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For information on this form of gaming in general, see computer and video games.

A personal computer game (or simply PC game) is a video game played on a personal computer. Unlike console games, PC games may be played on a device that is not designed solely for that purpose, although computers optimised for gaming (known as gaming PCs) have becoming popular in recent times. As with any video game, they require an output device such as a monitor, and are controlled by common input devices such as a keyboard or mouse.

Personal computer game are usually distributed using standard storage units for personal computers, such as compact discs and most recently, DVDs. Floppy disks have also been widely used in the past, and certain games are also distributed via the Internet through services such as Direct2Drive or from developers' websites, such as Steam.

History

Early growth

Spacewar!, developed for the PDP-1 in 1961, is often credited as being the first ever computer game. The game consisted of two player-controlled spaceships maneuvering around a central star, each attempting to destroy the other.

Although computers have become commonplace only in recent times, since they were prohibitively expensive and bulky until the development of the microprocessor, they have been used for computer gaming since at least the 1960s. One of the first computer games was developed in 1961, when MIT students Martin Graetz and Alan Kotok, with MIT employee Stephen Russell, developed Spacewar! on a PDP-1 computer used for statistical calculations.[1]

The first generation of games were often text adventures or interactive fiction, in which the player communicated with the computer by entering commands through a keyboard. The first text-adventure, Adventure, was developed for the PDP-11 in 1972.[2] By the 1980s, personal computers had become powerful enough to run games like Adventure, but by this time, graphics were beginning to become an important factor in games. Later games combined textual commands with basic graphics, as seen in the SSI Gold Box games such as Pool of Radiance, or the original Bard's Tale.

The video game crash of 1983

Main article: Video game crash of 1983

As the video game market became flooded with poor-quality games as numerous companies attempted to enter the market, and major releases such as the Atari 2600 adaptation of E.T. failed to impress consumers, the popularity of personal computers for education rose dramatically. As a result, in 1983, consumer interest in video games dwindled to historical lows, and there was a major upswing in personal computer gaming.[3]

New Genres

Increasing adoption of the computer mouse and high resolution bitmap displays allowed the industry to include graphical interfaces in new releases. Meanwhile, the Commodore Amiga computer achieved great success in the market from its release in 1985, contributing to the rapid adoption of these new interface technologies.[4]

File:Wolf3dtitle.gif
Wolfenstein 3D, released as shareware by id Software in 1992, is widely regarded as having popularised the first person shooter genre of computer games.

The FPS genre was created with the release of id Software's Wolfenstein 3D in 1992, and remains one of the highest-selling genres today.[5] The game was originally distributed through the shareware distribution model, allowing players to try a limited part of the game for free but requiring payment to play the rest, and represented one of the first uses of texture mapping graphics in a popular game.[6]

While leading Sega and Nintendo console systems kept their CPU speed at 3-7 MHz, the 486 PC processor ran much faster at 66 MHz, allowing it to perform many more calculations per second. The 1993 release of Doom on the PC was a breakthrough in 3D graphics, and was soon ported to various game consoles in a general shift toward greater realism.[7]

Many early PC games included extras such as the peril-sensitive sunglasses that shipped with The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. These extras gradually became less common, but many games were still sold in the traditional over-sized boxes that used to hold the extra "feelies". Today, such extras are usually found only in Special Edition versions of games, such as Battlechests from Blizzard.[8]

Contemporary gaming

File:FEAR screenshot3.png
The high quality graphics of F.E.A.R. demonstrate the complex visual effects common in modern PC games.

By 1995, the rise of Microsoft Windows and success of 3D console titles such as Super Mario 64 sparked great interest in hardware accelerated 3D graphics on the PC, and soon resulted in attempts to produce affordable solutions with the ATI Rage, Matrox Mystique and Silicon Graphics ViRGE. As 3D graphics libraries such as DirectX and OpenGL matured and knocked proprietary interfaces out of the market, these platforms gained greater acceptance in the market, particularly with their demonstrated benefits in games such as Unreal.[9] However, major changes to the Microsoft Windows operating system, by then the market leader, made many older MS-DOS-based based unplayable on Windows NT, and later, Windows XP.[10]

