see talk page), made "controversy surrounding PC games" its own section. |
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General purpose emulators, allowing the user to run entire computer [[operating system]]s such as [[Microsoft Windows]] and [[Mac OS X]], have also found some community acceptable. Notable examples of such software include [[Virtual PC|Virtual PC]] and [[PearPC]]. |
General purpose emulators, allowing the user to run entire computer [[operating system]]s such as [[Microsoft Windows]] and [[Mac OS X]], have also found some community acceptable. Notable examples of such software include [[Virtual PC|Virtual PC]] and [[PearPC]]. |
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==Cultural impact== |
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{{main|Video game controversy}} |
{{main|Video game controversy}} |
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As long as PC-games (and any other videogames) exist, there has been debate about the influence of violence in video games on the person who plays the game. This is debate especially concerned with the influence on (younger) kids. In short, the debate goes between two groups. Firstly, parents and guardians who put the responsibility with developers, pointing out that games have become more and more violent and gory over the years. Secondly, some people prefer to defend the artistic freedom of developers, and put the responsibility with parents and guardians, saying that they should keep an eye on their kids to prevent them from playing games they are too young for. |
As long as PC-games (and any other videogames) exist, there has been debate about the influence of violence in video games on the person who plays the game. This is debate especially concerned with the influence on (younger) kids. In short, the debate goes between two groups. Firstly, parents and guardians who put the responsibility with developers, pointing out that games have become more and more violent and gory over the years. Secondly, some people prefer to defend the artistic freedom of developers, and put the responsibility with parents and guardians, saying that they should keep an eye on their kids to prevent them from playing games they are too young for. |
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For more information about the violence debate and video game addiction see the article about [[video game controversy]] in general (so including video games on other platforms than the PC). |
For more information about the violence debate and video game addiction see the article about [[video game controversy]] in general (so including video games on other platforms than the PC). |
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===Japan=== |
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Many [[Japan]]ese gamers view [[personal computer]]s as a business tool, and that games are best played on dedicated hardware.{{citation needed}} However, some genres like [[bishōjo game]]s are popular. The [[MSX]] Computer series also impacted the future of games for computers and consoles alike. |
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===UK and US=== |
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Gamers in the [[United Kingdom|UK]] and [[United States|US]] have embraced PC games from their inception and most PC games are developed in these countries. Among hardcore gamers there has traditionally been a subset of this group who will spend tremendous amount of money upgrading their PCs several times a year, just to keep up to date with the latest technological developments in gaming. |
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Most Western gamers play PC games over the Internet in the comfort of their own homes or bring their own PCs to designated places (e.g. someone's home, or a commercial venue) to play against each other in a Local Area Network. These gatherings are known as [[LAN party|LAN parties]] and have the benefit of much faster connection and response times than playing over the Internet, as well as feeling much more social. |
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===Southeast Asia=== |
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LAN parties are less common in [[Southeast Asia]], with the majority of competitive PC gaming going on in [[LAN Gaming Center|LAN gaming centres]], particularly in [[Singapore]], [[Malaysia]] and [[South Korea]]. These are much more prevalent than in the western countries and can sometimes occupy an entire floor of a shopping centre. They allow gamers to play competitively without the technical knowledge required to set up the [[Local area network|LAN]] as well as providing access to Internet games. This can allow gamers in MMORPGs or team FPS matches to coordinate much more effectively than if they were communicating through headsets. They avoid potentially crippling communication problems such as [[lag]]. |
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==See also== |
==See also== |
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Revision as of 12:34, 2 September 2006
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A personal computer game (or simply PC game) is a video game played on a personal computer. Unlike console games, PC games may be played on a device that is not designed solely for that purpose, although computers optimised for gaming (known as gaming PCs) have becoming popular in recent times. As with any video game, they require an output device such as a monitor, and are controlled by common input devices such as a keyboard or mouse.
Personal computer game are usually distributed using standard storage units for personal computers, such as compact discs and most recently, DVDs. Floppy disks have also been widely used in the past, and certain games are also distributed via the Internet through services such as Direct2Drive or from developers' websites, such as Steam.
