2K Boston and BioShock creative director Ken Levine says he's depressed about the current state of PC gaming.
"I'm a real believer in industrial Darwinism," he said when asked about the game industry's biggest mistake. "It's hard for an industry to make a mistake because the market tends to be self-correcting...but I wish the industry could find a way to make PC gaming more broadly successful.
Levine, who's seen as one of the industry's biggest stars following his work on BioShock (which has now sold over two million copies, many for consoles), has his roots in PC development, having previously worked on classics such as System Shock 2 and Thief, and he told Forbes that he's still a PC gamer at heart.
"There are so many challenges for PC gaming - the complications from systems specifications to the drivers - most people look at PC games and say, 'What are you talking about?' It's a shame because as a gamer, I am never more comfortable than I am sitting with a mouse and keyboard two inches away from my monitor."
Elsewhere in the interview Levine was asked what he thinks will define this era of game design, and he responded by enthusing about developments in the area of co-op multiplayer gaming.
"This past six-month period is the era of finally figuring out how to do [cooperative multiplayer] - not just co-op capable. Multiplayer isn't just about beating the crap out of each other or playing the single player mode with another person, it's about a whole new game experience.
"I've been thinking a lot about how to bring narrative into cooperative gaming - something beyond just playing through the story mode with someone else," he added. "There are narrative things that are unique to cooperative experiences that are untouched upon. I've got a lot of big thoughts about that and am really excited about that space."
lol! That said, he's not a bad looking fellow, especially when held up to the stereotypical fat geek, with thick glasses and pimples living in momma's basement. In fact, he reminds me a bit of the actor Luke Wilson (the brother of Owen Wilson - the guy with that f'ed up nose).
Yes, I'm a PC gamer myself and I am concerned about certain recent developments (e.g. DRM and limited activations,) yet I don't think PC gaming is dead. True, I have a vested interest in it yet the PC gaming market is a niche market just as the casual gamers who may prefer consoles form a market niche.
lol! That said, he's not a bad looking fellow, especially when held up to the stereotypical fat geek, with thick glasses and pimples living in momma's basement. In fact, he reminds me a bit of the actor Luke Wilson (the brother of Owen Wilson - the guy with that f'ed up nose).
Now that you mention it, I totally see it... Bet he wishes his salary was the same.
Maybe they could turn the market if they made PC games that are not dumbed down to fit consoles. I think PC gamers want massive, immersive games that take at least a couple of days to complete, or games that have replayability, such as strategy games and simulators etc. Graphics is not a top priority.
Casual games are for consoles. Why play a console game on a PC?
Maybe they could turn the market if they made PC games that are not dumbed down to fit consoles. I think PC gamers want massive, immersive games that take at least a couple of days to complete, or games that have replayability, such as strategy games and simulators etc. Graphics is not a top priority.
Casual games are for consoles. Why play a console game on a PC?
Maybe they could turn the market if they made PC games that are not dumbed down to fit consoles. I think PC gamers want massive, immersive games that take at least a couple of days to complete, or games that have replayability, such as strategy games and simulators etc. Graphics is not a top priority.
I am a console gamer (since my PC f**ked up anyway), and I want this from games too. Not all console gamers should be tarred with the same brush. And nor should all PC gamers.
Casual games are for consoles. Why play a console game on a PC?
Because some PC gamers want to play those games and don't have access to a console.
I tend to use my PC for certain online games, like Unreal tournament, Left 4 dead and Team Fortress, as they tend to have more people playing for longer periods compared to if i have them on my Xbox. And i also am a modder with friends, so i like games like Unreal and Half-life on the PC as i like to create stuff for them and also play other peoples creations, increasing their replayability.
I am a console gamer (since my PC f**ked up anyway), and I want this from games too. Not all console gamers should be tarred with the same brush. And nor should all PC gamers.
Game developers seem to tar PC gamers and console gamers with the same brush so I thought my distinction was quite sophisticated.
Because some PC gamers want to play those games and don't have access to a console.
Ok, but it's relatively easy to get into console gaming compared to getting into PC gaming.
Ok, but it's relatively easy to get into console gaming compared to getting into PC gaming.
And that is ABSOLUTELY part of their appeal. However, that should not be indicitive of the level of sophistication that a user wants from their games. I like complex, in depth games, but I cannot be bottomd to deal with the issues regarding PCs. One day, my PC just started to turn itself off, for no apparent reason. It just bugs the sh*t out of me. And I bet you if and when I get it resolved, no current game would play on it.
For the last 15 or so years I have been a PC Gamer and only about 6 months ago bought a 360.
While I have played some truly great games on the Xbox, none of them have succeeded to totally immerse me in the same way that PC games have. For me, sitting inches away from a monitor, 5.1 surround sound blaring, keyboard and mouse at my fingertips, is the best way to immerse youself in the game world.
The consoles succeed in terms of sports and racing titles, but to truly be immersed in the story of a good old FPS or RPG, nothing gets better than a high end PC; if you can afford it - like me
Convieniently, Thief and System Shock 2 remain my two fav games of all time. I fear we'll never see the likes of those again as just about everything is released multiplatform these days. And while games like Fallout 3 and Dead Space are really great, they do feel restricted to help cater for the console interface.
