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Definitely.

14 (12.8%)

Only for this current generation.

5 (4.6%)

I think the console is on it's way out but the PC is not on it's way back in.

2 (1.8%)

It's a possibility.

12 (11%)

Undecided.

2 (1.8%)

Probably not.

12 (11%)

I think the PC is on it's way back in but the console isn't on it's way out.

42 (38.5%)

Definitely not.

6 (5.5%)

Other.

3 (2.8%)

Don't care. / View poll.

11 (10.1%)

Total Members Voted: 109

[Tilla]

Xbox was literally off-the-shelf parts wasn't it? a Celeron processor and all that.

[MagmaDeath]

Eh, I never got the whole "outdated in 1-2 years" thing. My graphics card is 5 years old, motherboard/cpu is older. And I can run all modern games, though not at the top graphics. I really haven't noticed that much degrading of textures based on settings, And I would rather sacrifice graphics for gameplay, than console games which for the most part sacrifice gameplay development for better graphics.


But yeah, consoles will always be the top seller for teenagers/kids because its "easier" and "cheaper". And the fact that people will buy pretty much everything that is shoved at them on consoles, so you get the constant rehashes.

[Dsarker]

Eh, I never got the whole "outdated in 1-2 years" thing. My graphics card is 5 years old, motherboard/cpu is older. And I can run all modern games, though not at the top graphics. I really haven't noticed that much degrading of textures based on settings, And I would rather sacrifice graphics for gameplay, than console games which for the most part sacrifice gameplay development for better graphics.

I believe that the outdating cycle refers to the fact that after two years, the most expensive PC will be topped by the cheapest new PC available.

[Flying Carcass]

Isn't this becoming increasingly false? I was under the impression stuff like the PS3 had to have firmware updates to run newer games, so a console bought early in its release cycle has (is is beginning to have) a fairly disturbing chance of not being able to run a fair amount of the console's game library. This is especially worrying when you consider that support for firmware updates from the actual company, especially for older consoles, will pretty much inevitably cease.

The firmware updates are always provided with the disk or downloadable and will work with older models of the console. For instance, my old PSP has undergone something like 6 or 7 firmware updates and still runs new releases fine. Its like games that package direct x for pc.

[Kusgnos]

I guess it could be a possibility that consoles might decline. Haha, all those probability-words.

But I think the things we think of when we think of PC gaming is Steam and indie games and great, wonderful, promising, unique forays into the realms of brilliance.

The things that most casual gamers think of are things like Facebook games, Zynga stuff, and P2P browser MMOs. And they make up quite a lucrative market.

So I'd say yes, the PC gaming market is definitely rising, but it might not all be in the way you're thinking of.

---

Anecdote time!

I chatted with a friend lately about games, and through the course of the conversation I realized how separate our gaming world views were. When I asked if he played strategy games, he brought up a browser-based Facebook game he'd been playing, and noted how fun it was and how into strategy games he was.

It was a little disconcerting in the next week, when this article on CNN came up, entitled "Who Says Social Games are Shallow?". http://www.cnn.com/2011/TECH/gaming.gadgets/07/19/social.games.deeper/index.html

A few lines from there you might enjoy:

Tossing out the tired heavy metal riffs, alpha-male attitude and endless explosions, social games embrace all comers and steadily reward, not punish, players as they progress. This completely turns the traditional game design model on its head.

Today's popular social games are training entire generations of game players that "Mafia Wars" is a strategy game, "MMA Pro Fighter" a sports title and "Ravenwood Fair" a simulation. Consider how that clashes with most current software publishers' definitions and how they'll be forced to adapt to respond to the expectations of this ever-growing audience.
These games are truly changing the scope, definition and perception of what video games can be, ripping up the playbook and throwing it out the hand-drawn, pastel-colored window.

Sometimes it's like a splash of cold water to see how differently the majority of people view videogames, as compared with forumgoers on a place like B12G or other annals of the internet.

