Editing PC game

{{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" -->

== History ==
{{Main|History of video games}}

=== Mainframes and minicomputers ===
{{See also|Early mainframe games}}[[File:Spacewar1.svg|thumb|250px|right|''[[Spacewar!]]'', developed for the [[PDP-1]] in 1961, is often credited as being the second ever computer game. The game consisted of two player-controlled spaceships maneuvering around a central star, each attempting to destroy the other.]]

''[[Bertie the Brain]]'' was one of the first game playing machines developed. It was built in 1950 by [[Josef Kates]]. It measured more than four meters tall, and was displayed at the [[Canadian National Exhibition]] that year.<ref name="bertie">{{cite web|url=https://plarium.com/en/blog/the-first-video-game/|title=What was the first video game, who invented it and why|work=[[Plarium]]|date=2018-05-15|access-date=2018-06-22}}</ref>{{Primary source inline|date=January 2024}}

Although personal computers only became popular with the development of the [[microprocessor]] and [[microcomputer]], computer gaming on [[Mainframe computer|mainframes]] and [[minicomputer]]s had previously already existed. [[OXO (video game)|''OXO'']], an adaptation of [[tic-tac-toe]] for the [[EDSAC]], debuted in 1952. Another pioneer computer game was developed in 1961, when [[Massachusetts Institute of Technology|MIT]] students Martin Graetz and [[Alan Kotok]], with [[Massachusetts Institute of Technology|MIT]] student [[Steve Russell (computer scientist)|Steve Russell]], developed ''[[Spacewar!]]'' on a [[PDP-1]] [[mainframe computer]] used for statistical calculations.<ref name="spacewar">{{cite book | author=Levy, Steven | year = 1984 | title = [[Hackers: Heroes of the Computer Revolution]] | publisher=Anchor Press/Doubleday | isbn = 0-385-19195-2}}</ref>

The first generation of computer games were often [[Text-based game|text-based]] [[adventure game|adventures]] or [[interactive fiction]], in which the player communicated with the computer by entering commands through a keyboard. An early text-adventure, ''[[Colossal Cave Adventure|Adventure]]'', was developed for the [[PDP-11]] [[minicomputer]] by Will Crowther in 1976, and expanded by Don Woods in 1977.<ref name="adventure">{{cite journal|url=http://www.digitalhumanities.org/dhq/vol/001/2/000009/000009.html |year=2007 | title=Somewhere Nearby is Colossal Cave: Examining Will Crowther's Original 'Adventure' in Code and in Kentucky |access-date=September 29, 2007|author=Jerz, Dennis | journal=Digital Humanities Quarterly|volume=001 |issue=2 }}</ref> 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 Bard's Tale (1985 video game)|The Bard's Tale]]'', for example.

=== Early personal computer games ===
[[File:Mystery House - Apple II - 2.png|thumb|''[[Mystery House]]'' (1980, [[Apple II]]), a text-based [[adventure game]]]]

By the late 1970s to early 1980s, games were developed and distributed through [[hobby]]ist groups and gaming magazines, such as ''[[Creative Computing (magazine)|Creative Computing]]'' and later ''[[Computer Gaming World]]''. These publications provided [[type-in program|game code that could be typed into a computer]] and played, encouraging readers to submit their own software to competitions.<ref name="codesubmission">{{cite magazine |title=Computer Gaming World's RobotWar Tournament |url=http://www.cgwmuseum.org/galleries/index.php?year=1981&pub=2&id=1 |format=PDF |magazine=[[Computer Gaming World]] |page=17 | date=October 1982 | access-date= October 22, 2006}}</ref> Players could modify the [[BASIC]] source code of even commercial games.<ref name="proctor198201">{{Cite magazine |last=Proctor |first=Bob |date=January 1982 |title=Tanktics: Review and Analysis |url=http://www.cgwmuseum.org/galleries/index.php?year=1982&pub=2&id=2 |magazine=[[Computer Gaming World]] |pages=17–20}}</ref> ''[[Microchess]]'' was one of the first games for [[microcomputer]]s which was sold to the public. First sold in 1977, Microchess eventually sold over 50,000 copies on [[cassette tape]].

