Editing PC game (section)

{{Short description|Electronic game played on a personal computer}}
{{redirect|PC games|the magazine|PC Games{{!}}''PC Games''}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2012}}
[[File:Paku-paku4-dos.png|thumb|''Paku Paku'' is a [[video game clone]] of ''[[Pac-Man]]''.]]
{{Video games}}

A '''personal computer game''', also known as a '''computer game''',{{efn|Computer game may also be a synonym for video game.}} or abbreviated '''PC game''', is a [[video game]] played on a [[personal computer]] (PC). The term ''PC game'' has been popularly used since the 1990s referring specifically to games on "[[Wintel]]" ([[Microsoft Windows]] software/[[Intel]] hardware) which has dominated the computer industry since.

Mainframe and minicomputer games are a precursor to personal computer games. [[Home computer]] games became popular following the [[video game crash of 1983]]. In the 1990s, PC games lost [[mass market]] traction to [[console game]]s on the [[fifth generation of video game consoles|fifth generation]] such as the [[Sega Saturn]], [[Nintendo 64]] and [[PlayStation (console)|PlayStation]].{{citation needed|date=April 2023}} They are enjoying a resurgence in popularity since the mid-2000s through [[digital distribution]] on [[online service provider]]s.<ref name="stuart10">{{cite news |last=Stuart |first=Keith |date=27 January 2010 |title=Back to the bedroom: how indie gaming is reviving the Britsoft spirit |newspaper=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/technology/gamesblog/2010/jan/26/casual-gaming-indiegames |access-date=8 November 2012}}</ref><ref name=economist12>{{cite news|title=Japan fights back|url=https://www.economist.com/news/business/21566696-two-japanese-firms-are-challenging-world-new-kind-video-game-japan-fights-back|newspaper=[[The Economist]]|date=17 November 2012|url-access=subscription}}</ref> Personal computers as well as general computer software are considered synonymous with [[IBM PC compatible]] systems; while [[mobile device]]s&nbsp;– smartphones and tablets, such as those running on [[Android (operating system)|Android]] or [[iOS]] [[mobile operating system|platform]]s&nbsp;– are also PCs in the general sense as opposed to [[video game console|console]] or [[arcade cabinet|arcade machine]]. Historically, it also included games on systems from [[Apple Computer]], [[Atari Corporation]], [[Commodore International]] and others. [[Microsoft Windows]] utilizing [[Direct3D]] become the most popular operating system for PC games in the 2000s. Games utilizing [[3D computer graphics|3D graphics]] generally require a form of [[graphics processing unit]], and PC games have been a major influencing factor for the development and marketing of [[graphics card]]s. [[Emulator|Emulators]] are able to play games developed for other platforms. The [[demoscene]] originated from computer game [[Software cracking|cracking]].

The uncoordinated nature of the PC game market makes precisely assessing its size difficult.<ref name="stuart10" /> PC remains the most important gaming platform with 60% of [[video game developer|developers]] being most interested in developing a game for the platform and 66% of developers currently developing a game for PC.<ref>{{cite web |date=18 March 2019 |title=The Most Important Gaming Platforms in 2019 |url=https://www.statista.com/chart/4527/game-developers-platform-preferences/ |website=Statista}}</ref>{{better source needed|date=April 2023}} In 2018, the global PC games market was valued at about $27.7 billion.<ref>{{Cite web |date=November 7, 2019 |title=Global PC Games Market Analysis 2015-2019 with Forecasting to 2030: Revenue Breakdowns for Shooter, Action, Sport Games, Role-Playing, Adventure, Racing, Fighting, Strategy & Other Genres - ResearchAndMarkets.com |url=https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20191107005499/en/Global-PC-Games-Market-Analysis-2015-2019-with-Forecasting-to-2030-Revenue-Breakdowns-for-Shooter-Action-Sport-Games-Role-Playing-Adventure-Racing-Fighting-Strategy-Other-Genres---ResearchAndMarkets.com |website=Business Wire }}</ref>{{better source needed|date=April 2023}} According to research data provided by [[Statista]] in 2020 there were an estimated 1.75 billion PC [[gamers]] worldwide, up from 1.5 billion PC gaming users in the previous year.<ref>{{cite web |date=24 November 2022 |title=Number of PC gaming users worldwide from 2008 to 2024 |url=https://www.statista.com/statistics/420621/number-of-pc-gamers/ |website=Statista}}</ref>{{better source needed|date=March 2023}} Newzoo reported that the PC gaming sector was the third-largest category across all platforms {{as of|2016|lc=y}}, with the console sector second-largest, and [[mobile game|mobile gaming]] sector biggest. 2.2 billion video gamers generate US$101.1 billion in revenue, excluding hardware costs. "Digital game revenues will account for $94.4 billion or 87% of the global gaming market.<ref>{{cite web |title=The Global Games Market 2017&nbsp;— Per Region & Segment&nbsp;— Newzoo |url=https://newzoo.com/insights/articles/the-global-games-market-will-reach-108-9-billion-in-2017-with-mobile-taking-42/}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=New Gaming Boom: Newzoo Ups Its 2017 Global Games Market Estimate to $116.0Bn Growing to $143.5Bn in 2020 {{!}} Newzoo |language=en-US |work=Newzoo |url=https://newzoo.com/insights/articles/new-gaming-boom-newzoo-ups-its-2017-global-games-market-estimate-to-116-0bn-growing-to-143-5bn-in-2020/ |access-date=2017-12-15}}</ref>{{better source needed|date=April 2023}} The [[Asia-Pacific|APAC]] region was estimated to generate $46.6 billion in 2016, or 47% of total global video game revenues (note, not only "PC" games). [[China]] alone accounts for half of APAC's revenues (at $24.4 billion), cementing its place as the largest video game market in the world, ahead of the US's anticipated market size of $23.5 billion.{{Citation needed|date=March 2023}}<!-- in Google summary of this source (but I can't access in the source itself): "China remain the largest games market for the foreseeable future" -->