Editing PC game (section)

== PC gaming technology ==
{{Main|Personal computer}}
{{See also|Gaming computer}}
[[File:Personal computer, exploded 5.svg|thumb|right|250px|An exploded view of a modern personal computer:
{{Ordered list
| [[Computer monitor|Display]]
| [[Motherboard]]
| [[Central processing unit|CPU]] ([[Microprocessor]])
| [[Primary storage]] ([[Random-access memory|RAM]])
| [[Expansion card]]s ([[graphics card]]s, etc.)
| [[Power supply unit (computer)|Power supply]]
| [[Optical disc drive]]
| [[Secondary storage]] ([[Hard disk]])
| [[Computer keyboard|Keyboard]]
| [[Computer mouse|Mouse]]
}}]]

=== Hardware ===
Modern computer games place great demand on the computer's hardware, often requiring a fast [[central processing unit]] (CPU) to function properly. CPU manufacturers historically relied mainly on increasing [[clock rate]]s to improve the performance of their processors, but had begun to move steadily towards [[Multi-core (computing)|multi-core]] CPUs by [[2005 in video gaming|2005]]. These processors allow the computer to simultaneously process multiple tasks, called [[thread (computing)|thread]]s, allowing the use of more complex graphics, artificial intelligence and in-game physics.<ref name="graphicstrend" /><ref name="multicore trend">{{cite web|url=http://www.anandtech.com/show/1645/4|title=Xbox 360 designed to be unhackable|access-date=September 22, 2006|date=October 2005}}</ref>

Similarly, 3D games often rely on a powerful [[graphics processing unit]] (GPU), which accelerates the process of drawing complex scenes in realtime. GPUs may be an integrated part of the computer's [[motherboard]], the most common solution in laptops,<ref name="integrated gpus">{{cite web|url=http://hardware.earthweb.com/chips/article.php/3570161|title=Platform Trends: Mobile Graphics Heat Up|access-date=October 22, 2006|date=December 2005}}</ref> or come packaged with a discrete graphics card with a supply of dedicated [[Video RAM]], connected to the motherboard through either an [[Accelerated Graphics Port|AGP]] or [[PCI Express]] port. It is also possible to use multiple GPUs in a single computer, using technologies such as [[NVidia]]'s [[Scalable Link Interface]] and [[ATI Technologies|ATI]]'s [[AMD CrossFire|CrossFire]].

[[Sound card]]s are also available to provide improved audio in computer games. These cards provide improved [[3D audio effect|3D audio]] and provide audio enhancement that is generally not available with integrated alternatives, at the cost of marginally lower overall performance.<ref name="soundcard performance">{{cite web|url=http://www.anandtech.com/show/1776/10|title=X-Fi and the Elite Pro: SoundBlaster's Return to Greatness|access-date=October 22, 2006|date=August 2005}}</ref> The [[Creative Labs]] [[Sound Blaster]] line was for many years the ''de facto'' standard for sound cards, although its popularity dwindled as PC audio became a commodity on modern motherboards.

[[Physics processing unit]]s (PPUs), such as the [[Nvidia]] [[PhysX]] (formerly [[AGEIA]] PhysX) card, are also available to accelerate physics simulations in modern computer games. PPUs allow the computer to process more complex interactions among objects than is achievable using only the CPU, potentially allowing players a much greater degree of control over the world in games designed to use the card.<ref name="integrated gpus" />

Virtually all personal computers use a [[computer keyboard|keyboard]] and [[computer mouse|mouse]] for user input, but there are exceptions. During the 1990s, before the keyboard and mouse combination had become the method of choice for PC gaming input peripherals, there were other types of peripherals such as the [[Mad Catz]] [[Panther XL]], the [[First-Person Gaming]] [[Assassin 3D]], and the [[Mad Catz]] [[Panther (Video game controller)|Panther]], which combined a trackball for looking / aiming, and a joystick for movement. Other common gaming peripherals are a headset for faster communication in online games, [[joystick]]s for [[flight simulator]]s, [[steering wheel]]s for driving games and [[gamepad]]s for console-style games.

