Is piracy killing PC game market?

[quote name='camoor']

Seriously, I think his point is semi-valid. However I'll never support a big-brother delivery system like Steam.

The reason I started migrating to console games was because it's an easy setup every time - instead of all of the configuration/video card installation/patch work involved in playing PC games. Plus consoles have caught up to/surpassed most PC rigs - IMO the only games you need to play on a PC are the RTS (or MMORPG if you're into that stuff :razz: ).[/quote]

steam is a great program and FPS will always be better on PC ..
 
[quote name='danked']steam is a great program and FPS will always be better on PC ..[/quote]

Steam is one of the worst things ever made. I mean I like the auto patching and easy game selection and organization of it all. But all the protections it imposes is freaking ridiculous. I would rather do away with Steam in exchange for more freedom.
 
it just seems like all the games i liked for the pc are no longer being made. it needs some more innovation... or some more retrospect.

the space flight sims were among my favorites... a little bit of complexity to learn but fun in the end. i didn't like wing commander 1 and 2 so much but when x-wing and tie fighter came out, they were awesome. in fact, they're still much better than their sequels, xvt and alliance. wc3 and 4 were great too, prophecy is a bit of an eh.

what happened to the adventure games too? dott, monkey island are crazy good, and now that genre is completely dead. indigo prophecy was okay (whether you want to classify it as adventure) but it just collapsed so terribly at the end.

i dunno about anybody else but i loved the sim genre back then, when starting up businesses and stuff was actually hard and more in-depth. now we're mired in 4750375023243x easy as pie tycoon-type games. i used to love capitalism, it was so complex yet fun. now what do we have... MALL tycoon? give me a break.

FPS, RTS (err, more like strategy in general) are great and all, and the PC clearly dominates in those categories. where the PC does lose ground is sports, action titles, and RPGs. sports is whatever, although the PC does have some great statistical sports games. i've never really liked the PC for action games either. commander keen may have a place in my heart, but i think super mario bros. was a lot better. and RPGs is more of a tricky thing, because the majority of popular console RPGs here are japanese-styled, whereas PC RPGs are more in line with diablo and NWN, sprinkled amongst popular MMOs.

piracy isn't really an issue, imo, because most of the fun of games is the multiplayer element that you don't get with pirating.

hah @ the monkey island reference.
i was thinking about the first game's copy protection when you had to spin that weird wheel to match up faces and numbers.

ultima 7 gave me a headache with its copy protection... you had to locate a town on the map and give the coordinates. well, me and my bro thought you had to be accurate, so we interpolated those coordinates and never figured it out until a couple of years later. sad. we even bought the hint book because we thought it would have the answers to the "weird map question."
 
for me it's not a matter of money or anything, it's more of an issue of PC games being a huge pain in the ass for me. I've had games not work for me for so many stupid reasons, clashing with programs here and there, ram issues, my computer just sucks and i hate dealing with computer issues. I download PC games here and there, but barely actually play them. the only games i've pirated and then actually paid for because they were awesome were: Half Life 2, Quake 4, and FEAR. If I like a game A LOT ill buy it, especially for multiplayer. But besides that you have to give me some sort of gaurantee it will be worth my money.

With that said, I LOVE pc games, i just find them to be a pain in the ass to get started/enjoy in the setting I am in(if that makes sense)

On top of that, America seems to be the only country that does anything for PC gaming...
 
A couple things....

1) Microsoft has had a great effect on the PC gaming industry. You want some difficulty, then look to PC gaming of early 90s, before Direct X. It was regular to see games only work with certain hardware pieces. Now a days, it is much easier to take care of.

2) I have been running a 9800 Pro for three years now, and I have no problem running the lastest games with most of the details enabled. (BF2, Rise of Legends, COH, WOW, MAdden 06, I even have Oblivion, Quake 4 and Half-life 2 running.)

3) Piracy does have a strong impact on the industry, and I can back that with my experience working in computer support, game retail, and game development (two of the games above, list my name in different departments :) ) I can remember working at the Geek Squad and seeing so many machines come in with so many games that were cracked and while that might be legimate, this is a strong pointer to piracy. It is said because more people feel that they deserve these games for free and that is not true.

4) You can play most games online, with pirated versions, either through private servers, direct connect, or some games use the policy of kicking if two games have the same key on the server, not in the whole system (BF2 is a good example)

5) Most patches do not launch because of known software issues, it is really the conflicts that occur between when the game goes to duplication and it is shipped. One, maybe two, patch tuesdays may occur. Graphics drivers might update, network drivers, all the different components are important and can effect performance. But half of the challenege is figuring it out, because with each challenge comes knowledge, I can say for a fact that my troubleshooting in the beginning is responsible now for two large technology companies fighting over my contract.
 
With out a shadow of a doubt yes. I would say of all the piracy that happens the pc market gets the shaft. I've meet few people that buy pc games. Pc does have the largest installed base but not all of those people are buying games. Most are playing flash games online. Stores hardly carry PC games, most people get their games from P2P networks.