History
Although computers have become commonplace only in recent times, since they were prohibitively expensive and bulky until the development of the microprocessor, they have been used for computer gaming since at least the 1960s. In first computer game was developed in 1961, when MIT students Martin Graetz and Alan Kotok, with MIT employee Stephen Russell, developed Spacewar! on a PDP-1 computer used for statistical calculations.[1]
The first generation of games lacked the polish and the AI seen in modern video games. They were often text adventures or interactive fiction, in which the player communicated with the computer by entering commands through a keyboard. Others combined textual commands with basic graphics, as seen in the SSI Gold Box games such as Pool of Radiance, or the original Bard's Tale. The first text-adventure, Adventure was developed for the PDP-11 in 1976. By the 1980s, personal computers had become powerful enough to run games like Adventure, which were soon obsoleted by graphical adventures such as Sierra's King's Quest.
As the popularity of personal computers for education rose dramatically, the market became flooded with poor-quality games as numerous companies attempted to enter the market, and major releases such as the Atari 2600 adaptation of E.T. failed to impress consumers. As a result, consumer interest in video games dwindled to historical lows, causing the sudden collape of the computer gaming industry in 1983.[2]
The crash was followed by a gap of three years, during which there was a much smaller market in games for home computers in North America, and no significant development for video game consoles. That gap ended with the success of the Nintendo Entertainment System, which spurred the resurgence of the games industry around the same time as new technologies began to bring high quality graphics within reach of developers.
Recovery
With the arrival of the mouse, text commands were gradually replaced by graphical interfaces, resulting in the birth of new genres with the popularity of titles such as Sid Meier's Pirates! and SimCity in 1987. Many of today's popular games originated on the Commodore Amiga computer platform, since its relatively high-performance hardware made it a popular computer at the time of its introduction in 1985.[3]
The FPS genre was created with the release of id Software's Wolfenstein 3D in 1992, and remains one of the highest-selling genres today.[4] The game was originally distributed through the shareware distribution model, allowing players to try a limited part of the game for free but requiring payment to play the rest, and represented one of the first uses of 2.5D graphics in a popular game.
While leading Sega and Nintendo console systems kept their CPU speed at 3-7 MHz, the 486 PC processor ran much faster at 66 MHz, allowing it to perform many more calculations per second. The 1993 release of Doom was a breakthrough in 3D graphics, while gaming consoles were still limited to 2D side-scrollers like Nintendo's Mario series. As technology grew more sophisticated, dedicated games consoles caught up with the advances made by personal computers, paving the way for third-party developers to develop franchises like MDK for multiple platforms.
Many early PC games included extras such as the peril-sensitive sunglasses that shipped with The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. By the mid-1990s these extras had been dropped, but many games were still sold in the traditional over-sized boxes that used to hold the extra "feelies". The increased competition from fifth and sixth generation consoles resulted in most publishers providing such extras only in Special Edition versions of their games, such as Battlechests from Blizzard.
Contemporary gaming
By 1995, the rise of Microsoft Windows and success of 3D console titles such as Super Mario 64 sparked great interest in hardware accelerated 3D graphics on the PC, and soon resulted in attempts to produce affordable solutions with the ATI Rage, Matrox Mystique and Silicon Graphics ViRGE. As 3D graphics libraries such as DirectX and OpenGL matured and knocked proprietary interfaces out of the market, these platforms gained greater acceptance in the market, particularly with their demonstrated benefits in games such as Unreal.[5]
The highly scalable nature of graphics accelerators resulted in huge gains in processing speed, which combined with improving CPU technology to result in ever-increasing levels of graphical complexity that have characterised contemporary PC gaming until today. During this time, the significant improvements introduced with products such as ATI's Radeon R300 and NVidia's GeForce 6 Series have allowed game developers to greatly increase the complexity of modern game engines. With the release of the Xbox 360 in late 2005 and the upcoming launch of the Wii and Playstation 3 consoles, PC gaming currently tends strongly toward improvements in 3D graphics with little expansion on existing gameplay dynamics.
