9 reasons why PC gamers are more hardcore
OPINION
Console fanboys (you know who you are!) are notoriously loyal and defensive when it comes to their favorite gaming platform. With unequaled passion they slag of everything else, blinded by the grandness their Playstation 3, Xbox 360 or Wii. For them, we have an 'inconvenient truth': PC gamers -are- more hardcore. Why? Read on.
1. PC gamers don't believe in Next-Gen
A PC gamer keeps his PC up to date and lets his hardware grow along with game engine technology. As a result, their systems are always 'current'. Comparatively, their systems are only ever 'on par' with consoles for about a year after the release of a new console. The rest of the time, their platform is -way- ahead of their console brethren who can't upgrade their platform's innards at all.
2. Money is no object
The first point, of course, comes at a price. The average PC gamer -will- drain his wallet to buy new hardware to run his games smoothly. Fans are not the only ones anxiously awaiting the release of Crysis 2. Hardware manufacturers -ATI and NVIDIA in particular- soil their pants with every new rumour of an impending release date announcement.
3. PC gamers are never done playing
When a PC gamer has completed a great game, he will turn to the web to find mods to tweak, change or extend his game. If he can't find what he needs, he might even decide to create some mods of his own. If a PC gamer likes a game that can be modded, he will often continue playing it until the sequel arrives.
4. PC gamers game with their brains
Console gamers like simplicity in their entertainment. Run and gun, peddle to the metal, it doesn't matter as long as the game is light on the brain. PC gamers prefer games that require them to actually -use- their brains. It is therefore commendable but misguided that some publishers are attempting to break open the Strategy genre on consoles. They really shouldn't bother as the so called armchair generals aren't sitting in armchairs at all, they're sitting behind a computer desk.
5. PC gamers have always been hardcore
While console fans were still playing Duck Hunt and Super Mario Bros with their moms, hardcore PC gamers were spending countless hours on X-Com, Doom, Sim City and Sid Meiers: Pirates! (all the while using their brains, of course!).
6. PC gamers sacrifice time -before- they play their games
Apart from spending countless hours upgrading and reinstalling their operating systems, PC gamers also dedicate a large portion of their time tweaking the performance of their rigs. Less frequently than in the past, games may not always work right away. A true PC gamer doesn't think twice about tinkering with his settings for an hour or so before he gets his game on.
7. No prosthetics, please
Unless he is gaming with a disability (Disabled gamers are hardcore to the max, respect!), a PC gamer doesn't want help playing his game. Whereas console game developers have devised numerous ways to help overcome the shortcomings of gaming with a gamepad, PC gamers have always preferred the raw, unaided versions of their games. The timeless 'mouse and keyboard' method has proven to be the most accurate way to control a game. If a PC gamer really wants to immerse himself, he will buy a joystick or racing pedals to make it more -not less- realistic. Seriously guys, 'auto-aim' is a joke.
8. PC gamers play games from all times
Long-time PC gamers will regularly pop in a much loved but ancient game and play it into the wee hours of the night. They'll even deal with quirky DOS emulators for the really old stuff, games that are sometimes only in 256 colours. Console gamers are lucky if they can play games from their consoles' last generation. Older games? No cigar.
9. PC gamers will still be gaming when consoles are long gone
Digital distribution is rapidly changing the face of gaming. As the adoption rate of digital distribution grows and internet technology evolves, resistance against digital streaming of games will dissolve. Streaming services such as Gaikai will render the need for an expensive gaming rig a thing of the past. In a few years time, all you will need to play the triple-A titles of that generation, will be a TV with a controller attached to it, completely replacing consoles as we know them with more generic equipment. Yet PCs will still live on. Many tasks are just more comfortably done behind a PC than a TV. While most games will reach their PC gaming audience via a digital streaming service, smaller, independent studios will opt to develop games the old fashioned way. In other words, PC-only games will still be there when Sony and Microsoft have moved on from being console companies to streaming companies.
The image used with this article has been taken from the Force Dynamics 301, a hardcore motion simulator primarily used for racing games. And, you guessed, this peripheral is PC only.