As with [[Second generation of video game consoles|second-generation]] [[video game console]]s at the time, early home computer game companies capitalized on [[Golden age of arcade video games|successful arcade games]] at the time with [[porting|ports]] or [[video game clone|clones]] of popular [[arcade video game]]s.<ref name="Enterprise-1982">{{citation|title=Cash In On the Video Game Craze|work=[[Black Enterprise]]|date=December 1982|volume=12|issue=5|issn=0006-4165|pages=41–2|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=N6pacvfrf0wC&pg=PA41|access-date=May 1, 2011|last1=Earl g. Graves|first1=Ltd}}</ref><ref name="Markoff-1981" /> By 1982, the [[List of best-selling video games|top-selling games]] for the [[Atari 8-bit computers]] were ports of ''[[Frogger]]'' and ''[[Centipede (video game)|Centipede]]'', while the top-selling game for the [[TI-99/4A]] was the ''[[Space Invaders]]'' clone ''[[TI Invaders]]''.<ref name="Enterprise-1982" /> That same year, ''[[Pac-Man]]'' was ported to the Atari 8-bit computers,<ref name="Markoff-1981" /> while ''[[Donkey Kong]]'' was licensed for the [[Coleco Adam]].<ref>{{citation|title=Strategic management: an integrated approach|author1=Charles W. L. Hill |author2=Gareth R. Jones |name-list-style=amp |edition=8|publisher=[[Cengage Learning]]|year=2007|isbn=978-0-618-89469-7}}</ref> In late 1981, [[Atari, Inc.]] attempted to take legal action against unauthorized [[List of Pac-Man clones|''Pac-Man'' clones]], despite some of these predating Atari's exclusive rights to the home versions of [[Namco]]'s game.<ref name="Markoff-1981">{{citation|title=Atari acts in an attempt to scuttle software pirates|author=John Markoff|work=[[InfoWorld]]|date=November 30, 1981|volume=3|issue=28|issn=0199-6649|pages=28–9|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=SD0EAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA28|access-date=May 1, 2011}}</ref><ref name="mace19820412">{{Cite magazine |last=Mace |first=Scott |date=1982-04-12 |title=Zenith working on 16-bit micros |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YjAEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA3#v=onepage&q&f=true |access-date=2025-03-16 |magazine=InfoWorld |pages=1,4}}</ref> Thousands of children attended the 1982 [[West Coast Computer Faire]] to see computer games there, despite organizers warning that the convention "is designed for mature individuals".<ref name="iw19820412">{{Cite magazine |last=Freiberger |first=Paul |last2=Dvorak |first2=John C. |date=1982-04-12 |title=West Coast Computer Faire draws 40,000 people |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YjAEAAAAMBAJ&lpg=PA3&pg=PA1#v=onepage&q&f=true |access-date=2025-03-16 |magazine=InfoWorld |pages=1, 6-7}}</ref>

=== Industry crash and aftermath ===
{{See also|Video game crash of 1983}}
As the American video game market became flooded with poor-quality cartridge games created by numerous companies attempting to enter the market, and overproduction of high-profile releases such as the [[Atari 2600]] adaptations of ''[[Pac-Man (Atari 2600 video game)|Pac-Man]]'' and ''[[E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (Atari 2600)|E.T.]]'' grossly underperformed, the popularity of personal computers for education rose dramatically. In 1983, American consumer interest in console video games dwindled to historical lows, as interest in games on personal computers rose.<ref name="crash">{{cite web|url=http://www.thedoteaters.com/p3_stage6.php |title=Player 3 Stage 6: The Great Videogame Crash |quote="The third member of the deadly troika that lays the videogame industry low is the home computer boom currently in full swing by 1984 |access-date=August 16, 2006 |date=April 7, 1999 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130105103715/http://www.thedoteaters.com/p3_stage6.php |archive-date=January 5, 2013}}</ref> The effects of the crash were largely limited to the console market, as established companies such as [[Atari]] posted record losses over subsequent years. Conversely, the home computer market boomed, as sales of low-cost color computers such as the [[Commodore 64]] rose to record highs and developers such as [[Electronic Arts]] benefited from increasing interest in the platform.<ref name="crash" />