Similarly, recent years have seen many game publishers experimenting with new forms of game marketing. Chief among these new strategies is episodic gaming, an adaptation of the older concept of expansion packs, in which game content is provided in smaller quantities but for a proportionally lower price. Recent titles such as Half-Life 2: Episode One have taken advantage of the new idea, with mixed results rising from concerns for the amount of content provided for the price.[6]
PC game development
Game development, as with console games, is generally undertaken by one or more game developers using either standardised or proprietary tools. While games could previously be developed by very small groups of people, as in the early example of Wolfenstein 3D, many popular computer games today require teams of dozens of contributors in various roles, with budgets running into the millions of dollars.
PC games are usually built around a central piece of software, known as a game engine, that simplifies the development process and enables developers to easily port their projects between platforms. Unlike most consoles, which generally only run major engines such as Unreal Engine 3 and RenderWare due to restrictions on homebrew software, personal computers may run games developed using a much larger range of software. As such, a number of alternatives to expensive engines have become available, including open source solutions such as Crystal Space, OGRE and DarkPlaces.
Currently, the use of physics engines in computer games has become a matter of debate for both console and PC games. The recent release of the AGEIA PhysX PPU, ostensibly competing with middleware such as the Havok physics engine, has prompted argument over the viability of hardware accelerated physics in video games, as with accelerated graphics. In particular, the difficulty in ensuring that players' experiences are consistent with or without an installed PPU,[7] and the apparently mild benefits of the first generation PhsyX cards in games such as Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter,[8] have provoked an ongoing dispute over the benefits of such emerging new technologies.
User-created modifications
- Main article: Mod
The multi-purpose nature of personal computers often allows users to modify the content of installed games, without needing to avoid common restrictions on their console counterparts that have gained prevalence since the 10NES system of the Nintendo 64. Instead, users are often free to modify existing files or create their own, using a wide range of tools, and then distribute those modifications (commonly known as mods) by any means they choose.
Modding had allowed much of the community to produce game elements that would not normally be provided by the developer of the game. This may unlock or introduce objectionable content, such as the famoues a third party modification modification to Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, but are generally used to expand or modify normal gameplay.
Distribution
Traditional distribution
Typically, computer games are distributed to local retailers on standard storage media, such as compact discs, DVD, and floppy disks.
Different formats of floppy disks were initially the staple storage media of the 1980s and early 1990s, but have largely fallen back in practical use as the increasing sophistication of computer games raised the overall size of the game's data and program files.
Compact discs have largely replaced the role of floppy disks, storing roughly 600 to 700 megabytes of data per disk. This capacity was sufficient for most computer games released during the 1990s, although a handful of such games required multiple CDs, such as the two CD Command & Conquer set.
The introduction of complex graphics engines in recent times has resulted in additional storage requirements for modern games, and thus an increasing interest in DVDs as the next compact storage media for personal computer games. The rising popularity of DVD drives in modern computers, and the larger capacity of the new media (a single-layer DVD can hold up to 4.7 gigabytes of data, more than five times as much as a single CD), have resulted in their general adoption as the standard format for computer game distribution. To date, CD versions are still offered for most games, while some games offer both the CD and the DVD versions.
Shareware
Shareware marketing, whereby a limited or demonstration version of the full game is released to prospective buyers without charge, has been used as a method of distributing computer games since the early years of the gaming industry. Shareware games generally offer only a small part of the gameplay offered in the retail product, and may be distributed with gaming magazines, in retail stores or on developers' websites free of charge.
In the early 1990s, shareware distribution was common among fledging game companies such as Apogee Software, Epic Megagames and id Software, and remains a popular distribution method among smaller game developers. However, shareware has largely fallen out of favor among established game companies due to its risky nature and traditionally low margins, with some notable exceptions such as PopCap Games continuing to use the model today.
