PC Gaming Is Dying

[AmishSamurai]

well as this has gone way off topic ill assume it will abide by Godwin's Law that, "As an online discussion grows longer, the probability of a comparison involving Nazis or Hitler approaches 1."

So the only question, who will do it first?

Hitler breathed air.

[irixith]

http://www.cinemablend.com/games/It-Off ... 30373.html

Retail PC gaming is dying? GREAT!!

I mean really, come back with me for a few moments, gamers that are as old as I. Picture opening up your copy of Ultima IV -- complete with discs, a wonderful manual, hint book with the attachment you had to hold over the answers to see them, and a goddamn CLOTH map. CLOTH! That's not the only game that was packaged like that, that was the standard. Media, manual, and some sort of cool extra. Remember Maniac Mansion? Remember having to go to page 5, paragraph 3, 2nd sentence 1st word to pass the copy protection? Heh.

What do you get now? A gigantic cardboard box with a disc and a cd-key. The discs don't even have nice artwork on them anymore! No manual, or if you're really lucky, a flimsy piece of paper with controls. Sometimes there is a PDF manual, mostly it's just an annoying intro sequence/first level (or more) where you're forced through a tutorial instead. Why would I want to bother buying that at retail, just to have a disc? I can download my games from Steam, burn them to disc, delete them, download them again, whatever. More convenience than going out to the store, buying a lousy disc and having to store that big old cardboard box somewhere.

The rise of digital is finally here, and it's about damn time.

[AppleQueso]

[AppleQueso]

http://www.cinemablend.com/games/It-Off ... 30373.html

Retail PC gaming is dying? GREAT!!

I mean really, come back with me for a few moments, gamers that are as old as I. Picture opening up your copy of Ultima IV -- complete with discs, a wonderful manual, hint book with the attachment you had to hold over the answers to see them, and a goddamn CLOTH map. CLOTH! That's not the only game that was packaged like that, that was the standard. Media, manual, and some sort of cool extra. Remember Maniac Mansion? Remember having to go to page 5, paragraph 3, 2nd sentence 1st word to pass the copy protection? Heh.

What do you get now? A gigantic cardboard box with a disc and a cd-key. The discs don't even have nice artwork on them anymore! No manual, or if you're really lucky, a flimsy piece of paper with controls. Sometimes there is a PDF manual, mostly it's just an annoying intro sequence/first level (or more) where you're forced through a tutorial instead. Why would I want to bother buying that at retail, just to have a disc? I can download my games from Steam, burn them to disc, delete them, download them again, whatever. More convenience than going out to the store, buying a lousy disc and having to store that big old cardboard box somewhere.

The rise of digital is finally here, and it's about damn time.

it would be so badass if retail PC games became some kind of niche market, so they started going all out to make the retail versions of games totally fucking awesome again

[Ack]

http://www.cinemablend.com/games/It-Off ... 30373.html

Retail PC gaming is dying? GREAT!!

I mean really, come back with me for a few moments, gamers that are as old as I. Picture opening up your copy of Ultima IV -- complete with discs, a wonderful manual, hint book with the attachment you had to hold over the answers to see them, and a goddamn CLOTH map. CLOTH! That's not the only game that was packaged like that, that was the standard. Media, manual, and some sort of cool extra. Remember Maniac Mansion? Remember having to go to page 5, paragraph 3, 2nd sentence 1st word to pass the copy protection? Heh.

What do you get now? A gigantic cardboard box with a disc and a cd-key. The discs don't even have nice artwork on them anymore! No manual, or if you're really lucky, a flimsy piece of paper with controls. Sometimes there is a PDF manual, mostly it's just an annoying intro sequence/first level (or more) where you're forced through a tutorial instead. Why would I want to bother buying that at retail, just to have a disc? I can download my games from Steam, burn them to disc, delete them, download them again, whatever. More convenience than going out to the store, buying a lousy disc and having to store that big old cardboard box somewhere.

The rise of digital is finally here, and it's about damn time.

Personally I don't really care for digital download either (I liked having hard copies of games, and getting cloth maps), but the new "eco-friendly" game cases really bother me. The cardboard boxes felt more durable, and I've discovered multiple games with torn labels because someone put their finger on the wrong spot.