=== Growth of home computer games ===
The North American console market experienced a resurgence in the United States with the release of the [[Nintendo Entertainment System]] (NES). In Europe, computer gaming continued to boom for many years after.<ref name="crash" /> Computers such as the [[ZX Spectrum]] and [[BBC Micro]] were successful in the European market, where the NES was not as successful despite its monopoly in Japan and North America. The only [[Third generation of video game consoles|8-bit console]] to have any success in Europe would be the [[Master System]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://uk.retro.ign.com/articles/974/974695p3.html|title=IGN Presents the History of SEGA: World War|page=3|website=IGN|author=Travis Fahs|date=April 21, 2009 |access-date=May 21, 2011}}</ref> Meanwhile, in Japan, both consoles and computers became major industries, with the console market dominated by [[Nintendo]] and the computer market dominated by [[NEC]]'s [[NEC PC-8801|PC-88]] (1981) and [[NEC PC-9801|PC-98]] (1982). A key difference between Western and Japanese computers at the time was the [[display resolution]], with Japanese systems using a higher resolution of 640x400 to accommodate [[Japanese writing system|Japanese text]], which in turn affected [[video game design]] and allowed more detailed graphics. Japanese computers were also using [[Yamaha Corporation|Yamaha]]'s [[Frequency modulation synthesis|FM synth]] [[Sound card|sound boards]] from the early 1980s.<ref name="hg101_retro">{{cite web|url=http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/JPNcomputers/Japanesecomputers.htm|title=Retro Japanese Computers: Gaming's Final Frontier Retro Japanese Computers|author=John Szczepaniak|publisher=Hardcore Gaming 101|access-date=March 29, 2011}} Reprinted from {{citation|title=[[Retro Gamer]]|issue=67|year=2009}}</ref>

To enhance the [[Immersion (virtual reality)|immersive]] experience with their unrealistic graphics and electronic sound, early PC games included extras such as the peril-sensitive sunglasses that shipped with ''[[The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (video game)|The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy]]'' or the [[science fiction]] novella included with ''[[Elite (video game)|Elite]]''. These extras gradually became less common, but many games were still sold in the traditional oversized boxes that used to hold the extra "[[feelies]]". Today, such extras are usually found only in Special Edition versions of games, such as Battle chests from [[Blizzard Entertainment|Blizzard]].<ref name="feelies">{{cite web|last=Varney|first=Allen|title=Feelies|url=http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/issues/issue_62/365-Feelies|access-date=September 24, 2006|archive-date=October 12, 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071012153126/http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/issues/issue_62/365-Feelies|url-status=dead}}</ref>

During the [[Fourth generation of video game consoles|16-bit era]], the [[Amiga]] and [[Atari ST]] became popular in Europe, the [[Macintosh]] and [[IBM PC compatible]]s became popular in North America, while the PC-98, [[X68000]], and [[FM Towns]] became popular in Japan. The [[Amiga]], [[X68000]] and [[FM Towns]] were capable of producing near [[Arcade video game|arcade]]-quality hardware [[Sprite (computer graphics)|sprite]] graphics and sound quality when they first released in the mid-to-late 1980s.<ref name="hg101_retro" />

=== Growth of IBM PC compatible games ===
Among [[launch titles]] for the [[IBM Personal Computer]] (PC) in 1981 was ''[[Microsoft Adventure]]'', which IBM described as bringing "players into a fantasy world of caves and treasures".<ref name="bricklin">{{Cite web |url=http://www.bricklin.com/ibmpcannouncement1981.htm |title=IBM PC Announcement 1981 |last=Bricklin |first=Dan |website=Dan Bricklin's Web Site |access-date=2018-03-06}}</ref> ''[[Byte (magazine)|BYTE]]'' that year stated that the computer's speed and sophistication made it "an excellent gaming device", and IBM and others sold games like ''[[Microsoft Flight Simulator]]''. The PC's [[Color Graphics Adapter|CGA graphics]] and [[PC speaker|speaker sound]] were poor, however, and most customers bought the powerful but expensive computer for business.<ref name="williams198112">{{cite news | url=https://archive.org/stream/byte-magazine-1981-12/1981_12_BYTE_06-12_Computer_Games#page/n7/mode/2up | title=New Games New Directions | work=BYTE | date=December 1981 | access-date=19 October 2016 | author=Williams, Gregg | pages=6–10}}</ref>{{r|loguidice2014}} One [[ComputerLand]] owner estimated in 1983 that a quarter of corporate executives with computers "have a game hidden somewhere in their drawers",<ref name="solomon198310">{{Cite magazine |last=Solomon |first=Abby |date=October 1983 |title=Games Businesspeople Play |url=https://www.inc.com/magazine/19831001/5758.html |magazine=Inc. |language=en}}</ref> and ''[[InfoWorld]]'' in 1984 reported that "in offices all over America (more than anyone realizes) executives and managers are playing games on their computers",<ref name="mace19840402">{{cite news | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kC4EAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA56 | title=Games with windows | work=InfoWorld | date=1984-04-02 | access-date=10 February 2015 | author=Mace, Scott | pages=56}}</ref>{{r|shannon19870825}} but software companies found selling games for the PC difficult; an observer said that year that ''Flight Simulator'' had sold hundreds of thousands of copies because customers with corporate PCs could claim that it was a "simulation".<ref name="cgw198410">{{cite magazine | title=The CGW Computer Game Conference | magazine=[[Computer Gaming World]] | date=October 1984 | url=http://www.cgwmuseum.org/galleries/index.php?year=1984&pub=2&id=18 | access-date=October 31, 2013 | page=30 | type=panel discussion}}</ref>