Online delivery
With the rapidly increasing popularity of the Internet, online distribution of game content has found considerable use among developers. With the technology of online purchasing, and the advent of fast internet connections, web-based delivery found increasing use as a distribution medium for large computer games that could be stored on the player's computer. Retail services such as Direct2Drive and Download.com allow users to purchase and download large games that would otherwise only be distributed on physical media, such as DVDs, as well as providing cheap distribution of shareware and demonstration games. Other services, such as GameTap, allow a subscription-based distribution model in which users pay a monthly to download and play as many games as they wish.
The Steam system, developed by Valve Corporation, provides an alternative to traditional online services. Instead of allowing the player to download a game and play it immediately, some games are made available for "pre-load" in an encrypted form days or weeks before their actual release date. On the official release date, a relatively small component is made available to unlock the game.
Popular and notable genres of PC gaming
Personal computers have at times been superior to their equivalent video game consoles, and thus capable of playing more graphically sophisticated games and prompting the rise of entire genres such as the first person shooter. However, the two platforms have largely converged in processing power with upcoming seventh generation video game consoles such as the Playstation 3, and the 2005 release of the Xbox 360.
However, certain differences have persisted between platforms, particularly the suitability of their respective input devices for certain genres of video game. The real time strategy genre, in particular, as found very little success outside of personal computers, with early releases such as Starcraft 64 failing in the marketplace due to the low resolution graphics and especially the limitations of the Nintendo 64 controller. Specifically, console joysticks and gamepads are able to reproduce neither the quick, accurate movements of a mouse, nor the wide range of simultaneous input options of a keyboard. Notable exceptions include The Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-earth II, released for the Xbox 360 in a modified form in 2006.
Conversely, genres such as racing games have found considerable success with the analog joysticks found on modern console controllers, since these allow for sustained motion and smoother control than either a mouse or keyboard.
Computer gaming technology
Hardware
Most setups will include a keyboard and mouse. Other common gaming peripherals are headset and microphone for faster communication with teammates or opponents in online games, joysticks for flight simulators and steering wheels for driving games.
PC games have to deal with the constantly improving PC hardware market that makes it potentially confusing for game buyers to tell if a new game is compatible with their machine. New CPUs and graphics cards are coming out all the time and many games have a minimum hardware requirement, with successive new releases often requiring newer and faster processors or graphics cards. Unlike consoles, computers are meant to catch up with computer games as they are upgradable.
Operating systems
At present, computer games commonly require a specific operating system such as Microsoft Windows to function. Mac and Linux operating systems have significantly less support than Windows among the big game developers but compatible versions of popular games are becoming more commonplace. As of 2005, very few companies publish or port titles to the Mac OS; the most notable publisher is Blizzard Entertainment. The Macintosh has seen some notable titles being its exclusive domain, most notably the Marathon series developed by Bungie (of Halo fame). Even with more titles being made for the Apple platform, it typically takes over a year for the titles to reach the system. Even fewer companies publish Linux versions; iD Software and Epic Megagames are the only major commercial game developers to make available Linux versions of their titles.
Installing and running computer games has become much easier with recent operating systems. Specific hardware drivers, presently, with the advanced hardware architecture of modern operating systems combined with graphical platforms like DirectX have made computer games much easier to configure and run properly on a multitude of hardware.
Many MS-DOS games of the 1980s and early-to-mid 1990s became incompatible with the Windows NT family of Operating Systems, even when utilizing the built-in NTVDM emulation. This is due to the internal structure of the operating systems being changed from where hardware could be directly accessed, to where it has to go through the hardware abstraction layer. Recently, a OpenSource DOS emulator entitled DOSBox has allowed many of these previously incompatible titles to work again. DOSBox is also compatible on Linux, opening up a wealth of software titles which were previously unavailable. In 2004, a commercial product entitled WineX was launched which allows many modern games to run on Linux, even though they are designed for the Windows platform.
Multiplayer
- Local Area Network Gaming
Before the availability of affordable, high-speed Internet connections, multiplayer gaming was largely limited to Local Area Networks (LANs) because their typically higher bandwidth and lower latency. These advantages allowed more players to join any given computer game before network restrictions made gameplay infeasible, but have persisted today because of the higher latency of most Internet connections and the costs associated with broadband internet.