[PsyberianHusky]

I honestly have no beef with the rise of casual, I am just annoyed with the whole zynga/facebook module because for the most part it is lazy. Zynga basically pumps out "insert-theme-here-villes".

If casual gaming put enough effort into putting meaning into games, as opposed to be a pay per pallet-swap, I could see it being alot better.

I am very interested in the casual game because although not my taste in the current state, I think we will be seeing more of it, and I think some will attempt to bridge the gap between casual and recreational gamer as they become popular on the next generation of consoles.

And seriously, all my hate for zynga comes from the recruiters who come to may game-dev club.
They make it look like you will be young money, but I know you are going to be a cubical slave.

[drkpaladin]

Nope PC gaming is dead, naturally being on the dwarf fortress forums I'd like to think that there will be always be a niche for indie game developers on the PC.  I wouldn't look too hard at casual games either, the popular casual games will be multiplatform, except it will be PC and cellphone and maybe/maybe not consoles.  I'm sure there will be WOW 2 and Starcraft 3 one day, and that individual games will shine through over the next few years too, but as the exceptions.

Consoles, PC's, and cell phones will be indistinguishable from each other before PC gaming can make a real comeback, and by then we might be calling whatever device that is a 'personal computer' anyways.

[Saint]

Another one of these threads, except now the spin is that the console is dieing instead of PC gaming...

Neither are going to die, get over it.

[RF]

Another one of these threads, except now the spin is that the console is dieing instead of PC gaming...

Neither are going to die, get over it.

I played WoW since it's EU launch. I played on RP servers.

In every expansion, I'd see the same things being said by players who'd been around for some time. "RP is dying! RP is dying! Why won't Blizzard do something?!" It was dismissed by the "elite" and the proletariat alike, first because "RP IS FINE, PLENTY OF PEOPLE ARE DOING IT" and then later with, "PEOPLE HAVE BEEN SAYING THIS FOR YEARS AND STILL IT'S NOT DEAD."

Year by year, the amount of roleplayers on RP servers was declining, having their places filled with non-RPers or outright griefers, leading to RP-dedicated servers (not just normal servers, but servers outright dedicated to RP) having tens, if not hundreds, more non-RPers than RPers, giving rise to small insular RP communities that only fed the lack of roleplayers.

Now, RP IS pretty much dead on WoW's RP servers. Without going to the last few dedicated spots (mainly Silvermoon and Stormwind, neither of which are renowned for their quality) or getting in the last few alive guilds, you'll never get RP. You'll either get laughed at or told to piss off because you're an "RP noob".

Why did this happen? Because no one was willing to admit RP was in decline, both due to game mechanics preventing RP in later zones and a general lack of interest in the problem.

[Saint]

I can't take that example seriously because it's roleplaying in world of warcraft, sorry.
Also this is a entire gaming SYSTEM you're talking about, not one minor aspect of one game, this is an entire core system of gaming, it won't die.

[RF]

I can't take that example seriously because it's roleplaying in world of warcraft, sorry.
Also this is a entire gaming SYSTEM you're talking about, not one minor aspect of one game, this is an entire core system of gaming, it won't die.

The denial is strong in this one.

If you'd been asked a year ago if News Corp was about to crumble due to a terrible error in judgement, what would you have said?

[Catastrophic lolcats]

"Good."

[Neonivek]

Right now the PCs arn't really on the rise it is just that the consoles are on their way down as they are stagnating.

PC and Console sales are all part of the same pool.

The ONLY way to see if PC is truely on the rise is when the next console comes out.

[Cthulhu]

Another one of these threads, except now the spin is that the console is dieing instead of PC gaming...

Neither are going to die, get over it.

I played WoW since it's EU launch. I played on RP servers.