[irixith]

it would be so badass if retail PC games became some kind of niche market, so they started going all out to make the retail versions of games totally fucking awesome again

That actually really would be pretty badass. Today's "collector's editions" are pretty lame. Just a bunch of cookie-cutter soundtrack "selection" discs, etc. I'd love to go back to the days of cloth maps, robust hint books, and actual manuals. Manuals that are as valuable as the game itself!

Personally I don't really care for digital download either (I liked having hard copies of games, and getting cloth maps), but the new "eco-friendly" game cases really bother me. The cardboard boxes felt more durable, and I've discovered multiple games with torn labels because someone put their finger on the wrong spot.

I know there's definitely still a crowd that prefers the physical over the digital, and I completely respect that. It's just that you don't get much else than a CD and key these days, and you can reproduce your own disc from the digital downloads. So many games require online activation that having a physical disc holding the content doesn't even mean a whole heck of a lot anyway. Couple that with the amount of patches modern day games get, and I prefer the digital copy that I can back up (nicely patched) at my leisure.

The new style of case is horrible -- you see them already ruined on the shelf, and even ruined when they shipped to you. Makes the physical product even LESS appealing!

[dsheinem]

it would be so badass if retail PC games became some kind of niche market, so they started going all out to make the retail versions of games totally fucking awesome again

That actually really would be pretty badass. Today's "collector's editions" are pretty lame. Just a bunch of cookie-cutter soundtrack "selection" discs, etc. I'd love to go back to the days of cloth maps, robust hint books, and actual manuals. Manuals that are as valuable as the game itself!

Personally I don't really care for digital download either (I liked having hard copies of games, and getting cloth maps), but the new "eco-friendly" game cases really bother me. The cardboard boxes felt more durable, and I've discovered multiple games with torn labels because someone put their finger on the wrong spot.

I know there's definitely still a crowd that prefers the physical over the digital, and I completely respect that. It's just that you don't get much else than a CD and key these days, and you can reproduce your own disc from the digital downloads. So many games require online activation that having a physical disc holding the content doesn't even mean a whole heck of a lot anyway. Couple that with the amount of patches modern day games get, and I prefer the digital copy that I can back up (nicely patched) at my leisure.

The new style of case is horrible -- you see them already ruined on the shelf, and even ruined when they shipped to you. Makes the physical product even LESS appealing!

I think there are some very sweet special editions this generation - The Killzone 3 CE with Helghast mask and action figure, the God of War III Pandora's Box, The Deathsmiles CE w/faceplate, etc. Yeah, there are some cool older CEs too, but it isn't like they have all gone to shit all of the sudden. If anything, they are more common and offer more things.

Oh, and I don't think I've bought a PS3 game with those "eco-cases" yet (unless I just haven't noticed). Seems all 360 and Wii games have them now, though...

[Para]

I was gonna go with the whole "PC Gaming isn't dying" group because I use my computer all the time to play games, but when I actually sit down and think about it I only play a couple computer games and no where near the amount that I used to.

Growing up I had a huuuuuuuge PC game collection that was ever expanding and now I buy maybe one PC game every year or two.


My Collection Growing up:
Diablo, Diablo Hellfire, Incredible Machine, Age of Empires, Age of Empires 2, Civilization, Bomberman Ultra, Army Men 2, The Sims, Sims Hot Date, Sims House Party, Sims Livin Large Sims Unleashed, Warcraft, Warcraft 2, Warcraft 3, Frozen Throne, Command and Conquer, C&C Covert Ops, C&C Counterstrike, C&C Aftermath, C&C Red Alert, Red Alert 2, Red Alert 2: Yuri's Revenge, C&C Tiberian Sun, C&C Renegade, C&C Generals, Treasure Cove, Beavis and Butthead, Wheel of Time, Duke Nukem, Duke Nukem, Duke Nukem 2, Duke Nukem 3D, Duke Nukem: Manhattan Project, Doom, Unreal Tournament, Starcraft, Starcraft: Broodwar, Time Wheel, Lemmings, Quake, Counterstrike, Rollercoaster Tycoon, Rollercoaster Tycoon 2, Rollercoaster Tycoon: Loopy Landscapes, Rollercoaster Tycoon: Corkscrew Follies, Mech Warrior, Mech Warrior 2, Fallout, Fallout 2.