Typically, LAN Gaming requires two or more personal computers, a router and sufficient networking cables to connect every computer on the network. Additionally, each computer must have a Network Interface Card installed or integrated onto its motherboard in order to communicate with other computers on the network. Optionally, any LAN may include an external connection to the Internet.
Less commonly, multiple computers may be connected by a Wireless LAN in order to reduce the need for external networking hardware. These networks typically achieve similar goals to other local area networks, but usually require each participating computer to have wireless networking hardware installed. Furthermore, they are limited further by the lower bandwidth, higher latency and limited range of current wireless networking solutions such as the 802.11g standard, and have generally found only limited use.
Online multiplayer games have achieved popularity largely as a result of increasing broadband adoption among consumers. Affordable high-bandwidth Internet connections allow large numbers of players to participate in individual games, and thus have found particular use in massively multiplayer online RPGs and persistent online games such as World War II Online.
Although it is possible to participate in online computer games using dial-up modems, broadband internet connections are generally a considered a must in order to reduce difficulties caused by the high latency connections (commonly known as "lag"). These broadband connections require a broadband-compatible modem connected to the personal computer through a network interface card (generally integrated onto the computer's motherboard), optionally separated by a router.
Emulation
Emulation software, used to run software without the original hardware, has receive significant public interest in the past decade. Console emulators, such as NESticle and MAME, have found particular popularity among gamers that wish to play older video games without the consoles for which they were designed, although modern consoles such as the Xbox 360 cannot be replicated due to their immense complexity.
General purpose emulators, allowing the user to run entire computer operating systems such as Microsoft Windows and Mac OS X, have also found some community acceptable. Notable examples of such software include Virtual PC and PearPC.
Controversy surrounding PC games
As long as PC-games (and any other videogames) exist, there has been debate about the influence of violence in video games on the person who plays the game. This is debate especially concerned with the influence on (younger) kids. In short, the debate goes between two groups. Firstly, parents and guardians who put the responsibility with developers, pointing out that games have become more and more violent and gory over the years. Secondly, some people prefer to defend the artistic freedom of developers, and put the responsibility with parents and guardians, saying that they should keep an eye on their kids to prevent them from playing games they are too young for.
Recently, another cultural aspect of video gaming has hit the media, namely video game addiction. Video game addiction can have several negative effects, such as a negative influence on health and on social relations. Moreover, lately some deaths have been reported as a result of people playing video games for extremely long periods at a time. The problem of addiction and it's health risks seems to have grown with the recent rise of Massively Multiplayer Online Games (MMOG's).
For more information about the violence debate and video game addiction see the article about video game controversy in general (so including video games on other platforms than the PC).
See also
- List of gaming topics
- List of PC games
- Decline of PC game sales in the US
- Video game controversy
- Gaming PC
References
- ^ Levy, Steven (1984). Hackers: Heroes of the Computer Revolution. Anchor Press/Doubleday. ISBN 0385191952.
- ^ "Player 3 Stage 6: The Great Videogame Crash". 1999-04-07. Retrieved 2006-08-16.
- ^ "Commodore Amiga 1000 Computer". Retrieved 2006-08-16.
- ^ Cifaldi, Frank (2006-02-21). "Analysts: FPS 'Most Attractive' Genre for Publishers". Retrieved 2006-08-17.
- ^ Shamma, Tahsin. Review of Unreal, Gamespot.com, June 10, 1998.
- ^ "Half Life 2: Episode One for PC Review". 2006. Retrieved 2006-09-02.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|month=ignored (help) - ^ Reimer, Jeremy (2006-05-14). "Tim Sweeney ponders the future of physics cards". Retrieved 2006-08-22.
- ^ Shrout, Ryan (2006-05-02). "AGEIA PhysX PPU Videos - Ghost Recon and Cell Factor". Retrieved 2006-08-22.