In every expansion, I'd see the same things being said by players who'd been around for some time. "RP is dying! RP is dying! Why won't Blizzard do something?!" It was dismissed by the "elite" and the proletariat alike, first because "RP IS FINE, PLENTY OF PEOPLE ARE DOING IT" and then later with, "PEOPLE HAVE BEEN SAYING THIS FOR YEARS AND STILL IT'S NOT DEAD."

Year by year, the amount of roleplayers on RP servers was declining, having their places filled with non-RPers or outright griefers, leading to RP-dedicated servers (not just normal servers, but servers outright dedicated to RP) having tens, if not hundreds, more non-RPers than RPers, giving rise to small insular RP communities that only fed the lack of roleplayers.

Now, RP IS pretty much dead on WoW's RP servers. Without going to the last few dedicated spots (mainly Silvermoon and Stormwind, neither of which are renowned for their quality) or getting in the last few alive guilds, you'll never get RP. You'll either get laughed at or told to piss off because you're an "RP noob".

Why did this happen? Because no one was willing to admit RP was in decline, both due to game mechanics preventing RP in later zones and a general lack of interest in the problem.

Do you mean Silvermoon server or city?  I played on Silvermoon.  It was awful.  Alliance couldn't raid or PvP to save their lives, the economy was fucked thanks to Tastyhamster, and in general all anyone did was complain.  Then again maybe all the servers were like that.  Anyway, yeah, Warcraft's starting to teeter.  It's already down to pre-Cataclysm player levels because they watered down endgame content so bad the people who get there (Like less than 10% of the player population anyway) blow through it in a few weeks.  Plus the Free To Play scheme is completely taking over the market, I think WoW, WAR, Rift, and Eve are the only ones still doing the old way that matter.

I still wouldn't be opposed to playing WoW on a pre-BC private server, as long as it had enough players.  I never got to experience the old content, I was probably level 35 when BC came out by the time I had a 70 the Dailies had taken over and everyone was getting ready for Northrend.  Then I got to 80 and didn't have any fun.  The gear was so much cooler in the original game, big 8-piece gear sets that looked badass.  Too bad they ruined it with BC.

Spoiler: Before outland (click to show/hide)

Yeah, that's an elite I soloed.  That was another thing I loved about pre-BC, soloing monsters I wasn't supposed to solo, like the level 40 elite demon I killed alone at level 36.

Spoiler: An hour into Outland (click to show/hide)

It was pretty disheartening.

[RF]

Do you mean Silvermoon server or city?  I played on Silvermoon.  It was awful.  Alliance couldn't raid or PvP to save their lives, the economy was fucked thanks to Tastyhamster, and in general all anyone did was complain.  Then again maybe all the servers were like that.  Anyway, yeah, Warcraft's starting to teeter.  It's already down to pre-Cataclysm player levels because they watered down endgame content so bad the people who get there (Like less than 10% of the player population anyway) blow through it in a few weeks.  Plus the Free To Play scheme is completely taking over the market, I think WoW, WAR, Rift, and Eve are the only ones still doing the old way that matter.

I still wouldn't be opposed to playing WoW on a pre-BC private server, as long as it had enough players.  I never got to experience the old content, I was probably level 35 when BC came out by the time I had a 70 the Dailies had taken over and everyone was getting ready for Northrend.  Then I got to 80 and didn't have any fun.  The gear was so much cooler in the original game, big 8-piece gear sets that looked badass.  Too bad they ruined it with BC.

I meant Silvermoon City. But on some cities even that place is dead. Yeah, there were issues with monopolies being formed by conglomerates (or just outright Chinese gold farmers) and dominating the auction houses on most servers.

Cataclysm is actually down below WotLK levels (even the later levels, just before Cataclysm was released, where there's a noticeable drop) and it's sinking very quickly. Activision have, as you can expect, royally fucked up.

I've got a chart somewhere of subscription rates of the various expansion packs. There's a drop of about 75% growth per expansion pack, and I guess they've finally gone below the point where they're losing old players faster than they're gaining new ones because they've ruined the game completely.