Editorial & Opinion: PC Gaming Rising in Popularity, and May Again Become the Main Gaming Platform of Choice for Game Developers

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Back in the 1990s, PC gaming was the main gaming platform that game developers used to develop for. Many hits such as Doom, Half-Life, The Sims, RollerCoaster Tycoon, and Command & Conquer were developed for the PC gaming platform, and reached new heights in terms of generating revenue for developers, publishers and local gaming stores. Most of the PC games came packaged in giant boxes, only to find a small CD buried somewhere inside. Moreover, games were distributed via local game stores, and thus, some gamers may have to wait for a few weeks for a hot selling game before the store restocks it. Let’s fast-forward to 2011, shall we?

The trend to purchase PC games digitally over the Internet has become a phenomenon. Valve’s digital distribution service, Steam, has attracted millions of PC gamers worldwide to purchase games in their online store. Gamers no longer have to head to their local store to purchase games. With Steam, gamers can purchase, download, and play the game within minutes, depending on their Internet speed. Moreover, games no longer have to be pre-packaged (with huge, thick game manuals), and ship to various stores around the world in DVD / Blu-ray format, which eventually saved money for the game publishers. Online distribution is on the rise, and Electronic Art clearly sees this and welcomes this change by creating an alternative to Steam, named Origin. With the push to exclusively release Battlefield 3 and Star Wars: The Old Republic on Origin, we are heading into a new digital era, where future gaming consoles will likely follow this trend of online distribution. The rise of online distribution services assures a healthy PC gaming market. We see Steam and Origin as the new “gaming consoles”, where they will offer exclusive games and content for their digital platforms. With the inclusion of Xbox LIVE digital distribution service offering on the upcoming Windows 8 computers, we may see PC gaming’s meteoric rise of gaming dominance resurgence in the next few years.

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