From mid-1985, however, what ''Compute!'' described as a "wave" of inexpensive [[IBM PC compatible|IBM PC clones]] from American and Asian companies, such as the [[Tandy 1000]] and the [[Leading Edge Model D]], caused prices to decline; by the end of 1986, the equivalent to a $1600 real IBM PC with 256K RAM and two disk drives cost as little as $600, lower than the price of the [[Apple IIc]]. Consumers began purchasing DOS computers for the home in large numbers. While often purchased to do work on evenings and weekends, clones' popularity caused consumer-software companies to increase the number of IBM-compatible products, including those developed specifically for the PC as opposed to [[porting]] from other computers. [[Bing Gordon]] of [[Electronic Arts]] reported that customers used computers for games more than one fifth of the time whether purchased for work or a hobby, with many who purchased computers for other reasons finding PC games "a pretty satisfying experience".<ref name="halfhill198612">{{cite news | url=https://archive.org/stream/1986-12-compute-magazine/Compute_Issue_079_1986_Dec#page/n33/mode/2up | title=The MS-DOS Invasion / IBM Compatibles Are Coming Home | work=Compute! | date=December 1986 | access-date=9 November 2013 | author=Halfhill, Tom R. | pages=32}}</ref>

PC game sales rose by 198% year over year in the first half of 1987, compared to 57% for the market overall. The formerly business-only computer had become the largest and fastest-growing, and most important platform for computer game companies. More than a third of games sold in North America were for the PC, twice as many as those for the Apple II and even outselling those for the Commodore 64.<ref name="shannon19870825">{{Cite news |last=Shannon |first=L. R. |date=1987-08-25 |title=Finally, the Right Stuff |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1987/08/25/science/peripherals-finally-the-right-stuff.html |access-date=2025-04-14 |work=The New York Times |department=Peripherals |pages=C8 |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}</ref><ref name="keiser198806">{{cite news | url=https://archive.org/stream/1988-JUn-compute-magazine/Compute_Issue_097_1988_JUn#page/n81/mode/2up | title=MS-DOS Takes Charge of Fun Software | work=Compute! | date=June 1988 | access-date=10 November 2013 | author=Keiser, Gregg | pages=81}}</ref> By 1988 ''Computer Gaming World'' agreed with [[Joel Billings]] of [[Strategic Simulations]] that an inexpensive clone with [[EGA graphics]] was superior for games.<ref name="brooks198711">{{cite magazine | title=Titans of the Computer Gaming World / MicroProse | url=http://www.cgwmuseum.org/galleries/index.php?year=1987&pub=2&id=41 | magazine=Computer Gaming World | date=November 1987 | access-date=2 November 2013 | author=Brooks, M. Evan | pages=16}}</ref><ref name="proctor198803">{{Cite magazine |url=http://www.cgwmuseum.org/galleries/index.php?year=1988&pub=2&id=45 |title=Titans of the Computer Gaming World / SSI |last=Proctor, Bob |date=March 1988 |magazine=Computer Gaming World |access-date=2 November 2013 |pages=36}}</ref> The Tandy 1000's [[Tandy Graphics Adapter|enhanced graphics, sound]], and built-in joystick ports made it the best platform for IBM PC-compatible games before the VGA era.<ref name="loguidice2014">{{cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wZnpAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA84 | title=Vintage Game Consoles: An Inside Look at Apple, Atari, Commodore, Nintendo, and the Greatest Gaming Platforms of All Time | publisher=CRC Press |author1=Loguidice, Bill |author2=Barton, Matt | year=2014 | pages=85, 89–92, 96–97 | isbn=978-1135006518}}</ref>