Also I think its somewhat the PC makers fault as well. When 2,000 games come out a year and 1,950 off them suck then I think they need to be regualted more and more. A great example is walmart they normally have a decent sized pc area. If you skim through those games I dare say 25%of the games are good-great and some of those are games that came out 5 years ago and there only $10. IMo the reason most people download games or get them from a friend and do no cd patches. Is because its easy and cheap, and also some many games come out that suck. If you buy a pc game that sucks you only resort to sell it is on ebay. No store will take back an open pc game. So many games that suck come out and people bought them so over time people learned that its better to get the game for free then deal with buying a 50 dollar steaming pile.
 
[quote name='dtarasev'] But all the protections it imposes is freaking ridiculous. I would rather do away with Steam in exchange for more freedom.[/quote]

i dont get it i have never had any problem modding steam to the way i like it and the source engine for that matter

what protections are you talking about ?
 
I've never had Steam prevent me from doing anything that wasn't prohibited by the license agreement. e.g., I had trouble installing HL2: Ep One on my brother's computer while it was installed on mine. We got it to work by signing into Steam under my name on his computer, but we can't both play at the same time. It's annoying, but I am not supposed to be doing it anyway.

[quote name='danked']i dont get it i have never had any problem modding steam to the way i like it and the source engine for that matter

what protections are you talking about ?[/quote]
 
[quote name='danked']i dont get it i have never had any problem modding steam to the way i like it and the source engine for that matter

what protections are you talking about ?[/quote]

The things is that I do not want Steam. But I have to use it. It demands that it goes online or you begin having problems. I honestly have never had any trouble with Steam but I really do not want to deal with it.

I want to do what I want with my game and Steam prohibits that. It links the game to my account and to transfer the game I have to pay THEM money. Why should I? It's my game! (For arguments sake lets not get into the whole licensing thing). If I want to give it to a friend when I am done with it why can't I without paying them a fee?
 
[quote name='dtarasev']I want to do what I want with my game and Steam prohibits that. It links the game to my account and to transfer the game I have to pay THEM money. Why should I? It's my game! (For arguments sake lets not get into the whole licensing thing). If I want to give it to a friend when I am done with it why can't I without paying them a fee?[/quote]

Exactly - they are encroaching on your right of first sale. Piracy should be quelled, but ceding all control to a bunch of amoral corporations driven by nothing but profit is a cure worse then the disease.
 
[quote name='dtarasev']The things is that I do not want Steam. But I have to use it. It demands that it goes online or you begin having problems. I honestly have never had any trouble with Steam but I really do not want to deal with it.

I want to do what I want with my game and Steam prohibits that. It links the game to my account and to transfer the game I have to pay THEM money. Why should I? It's my game! (For arguments sake lets not get into the whole licensing thing). If I want to give it to a friend when I am done with it why can't I without paying them a fee?[/QUOTE]

Well first you have to deal with the "licensing thing", because that is what you are buying. Second, if you want, sell your account to your friend then, but I am assuming you enjoy having the access to all the games under one shell. If you want, create an account for each game and then just log in to each one to use it.\
 
[quote name='Roufuss']You know what killed the PC market? Repetition and staleness, seeing the same old genres time and time again.[/QUOTE]That's why I never became a PC gamer, and stuck to consoles.
 
[quote name='The Mana Knight']That's why I never became a PC gamer, and stuck to consoles.[/QUOTE]


Umm excuse me, but isn't the PC where innovation occurs first.

Eye Toy= Web Cam Games have been around years before the PS2

Next Gen Interfaces = Nested Menu Systems

Multiplayer = do I have to say it

Talk to any small developer, the PC allows them to limit the controlling forces from external sources. Could you name some of the amazing innovation that consoles have brought to us?

(Guitar Hero is my favorite example but I am sure there are others and they are all built on Jamma Circuit Boards before they get downsized to console.
 
I think ease of use is what killed the PC, games have gotten easier to install and play, but the constant upgrading of components makes the PC more of an enthusiasts market (a niche audience). It is just too easy for someone to plug in a console and start playing right from the convenience of their couch on a big tv, than tinker with a game on the computer which probably has a 17" screen or smaller.

Plus, people aren't updating there PC constantly like they were a decade ago. It used to be that you had to update your computer constantly just to run the latest version of AOL or Microsoft Windows. With the upgrade market slowing down, people aren't investing as much into the computers. Also I think there used to be a larger discrepancy between what the average computer could do and what a console could do. Back in the day when DOOM came out, the PC was the place you had to go if you wanted the latest, greatest graphics. But now the difference isn't so apparent and when consoles first come out they look better than the current gen of computer video cards even if only briefly. But your average user isn't going to see the big difference between the DirectX9 360 and the DirectX10 Vista video cards, atleast until a few years down the road.

I'm still a PC gamer, I have always enjoyed FPS's on the PC and I like the MMORPG's and RTS games, but I play consoles as well.
 
Most people I know got all the PC gaming they need with about 2 games
1. World of Warcraft
2. Counter Strike Soruce


with a good MMORPG and a good FPS will last hundred of hours.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
bread's done
Back
Top