I agree with him yet cant believe he didnt admit to being part of the problem. As a huge PC gamer who enjoys building high end pc's i am very concerned where it will be in a years time. These new restrictive installs (ala bioshock) and stupid DRM will put many people off buying the pc version of games. Ive already lost hardcore PC gamers to the consoles. I have a PS3 also which I love for playing certain games but I want Mirrors edge, Far Cry 2 and Dead space on my PC but i refuse to buy a game which I may find unusable in a few years. This time next year the average PC tech will utterly destroy what consoles are capable of...but will there be anyone left to buy them?
Yeah, I see DRM as the single greatest threat to PC gaming. I am not convinced that PC and console gaming has to be mutually exclusive. There are numerous instances of individuals who invest in both platforms. I'm toying with the idea of buying a console but I have no real need for it and my new PC from this summer can handle anything out on the PC gaming market at this point in time - I designed it to be able to and it should hold up for at least a couple of years even without major overhauls. The DRM though is a vicious and insidious toxic can of worms. Games I would love to play, games that I would snatch up in a heartbeat and not hesitate to buy - such ad Dead Space - are now games I wouldn't subject my PC to even if they were given to me free of charge. Makes me long to have an impassioned face-to-face conversation with the head honchos of each of the major publishers not that it would necessarily do any good, but who knows maybe it just might.
Yet I'm dug into my trenches and while I'm outgunned I intend to cause as much trouble as I can for companies like EA, Ubisoft, Sony (for creating SecuROM), etc. by spreading the loathsome details of their schemes by word of mouth, online forums and by adamantly refusing to buy any product - be it game related or otherwise - from any of the aforementioned companies. In Sony's case that means the PS3 and all other forms of electronics as well.
i mean sure its got retarded pricing, but its still cheaper than console games and is a great place to find loads of different types of games, and its so easy to use.
I use Steam but only for Counter-Strike related games and mods. My main discomfort with Steam is that the entire operation acts sort of like a DRM machine. Yes, it's pretty handy that you can access your games on any PC once you install Steam on it but I also like to have an actual physical disc while not having to trust that the company will always have a functioning server. There are so many reasons not to trust any company too far.
I use Steam but only for Counter-Strike related games and mods. My main discomfort with Steam is that the entire operation acts sort of like a DRM machine. Yes, it's pretty handy that you can access your games on any PC once you install Steam on it but I also like to have an actual physical disc while not having to trust that the company will always have a functioning server. There are so many reasons not to trust any company too far.
You don't have to download their games, the great thing is that if you buy the retail version,(I picked up the orange box at Toys'r'us for only a fiver), you can tie it into your steam account, and then take full advantage of their online service. Best of both worlds.
Also, what I like best about Steam is that it keeps your games up to date with all the latest patches.
There is still the potential problem for some that you will need an active internet connection at least once just to register the game. Believe it or not there are still people in the developed world whom do not have regular access to the internet (e.g. rural areas,). Not everyone lives in a city. As for the updating patches that's all well and good but I find it annoying when I haven't played CS for months on end to have to sometimes wait for an hour or more for it to update all the new files. Granted CS is an online game so that goes with the territory, but if it's the same for single player games then no thanks. Single player games by their very definition should not require any form of online connectivity in order to run out of the box. Period.
I think Steam is great after initially not liking it when I bought Half Life 2. I agree the amount of games you can buy off it is great and the fact you can access them from any pc.
I think Steam and Stardoc are the future of pc gaming.
Can anyone recommend a graphics card but not one that will require me to remortgage my house a good middle of the road or slightly above card
The problems facing PC gaming is NOT activity in terms of playing games, and playing new ones.
The problem is that piracy is so widespread in PC gaming (In which most are SP players, so even if you need a legitimate copy to play MP it's only a small part compared to), where as it isn't as broad on most consoles, heck it doesn't even excist on PS3 yet. So, isn't the problem with the industry really that we have too many too big and money hungry companies? i.e they just flee to the consoles so they can get a "secure income" and make crappy unfinished games they don't even like or are satisfied with themselves, to pump out more of the same kind.
More Paradoxes, CD Projekts and so on thank you! We need people that when they sit down and make a game don't have a single thought in mind of how much it's going to sell, only that they are making a great concept they like. Developments have also shown that these kinds of companies sell more games on long term - because the quality is not up for discussion. And that is for people who might even have pirated the game in the first place, and then thought it was so good to also enjoy other benefits of it when they're hooked with it.
Someone should maybe also point out to Mr Levine the insanely long thread on the 2K Bioshock forum concerning the physics engine frame-rate being so low it makes ragdolls look ridiculous.
It's the longest thread in the forum, but 2K continue to ignore it.
developers and publishers will always be against pc gaming because they do not and cannot control us in any way and we are not reliant on them in any way, whereas with console gamers - well, theyre just like cows in a pen ready to be milked for their money whever they need to be. They know they cant do that to us so they do everything in their power to try to finish us - from downtalking (like this idiot) to bitchy sniping in the form of later release dates etc when it comes to the games themselves. They need to just get over it. PC gaming is the only platform and community which still has the freedom to do what it wants, and it will never end.
Hear, hear! I'd sooner quit gaming than capitulate to the hostile and offensive overtures of certain developers and publishers in the PC gaming market.
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