By 1988, the enormous popularity of the [[Nintendo Entertainment System]] had greatly affected the computer-game industry. A [[Koei]] executive claimed that "Nintendo's success has destroyed the [computer] software entertainment market". A [[Mindscape (company)|Mindscape]] executive agreed, saying that "Unfortunately, its effect has been extremely negative. Without question, Nintendo's success has eroded software sales. There's been a much greater falling off of disk sales than anyone anticipated." A third attributed the end of growth in sales of the [[Commodore 64]] to the console, and [[Trip Hawkins]] called Nintendo "the last hurrah of the 8-bit world". Experts were unsure whether it affected 16-bit computer games,<ref name="ferrell198907">{{cite news | url=https://archive.org/stream/1989-07-compute-magazine/Compute_Issue_110_1989_Jul#page/n29/mode/2up | title=Just Kids' Play or Computer in Disguise? | work=Compute! | date=July 1989 | access-date=11 November 2013 | author=Ferrell, Keith | pages=28}}</ref> but games lost shelf space at computer software stores, and many of the hundreds of computer-game companies went out of business. Hawkins said that while foreign videogame competition increased, "there's an increase in product supply without an increase in demand".<ref name="microbytes198902">{{Cite magazine |date=February 1989 |title=Optical Drives Could Boost Entertainment Software |url=https://archive.org/details/eu_BYTE-1989-02_OCR/page/n15/mode/1up?view=theater |access-date=2024-10-08 |magazine=BYTE |pages=16-17}}</ref> He in 1990 had to deny rumors that Electronic Arts would withdraw from computers and only produce console games.<ref name="cgw199003">{{cite magazine | url=http://www.cgwmuseum.org/galleries/index.php?year=1990&pub=2&id=69 | title=Electronic Arts Reaffirms Commitment to Disk-Based Software | magazine=Computer Gaming World | date=March 1990 | access-date=15 November 2013 | pages=14 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160405105848/http://www.cgwmuseum.org/galleries/index.php?year=1990&pub=2&id=69 | archive-date=April 5, 2016 | url-status=dead }}</ref> By 1993, [[ASCII Entertainment]] reported at a [[Software Publishers Association]] conference that the market for console games ($5.9 billion in revenue) was 12 times that of the computer-game market ($430 million).<ref name="wilson199306">{{cite magazine | url=http://www.cgwmuseum.org/galleries/index.php?year=1993&pub=2&id=107 | title=The Software Publishing Association Spring Symposium 1993 | magazine=Computer Gaming World | date=June 1993 | access-date=7 July 2014 | author=Wilson, Johnny L. | pages=96}}</ref>

However, computer games did not disappear. The industry hoped that the [[CD-ROM]] and other [[optical storage]] technology would increase computers' [[user friendliness]] and allow for more sophisticated games.{{r|microbytes198902}} By 1989, ''Computer Gaming World'' reported that "the industry is moving toward heavy use of [[Video Graphics Array|VGA graphics]]".<ref name="cgw198907">{{cite magazine | title=The Shadow of Your Style / New Directions at the Consumer Electronics Show | url=http://www.cgwmuseum.org/galleries/index.php?year=1989&pub=2&id=61 | magazine=Computer Gaming World | date=July 1989 | access-date=3 November 2013 | pages=4}}</ref> While some games were advertised with [[Video Graphics Array|VGA]] support at the start of the year, they usually supported EGA graphics through VGA cards. By the end of 1989, however, most publishers moved to supporting at least 320x200 [[Multi-Color Graphics Array|MCGA]], a subset of VGA.<ref name="sipe199211">{{cite magazine | url=http://www.cgwmuseum.org/galleries/index.php?year=1992&pub=2&id=100 | title=3900 Games Later... | magazine=Computer Gaming World | date=November 1992 | access-date=4 July 2014 | author=Sipe, Russell | pages=8}}</ref> VGA gave the PC graphics that outmatched the Amiga. Increasing adoption of the [[computer mouse]], driven partially by the success of [[adventure game]]s such as the highly successful ''[[King's Quest]]'' series, and high resolution [[bitmap]] displays allowed the industry to include increasingly high-quality [[Graphical user interface|graphical interfaces]] in new releases.