The faster graphics accelerators and improving CPU technology have resulted in ever-increasing levels of realism that characterise contemporary PC gaming. During this time, the improvements introduced with products such as ATI's Radeon R300 and NVidia's GeForce 6 Series have allowed game developers to increase the complexity of modern game engines. PC gaming currently tends strongly toward improvements in 3D graphics.[11]

Unlike the generally accepted push for improved graphical performance, the use of physics engines in computer games has become a matter of debate since announcement and recent release of the AGEIA PhysX PPU, ostensibly competing with middleware such as the Havok physics engine. The new technology has prompted argument over the viability of hardware accelerated physics in video games, as with accelerated graphics. In particular, the difficulty in ensuring that players' experiences are consistent with or without an installed PPU,[12] and the uncertain value of first generation PhsyX cards in games such as Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter[13] and City of Villains,[14] have provoked an ongoing dispute over the benefits of such emerging new technologies.

Similarly, recent years have seen many game publishers experimenting with new forms of game marketing. Chief among these new strategies is episodic gaming, an adaptation of the older concept of expansion packs, in which game content is provided in smaller quantities but for a proportionally lower price. Recent titles such as Half-Life 2: Episode One have taken advantage of the new idea, with mixed results rising from concerns for the amount of content provided for the price.[15]

PC game development

Main article: Game development

Game development, as with console games, is generally undertaken by one or more game developers using either standardised or proprietary tools. While games could previously be developed by very small groups of people, as in the early example of Wolfenstein 3D, many popular computer games today require large development teams and budgets running into the millions of dollars.[16]

PC games are usually built around a central piece of software, known as a game engine,[17] that simplifies the development process and enables developers to easily port their projects between platforms. Unlike most consoles, which generally only run major engines such as Unreal Engine 3 and RenderWare due to restrictions on homebrew software, personal computers may run games developed using a larger range of software. As such, a number of alternatives to expensive engines have become available, including open source solutions such as Crystal Space, OGRE and DarkPlaces.

User-created modifications

Counter-Strike, a total-conversion mod for Valve Software's Half-Life, achieved great popularity online and was subsequently purchased by Valve.
Main article: Mod (computer gaming)

The multi-purpose nature of personal computers often allows users to modify the content of installed games with relative ease. Since console games are generally difficult to modify without a proprietary software development kit, and are often protected by legal[18] and physical[19] barriers against tampering and homebrew software, it is generally easier to modify the personal computer version of games using common, easy-to-obtain software. Users can then distribute their customised version of the game (commonly known as a mod) by any means they choose.

Modding had allowed much of the community to produce game elements that would not normally be provided by the developer of the game. This may unlock or introduce objectionable content, such as the famous a third party modification modification to Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, but are generally used to expand or modify normal gameplay.

Distribution

Traditional distribution

Typically, computer games are sold at retail on standard storage media, such as compact discs, DVD, and floppy disks.[20] Different formats of floppy disks were initially the staple storage media of the 1980s and early 1990s, but have fallen out of practical use as the increasing sophistication of computer games raised the overall size of the game's data and program files.

The introduction of complex graphics engines in recent times has resulted in additional storage requirements for modern games, and thus an increasing interest in CDs and DVDs as the next compact storage media for personal computer games. The rising popularity of DVD drives in modern PCs, and the larger capacity of the new media (a single-layer DVD can hold up to 4.7 gigabytes of data, more than five times as much as a single CD), have resulted in their adoption as a format for computer game distribution. To date, CD versions are still offered for most games, while some games offer both the CD and the DVD versions.

Shareware

Main articles: Shareware and Game demo

Shareware marketing, whereby a limited or demonstration version of the full game is released to prospective buyers without charge, has been used as a method of distributing computer games since the early years of the gaming industry. Shareware games generally offer only a small part of the gameplay offered in the retail product, and may be distributed with gaming magazines, in retail stores or on developers' websites free of charge.

In the early 1990s, shareware distribution was common among fledging game companies such as Apogee Software, Epic Megagames and id Software, and remains a popular distribution method among smaller game developers. However, shareware has largely fallen out of favor among established game companies in favour of traditional retail marketing, with some notable exceptions such as Big Fish Games and PopCap Games continuing to use the model today.[21]

Online delivery

File:Steam3beta.PNG
The Steam content delivery system allows users to preload games prior to their release.