=== Software ===
Computer games also rely on [[Third-party software component|third-party]] software such as an [[Operating system|operating system (OS)]], [[device driver]]s, [[library (computing)|libraries]] and more to run. Today, the vast majority of computer games are designed to run on the [[Microsoft Windows]] family of operating systems. Whereas earlier games written for DOS would include code to communicate directly with hardware, today [[API|application programming interfaces (APIs)]] provide an interface between the game and the OS, simplifying game design. Microsoft's [[DirectX]] is an API that is widely used by today's computer games to communicate with sound and graphics hardware. [[OpenGL]] is a [[cross-platform]] API for graphics rendering that is also used. The version of the graphics card's [[device driver|driver]] installed can often affect game performance and [[gameplay]]. In late 2013, [[AMD]] announced [[Mantle (API)|Mantle]], a low-level API for certain models of AMD graphics cards, allowing for greater performance compared to software-level APIs such as DirectX, as well as simplifying [[porting]] to and from the [[PlayStation 4]] and [[Xbox One]] consoles, which are both built upon AMD hardware.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tomshardware.com/news/amd-mantle-api-gcn-battlefield-4,24418.html|title=AMD's Mantle API Gives Devs Direct Hardware Control|date=September 26, 2013}}</ref> It is not unusual for a game company to use a third-party [[game engine]], or third-party libraries for a game's [[Artificial intelligence (video games)|AI]] or [[game physics|physics]].

=== Types of gaming ===

==== Local area network gaming ====
{{See also|LAN party}}

[[Multiplayer video game|Multiplayer gaming]] was largely limited to [[local area network]]s (LANs) before cost-effective [[broadband Internet access]] became available, due to their typically higher [[bandwidth (computing)|bandwidth]] and lower [[latency (engineering)|latency]] than the dial-up 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.

LAN gaming typically requires two or more personal computers, a [[Router (computing)|router]] and sufficient networking cables to connect every computer on the network. Additionally, each computer must have its own copy (or [[Spawn installation|spawn copy]]) of the game in order to play. Optionally, any LAN may include an external connection to the Internet.

==== Online games ====
{{Main|Online game}}

Online multiplayer games have achieved popularity largely as a result of increasing [[broadband internet|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 role-playing game]]s, ''[[Tanarus (video game)|Tanarus]]'' and persistent online games such as ''[[World War II Online]]''.

Although it is possible to participate in online computer games using dial-up [[modem]]s, broadband Internet connections are generally considered necessary in order to reduce the latency or "lag" between players. 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 (computing)|router]]. Online games require a virtual environment, generally called a "game server". These virtual servers inter-connect gamers, allowing real time, and often fast-paced action. To meet this subsequent need, [[Game server|Game Server Providers (GSP)]] have become increasingly more popular over the last half decade.{{When|date=February 2019}} While not required for all gamers, these servers provide a unique "home", fully customizable, such as additional modifications, settings, etc., giving the end gamers the experience they desire. Today there are over 510,000 game servers hosted in North America alone.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://store.steampowered.com/stats/|title=Steam: Game and Player Statistics|website=store.steampowered.com}}</ref>{{Primary source inline|date=January 2024}}

==== Emulation ====
{{Main|Emulator}}
Emulation software, used to run software without the original hardware, are popular for their ability to play legacy video games without the [[computing platform|platform]] for which they were designed. The operating system emulators include [[DOSBox]], a DOS emulator which allows playing games developed originally for this operating system and thus not compatible with a modern-day OS. Console emulators such as [[Nestopia]] and [[MAME]] are relatively commonplace, although the complexity of modern consoles such as the [[Xbox (console)|Xbox]] or [[PlayStation]] makes them far more difficult to emulate, even for the original manufacturers.<ref name="xboxemulation">{{cite web| url = http://www.winsupersite.com/reviews/xbox360_05.asp| title = Xbox 360 Review| access-date = September 12, 2006|date=November 2005}}</ref> The most technically advanced consoles that can currently be successfully emulated for commercial games on PC are the PlayStation 2 using [[PCSX2]], and the Nintendo Wii U using the [[Cemu]] emulator. A [[PlayStation 3]] emulator named [[RPCS3]] is in development.
Most emulation software mimics a particular hardware architecture, often to an extremely high degree of accuracy. This is particularly the case with classic home computers such as the [[Commodore 64]], whose software often depends on highly sophisticated low-level programming tricks invented by game programmers and the [[demoscene]].

Other projects aim to bring compatibility of older games and its features back to modern platforms such as WineVDM (for running 16-bit games on 64-bit Windows), nGlide (for enabling [[Glide (API)]] to other video cards), IPXWrapper (for enabling [[IPX/SPX]] based LAN play).