Further improvements to game artwork and audio were made possible with the introduction of [[FM synthesis]] sound. [[Yamaha Corporation|Yamaha]] began manufacturing FM synth boards for computers in the early-mid-1980s, and by 1985, the NEC and [[FM-7]] computers had built-in FM sound.<ref name="hg101_retro" /> The first PC [[sound card]]s, such as [[AdLib]]'s Music Synthesizer Card, soon appeared in 1987. These cards allowed [[IBM PC compatible]] computers to produce complex sounds using FM synthesis, where they had previously been limited to simple tones and beeps. However, the rise of the [[Creative Labs]] [[Sound Blaster]] card, released in 1989, which featured much higher sound quality due to the inclusion of a [[Pulse-code modulation|PCM]] channel and [[digital signal processor]], led AdLib to file for bankruptcy by 1992. Also in 1989, the [[FM Towns]] computer included built-in PCM sound, in addition to a [[CD-ROM]] drive and [[24-bit color]] graphics.<ref name="hg101_retro" />

In the late 80s and throughout the entire 1990s decade, DOS was one of the most popular gaming platforms in regions where it was officially sold.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |last=Jennings |first=Peter |title=The Century |last2=Brewster |first2=Todd |date=November 1998 |publisher=[[Doubleday (publisher)|Doubleday]] |isbn=0-385-48327-9 |edition=1st |location=New York |pages=551 |author-link=Peter Jennings |author-link2=Todd Brewster}}</ref>

By 1990, [[DOS]] was 65% of the computer-game market, with the Amiga at 10%; all other computers, including the [[Mac (computer)|Apple Macintosh]], were below 10% and declining. Although both Apple and IBM tried to avoid customers associating their products with "game machines", the latter acknowledged that VGA, audio, and joystick options for its [[IBM PS/1|PS/1]] computer were popular.<ref name="cgw199012">{{cite magazine | url=http://www.cgwmuseum.org/galleries/index.php?year=1990&pub=2&id=77 | title=Fusion, Transfusion or Confusion / Future Directions In Computer Entertainment | magazine=Computer Gaming World | date=December 1990 | access-date=16 November 2013 | pages=26}}</ref> In 1991, [[id Software]] produced an early [[first-person shooter]], ''[[Hovertank 3D]]'', which was the company's first in their line of highly influential games in the genre. There were also several other companies that produced early [[First-person shooter|first-person shooters]], such as [[Arsys Software]]'s ''[[Star Cruiser (1988 video game)|Star Cruiser]]'',<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.allgame.com/game.php?id=16126|title=Star Cruiser|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140101010101/https://www.allgame.com/game.php?id=16126|archive-date=2014-01-01|url-status=dead|website=[[All Media Network#AllGame|AllGame]]}}</ref> which featured fully [[3D computer graphics|3D polygonal graphics]] in 1988,<ref>[http://www.4gamer.net/games/008/G000896/20080428044/ スタークルーザー] ([https://translate.google.com/translate?&sl=ja&tl=en&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.4gamer.net%2Fgames%2F008%2FG000896%2F20080428044%2F translation]), 4Gamer.net</ref> and [[Accolade, Inc.|Accolade]]'s ''[[Day of the Viper]]'' in 1989. Id Software went on to develop ''[[Wolfenstein 3D]]'' in 1992, which helped to popularize the genre, kick-starting a genre that would become one of the highest-selling in modern times.<ref name="fpssales">{{cite web | url =https://www.gamedeveloper.com/game-platforms/analysts-fps-most-attractive-genre-for-publishers | title =Analysts: FPS 'Most Attractive' Genre for Publishers | access-date =August 17, 2006 | last =Cifaldi | first =Frank | date =February 21, 2006 | archive-date =June 27, 2022 | archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20220627230555/https://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=8241 | url-status =live }}</ref> The game was originally distributed through the [[shareware|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, along with ''[[Ultima Underworld]]''.<ref name="texturemapping">{{cite web |url=http://dir.salon.com/story/tech/feature/2003/05/05/doom/index.html?pn=2 |title=Masters of "Doom" |access-date=September 23, 2006 |last=James |first=Wagner |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070813010113/http://dir.salon.com/story/tech/feature/2003/05/05/doom/index.html?pn=2 |archive-date=August 13, 2007 |df=mdy-all}}</ref>

