PC versus Console Gamers

The comparison of PC and console players’ profiles is perhaps one of the most discussed topics in the video game sector and, at the same time, one of the most complicated ones, as there are no obvious “right” and “wrong” parties. At the same time, only ten years ago such an issue could not possibly appear at all, as the major games were associated with PC. Today, the ratio of PC against console gamers is determined by their perception of advantages and disadvantages of each of these systems. In this regard, the paper will not take one side in this dispute against another, but merely outline the main points of view, so that one can understand why the position of different people may be so different. One could claim that the differences and similarities between PC and console adherents are related to the home set preconditions, specifics of ecosystem that connects all players, and the problem of excessive openness.

Home Set Preconditions

It is useful to first consider certain preconditions associated with the discussion of the related users profiles. On the one hand, PC player is an average person who has a computer desk (or anything that performs this function) and a TV set, which is usually located in a separate place. This user would like to sit on his/her sofa or a large stationary chair while watching the TV set, and is not inclined to play from where one’s computer is located. In that case, the console in 90% of cases will offer people a much more comfortable and enjoyable experience of the game than the PC. The console provides its players with large screen and comfortable seating. On the other hand, there are players who have planned their dwelling in such a way that the image from the PC can be at any time displayed on the TV screen used as a monitor. Nevertheless, it involves a lot of wires stretched across the room. In other case, on the contrary, these players may not have a TV set but only a screen behind which one sits at home, i.e. a large monitor. Then the console loses the lion’s share of the benefits and will even thwart a player, being considered as an extra instrument on the table. Hover, in such a situation, the gaming console still has a couple of aces up its sleeve, and these benefits will be discussed below.

The Ecosystem that Connects all Players

A few years ago, both the console and the PC lacked the concept of ecosystem connecting all the players. The console players were associated with virtually complete isolation from the Internet, while PC players had forums as a main meeting spot. However, nowadays the gamers’ life became hard to imagine without online services regardless of the platform they use. One can see friends that are now online and track them in the game, text them, join them, share screenshots and highlights, and compare each other’s game progress with other players worldwide.

On the PC, the main current social platform for the gamers is Steam. There are, of course, Uplay and Origin. However, almost no one uses Urplay for any longer than one week after the release of the next “assassin” game. During its existence, Origin failed to learn the banality of remembering people’s passwords, which, nonetheless, get regularly stolen. It must be admitted that the brainchild of Valve was made for the PC as a game platform more than anything else. At reasonable prices the payers can buy the game to chat with friends, share their content for many games, and compare each other’s achievements. It will sound even more convincing with the release of SteamOS. By this time, PC will finally be able to discard the shackles of “documentary functional” and fight on equal terms against PSN and Xbox Live (Nintendo consoles network services is a different story).

Console players currently have an advantage over the PC platform-based community. It is mainly due to the fact that everything is built around consoles. In fact, it is a place primarily for games (even the Xbox One which wants to be multimedia combined with the ability to play). It is expressed in the solidity of all the ideas and overall functionality of the system. In the eyes of console gamers, the aforesaid elements of ecosystem is what makes the Next-Gen rather than resolution, graphics, or frame rate (for which there are no problems either), as it happened in the past.

The Problem of Excessive Openness

The problem experienced by many PC gamers, in contrast to those of console, is that it is associated with excessive options and functionality. It is not an uncommon situation when a purchased game is impossible to play immediately. It is normal for players to wait for the delay when it is caused by the download and installation, which is a standard process for consoles as well. However, when a game refuses to run or shows its temper in certain other ways, the process is already beginning to annoy. The worst part is that there are no universal guidelines for solving these problems. On the PC (especially on Windows), there can be a huge number of factors trying to interfere with the proper operation of the game. For example, not so long ago the players willing to engage in World of Warcraft would end up purchasing subscriptions and getting tormented the entire day by the game crashes after the launch. In addition, when the players found out that it was not the lack of drivers’ update that caused the problem, but the installation of the two-year-old drivers, they nearly went insane and hysterical about the issue.

The following specific is a common psychological factor related solely to PC gamers’ experience. Many of them are constantly tormented by a desire to minimize game window to check the alerts on Twitter, Facebook, or Skype.