With the increased popularity of the Internet, online distribution of game content has become more common.[22] Retail services such as Direct2Drive and Download.com allow users to purchase and download large games that would otherwise only be distributed on physical media, such as DVDs, as well as providing cheap distribution of shareware and demonstration games. Other services, such as GameTap, allow a subscription-based distribution model in which users pay a monthly to download and play as many games as they wish.

The Steam system, developed by Valve Corporation, provides an alternative to traditional online services. Instead of allowing the player to download a game and play it immediately, some games are made available for "pre-load" in an encrypted form days or weeks before their actual release date. On the official release date, a relatively small component is made available to unlock the game.

See also: Computer and video game genres

Personal computers have at times been superior to their equivalent video game consoles, and thus capable of playing more graphically sophisticated games and prompting the rise of entire genres such as the first person shooter. However, the two platforms have largely converged in processing power with upcoming seventh generation video game consoles such as the Playstation 3, and the 2005 release of the Xbox 360.

The real time strategy genre has found very little success outside of personal computers, with releases such as Starcraft 64 failing in the marketplace due difficulties in playing the game using the Nintendo 64 controller, and other changes from the original version.[23] Specifically, console joysticks and gamepads are able to reproduce neither the quick, accurate movements of a mouse, nor the wide range of simultaneous input options of a keyboard. Notable exceptions include The Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-earth II, released for the Xbox 360 in a modified form in 2006.

Conversely, genres such as racing games have found considerable success with the analog joysticks found on modern console controllers, since these allow for sustained motion and smoother control than either a mouse or keyboard or joystick.

Computer gaming technology

Hardware

A typical PC has a mouse, keyboard, speakers, and a display screen

Virtually all personal computers use a keyboard and mouse for user input, although other common gaming peripherals are a headset and microphone for faster communication with teammates or opponents in online games, joysticks for flight simulators, and steering wheels for driving games.

Many computer games today place great emphasis on the processing power of the computer, requiring good performance from both the CPU and graphics card in order to produce smooth gameplay in increasingly complex 3D games. As a result, gaming-related hardware is frequently improved upon to meet the demands of successive generations of games.

Operating systems

At present, computer games commonly require a specific operating system such as Microsoft Windows to function. While most games are developed for Windows,[24] Mac OS X and Linux versions of more popular titles usually become available through porting houses such as Aspyr, or multi-platform developers such as Blizzard Entertainment.

Multiplayer

Local Area Network Gaming

Multiplayer gaming was largely limited to Local Area Networks (LANs) before cost-effective broadband internet connections became available, due to their typically higher bandwidth and lower latency than the dialup services of the time. These advantages allowed more players to join any given computer game, but have persisted today because of the higher latency of most Internet connections and the costs associated with broadband internet.

Typically, LAN Gaming requires two or more personal computers, a router and sufficient networking cables to connect every computer on the network. Additionally, each computer must have a Network Interface Card installed or integrated onto its motherboard in order to communicate with other computers on the network. Optionally, any LAN may include an external connection to the Internet.

Online Multiplayer

Main article: Online game

Online multiplayer games have achieved popularity largely as a result of increasing broadband adoption among consumers. Affordable high-bandwidth Internet connections allow large numbers of players to play together, and thus have found particular use in massively multiplayer online RPGs and persistent online games such as World War II Online.

Although it is possible to participate in online computer games using dial-up modems, broadband internet connections are generally considered necessary in order to reduce the latency between players (commonly known as "lag"). Such connections require a broadband-compatible modem connected to the personal computer through a network interface card (generally integrated onto the computer's motherboard), optionally separated by a router.

Emulation

Main article: Emulator

Emulation software, used to run software without the original hardware, have found some popularity for their ability to play legacy video games without the consoles or operating system for which they were designed. Console emulators, such as NESticle and MAME, have become relatively commonplace in recent years. However, the complexity of modern consoles such as the Xbox makes them far more difficult to emulate, even for the original manufacturers.[25]

Controversy

File:WoW-Lakeshire.png
Popular MMORPGs such as Blizzard Entertainment's World of Warcraft have become the subject of criticism in recent years, amid concern that they encourage game addiction.
Main article: Video game controversy

Computer games have long been a source of controversy, particularly related to the violence that has become commonly associated with video gaming in general. The debate surrounds the influence of objectionable content on the social development of minors, with organisations such as the American Psychological Association concluding that video game violence increases childrens' aggression,[26] a concern that prompted a further investigation by the Center for Disease Control in September 2006.[27] Industry groups have responded by noting the responsibility of parents in governing their childrens' activities, while attempts in the United States to control the sale of objectionable games have generally been found unconstitutional.[28]

