PC Gaming: A Pastime Revolutionising the Gaming Industry.
Since its origins in the 1960s, PC gaming has come a long way. What was once a jumble of cables, monitors and keyboards is now a fully-fledged industry with millions of players all over the world. But what has made PC gaming so popular and why does it continue to grow in both popularity and technological advances? To uncover why this gaming platform has risen from a niche hobby to one of the biggest gaming platforms and most popular pastimes of the 21st century, we must take a look at some of the key moments and developments that have turned PC gaming into the global phenomenon it is today.
The Origins of PC Gaming
The concept of PC gaming dates back to the late 1950s, when a device called the Brown Box was developed and released to the public. This device was the first video game console, designed by Ralph Baer and it paved the way for the future of PC gaming. It was the first system capable of playing multiple electronic games and it was incredibly successful.
However, it wasn’t until the 1970s that PC gaming really began to take off. The first computer-based strategy games and text-based role-playing games had been developed and released and the industry grew exponentially from there. Key developments such as VR and 3D technologies helped build upon the popularity of PC gaming, and in the late 1990s, the industry saw the launch of the first 3D console games.
The Rise of Online PC Gaming
With the advent of the internet, PC gaming entered a new era. While physical console games continued to be popular for some time, the shift towards online gaming was inevitable. By the early 2000s, the industry had seen the rise of internet-based gaming communities and established online game stores such as Steam.
Thanks to the internet, PC gaming opened up to players worldwide, allowing them to downloaded games onto their computers and share their experiences with other players. This enabled developers to create games that were more complex and immersive than ever before, while increasing the accessibility of the gaming platform as a whole.
The Impact of PC Gaming
Today, PC gaming stands as one of the biggest industries in gaming. Between 2000 and 2018, the PC game market worth more than $20 billion, with the industry expected to grow further in the coming years.
PC gaming has had a dramatic impact on the industry at large. Due to the increased accessibility of library of games available, it is no longer just a hobby for a few niche gamers, but an increasingly mainstream pastime. It has encouraged more people to challenge themselves with increasingly complex and detailed games, fuelling an appetite for greater creativity, capabilities and experiences in the gaming world.
It has also had a significant impact on how games are designed, developed and released. PC gamers expect a much higher degree of fidelity, realism and quality than they did in the past, and this has seen developers increase their efforts to ensure that games are up to the standards players expect.
The Future of PC Gaming
As we move further into the 21st century, PC gaming looks set to remain at the forefront of gaming trends. Industry leaders such as Steam, Epic Games and Blizzard have already established themselves as key players in the industry and the games available on each are increasing in both quality and quantity.
In addition to this, the rise of cloud gaming – the streaming of games directly to users – is making PC gaming even more accessible. This is allowing developers to create more complex and immersive gaming experiences, with faster response times and more real-time interaction between players. As cloud-based technologies and gaming options continue to rise, PC gaming will become even more interactive and less reliant on physical hardware.
Ultimately, PC gaming is a platform that has revolutionised the gaming industry and brought it to a much wider audience. By providing gamers with increased accessibility and quality, PC gaming has become an essential part of the gaming landscape and its all-encompassing impact on the industry, both now and in the future, helps ensure that it will continue to be a driving force in the industry for decades to come.
PC Gaming: A Pastime Revolutionising the Gaming Industry.