Those are just the titles I can remember off the top of my head and the cases/boxes that I can see from where I am sitting. I know for a fact I had a couple dozen more crappy and less memorable games and not to mention a lot of freeware or awesome games that came with the computers such as Chips Challenge, Jezz Ball, etc.

My Current/Recent PC Games:
StarCraft 2, Heroes of Newerth, World of Warcraft, Burning Crusade, Lich King, Cataclysm, Half Life 2, Left 4 Dead

The point of this post isn't to say "Hey look at my collection" but more to show how PC gaming has changed drastically over the years for me. My collection is a shell and the amount of games I play are a shell of what it used to be. I don't play anywhere near the amount of PC games that I used to, nor do I find these games to be anywhere near as fun, and I have a lot less fond memories of playing these games. Currently I only play a couple games of HoN and Starcraft 2 a week and I don't play anything else on my computer.

I'm also not a fan of digital copies of games. I have and always will love owning physical copies of games, instructions/manuals, boxes and cases. All of my old "digital copy" only games have disappeared over time and forgotten.

Make of this what you will. One can argue that the current gen games have a lot more replay value so that would be why I don't play as many different games, but I also don't play to the degree that I used to, nor do I have the same passion or interest anymore.

[AppleQueso]

it would be so badass if retail PC games became some kind of niche market, so they started going all out to make the retail versions of games totally fucking awesome again

That actually really would be pretty badass. Today's "collector's editions" are pretty lame. Just a bunch of cookie-cutter soundtrack "selection" discs, etc. I'd love to go back to the days of cloth maps, robust hint books, and actual manuals. Manuals that are as valuable as the game itself!

Personally I don't really care for digital download either (I liked having hard copies of games, and getting cloth maps), but the new "eco-friendly" game cases really bother me. The cardboard boxes felt more durable, and I've discovered multiple games with torn labels because someone put their finger on the wrong spot.

I know there's definitely still a crowd that prefers the physical over the digital, and I completely respect that. It's just that you don't get much else than a CD and key these days, and you can reproduce your own disc from the digital downloads. So many games require online activation that having a physical disc holding the content doesn't even mean a whole heck of a lot anyway. Couple that with the amount of patches modern day games get, and I prefer the digital copy that I can back up (nicely patched) at my leisure.

The new style of case is horrible -- you see them already ruined on the shelf, and even ruined when they shipped to you. Makes the physical product even LESS appealing!

I think there are some very sweet special editions this generation - The Killzone 3 CE with Helghast mask and action figure, the God of War III Pandora's Box, The Deathsmiles CE w/faceplate, etc. Yeah, there are some cool older CEs too, but it isn't like they have all gone to shit all of the sudden. If anything, they are more common and offer more things.

Oh, and I don't think I've bought a PS3 game with those "eco-cases" yet (unless I just haven't noticed). Seems all 360 and Wii games have them now, though...

I'm not sure that Ps3 has moved to eco-cases yet. I know you can find plenty of blu rays like that.

You know what drives me crazy? The eco cases are supposed to be done for the purpose of being more "eco-friendly" and green right? Why is it then that I so often will still find eco cases with CARDBOARD SLIPCASES THAT SHOW THE SAME ARTWORK AS THE ACTUAL CASE? It kinda defeats the whole damn point.

I've been slowly replacing all of my eco-cases.

[Limewater]

You know what drives me crazy? The eco cases are supposed to be done for the purpose of being more "eco-friendly" and green right? Why is it then that I so often will still find eco cases with CARDBOARD SLIPCASES THAT SHOW THE SAME ARTWORK AS THE ACTUAL CASE? It kinda defeats the whole damn point.

I've been slowly replacing all of my eco-cases.

Heh. Last week I was at Staples or Office Depot or something and saw eco-friendly pencils at the checkout. They were supposed to help save trees and stuff by being made out of recycled newspaper.

Each one came individually packaged in a plastic cylinder.