Recently, another cultural aspect of video gaming has hit the media, namely video game addiction. Video game addiction can have a negative influence on health and on social relations, and has lead to deaths as a result of extremely prolonged gameplay.[29] The problem of addiction and its health risks seems to have grown with the recent rise of Massive Multiplayer Online Role Playing Games (MMORPGs).[30]

See also

References

  1. ^ Levy, Steven (1984). Hackers: Heroes of the Computer Revolution. Anchor Press/Doubleday. ISBN 0385191952.
  2. ^ "Chronology of the History of Video Games". Retrieved 2006-09-23.
  3. ^ "Player 3 Stage 6: The Great Videogame Crash". 1999-04-07. Retrieved 2006-08-16.
  4. ^ "Commodore Amiga 1000 Computer". Retrieved 2006-08-16.
  5. ^ Cifaldi, Frank (2006-02-21). "Analysts: FPS 'Most Attractive' Genre for Publishers". Retrieved 2006-08-17.
  6. ^ James, Wagner. "Masters of "Doom"". Retrieved 2006-09-23.
  7. ^ "Console history". Retrieved 2006-09-23.
  8. ^ Varney, Allen. "Feelies". Retrieved 2006-09-24.
  9. ^ Shamma, Tahsin. Review of Unreal, Gamespot.com, June 10, 1998.
  10. ^ Durham, Jr., Joel (2006-05-14). "Getting Older Games to Run on Windows XP". Retrieved 2006-09-22.
  11. ^ Necasek, Michal (2006-10-30). "Brief Glimpse into the Future of 3D Game Graphics". Retrieved 2006-09-23.
  12. ^ Reimer, Jeremy (2006-05-14). "Tim Sweeney ponders the future of physics cards". Retrieved 2006-08-22.
  13. ^ Shrout, Ryan (2006-05-02). "AGEIA PhysX PPU Videos - Ghost Recon and Cell Factor". Retrieved 2006-08-22.
  14. ^ Smith, Ryan (2006-09-07). "PhysX Performance Update: City of Villains". Retrieved 2006-09-13.
  15. ^ "Half Life 2: Episode One for PC Review". 2006. Retrieved 2006-09-02. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
  16. ^ Wardell, Brad (2006-04-05). "Postmortem: Stardock's Galactic Civilizations II: Dread Lords". Retrieved 2006-09-13. {{cite web}}: line feed character in |title= at position 23 (help)
  17. ^ Simpson, Jake. "Game Engine Anatomy 101, Part I". Retrieved 2006-09-22. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |Month= ignored (help); Unknown parameter |Year= ignored (|year= suggested) (help)
  18. ^ "Judge deems PS2 mod chips illegal in UK". 2004. Retrieved 2006-09-22. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
  19. ^ "Xbox 360 designed to be unhackable". 2005. Retrieved 2006-09-22. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
  20. ^ "The Next Billion Dollar Videogame Opportunity". Retrieved 2006-09-24.
  21. ^ Chris Morris (June 18, 2003). "The return of shareware". CNN.com. Retrieved 2006-09-24.
  22. ^ Brendan Sinclair (June 18, 2003). "Spot On: The (new) dawn of digital distribution". Retrieved 2006-09-23.
  23. ^ Joe Fielder (2000-05-12). "StarCraft 64". Gamespot.com. Retrieved 2006-08-19. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  24. ^ Hesseldahl, Arik (2006-06-01). "Apple Needs to Get Its Game On". Retrieved 2006-09-23.
  25. ^ "Xbox 360 Review". 2005. Retrieved 2006-09-12. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
  26. ^ American Psychological Association. "Violent Video Games - Psychologists Help Protect Children from Harmful Effects".
  27. ^ "Senate bill mandates CDC investigation into video game violence". 2006. Retrieved 2006-09-19. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
  28. ^ "Judge rules against Louisiana video game law". 2006. Retrieved 2006-09-02. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
  29. ^ "S Korean dies after games session". 2005. Retrieved 2006-09-21. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
  30. ^ "Detox For Video Game Addiction?". 2006. Retrieved 2006-09-12. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
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