In December 1992, ''Computer Gaming World'' reported that DOS accounted for 82% of computer-game sales in 1991, compared to Macintosh's 8% and Amiga's 5%. In response to a reader's challenge to find a DOS game that played better than the Amiga version the magazine cited ''[[Wing Commander (video game)|Wing Commander]]'' and ''[[Civilization (video game)|Civilization]]'', and added that "The heavy MS-DOS emphasis in ''CGW'' merely reflects the realities of the market".<ref name="cgw199212">{{cite magazine | url=http://www.cgwmuseum.org/galleries/index.php?year=1992&pub=2&id=101 | title=Letters | magazine=Computer Gaming World | date=December 1992 | access-date=5 July 2014 | pages=122}}</ref> A self-reported ''Computer Gaming World'' survey in April 1993 similarly found that 91% of readers primarily used IBM PCs and compatibles for gaming, compared to 6% for Amiga, 3% for Macintosh, and 1% for Atari ST,<ref name="cgw199304p176">{{cite magazine | url=http://www.cgwmuseum.org/galleries/index.php?year=1993&pub=2&id=105 | title=What You've Been Playing Lately | magazine=Computer Gaming World | date=April 1993 | access-date=7 July 2014 | pages=176}}</ref> while a [[Software Publishers Association]] study found that 74% of personal computers were IBMs or compatible, 10% Macintosh, 7% Apple II, and 8% other. 51% of IBM or compatible had 386 or faster CPUs.<ref name="wilson199306" />

By 1992, DOS games such as ''[[Links 386 Pro]]'' supported [[Super VGA]] graphics.<ref name="mcdonald199211">{{cite magazine | url=http://www.cgwmuseum.org/galleries/index.php?year=1992&pub=2&id=100 | title=Links 386 Pro from Access | magazine=Computer Gaming World | date=November 1992 | access-date=4 July 2014 | author=McDonald, T. Liam | pages=72}}</ref> While leading [[Sega]] and [[Nintendo]] console systems kept their CPU speed at 3–7&nbsp;[[clock rate|MHz]], the [[i486|486]] PC processor ran much faster, allowing it to perform many more calculations per second. The 1993 release of ''[[Doom (1993 video game)|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.<ref name="realismshift">{{cite web|url=http://www.gamepilgrimage.com/Consolehistory2.htm |title=Console history |access-date=September 23, 2006}}</ref> ''Computer Gaming World'' reiterated in 1994, "we have to advise readers who want a machine that will play most of the games to purchase high-end MS-DOS machines".<ref name="cgw199401sound">{{Cite magazine |date=January 1994 |title=Sound Philosophy |url=http://www.cgwmuseum.org/galleries/index.php?year=1994&pub=2&id=114 |department=Letters from Paradise |magazine=Computer Gaming World |pages=120, 122}}</ref>

By 1993, PC [[floppy disk]] games had a sales volume equivalent to about one-quarter that of [[console game]] [[ROM cartridge]] sales. A hit PC game typically sold about 250,000 disks at the time, while a hit console game typically sold about {{nowrap|1 million}} cartridges.<ref>{{cite magazine |title=Microtimes |magazine=Microtimes |date=July 1993 |volume=10 |page=74 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3Dw9AQAAIAAJ |publisher=BAM Publications, Incorporated |quote=But the reality is, today's business is cartridge business. The difference in volume is about four to one per title. With exceptions{{mdash}}a {{nowrap|Falcom 3.0}} will sell as much as a cartridge title would out in the open market. But even a hit title in the floppy disk market is a quarter million copies. (Cartridge game) Street Fighter II sold nine million copies worldwide.}}</ref>

By spring 1994, an estimated 24 million US homes (27% of households) had a personal computer. 48% played games on their computer; 40% had the 486 CPU or higher; 35% had CD-ROM drives; and 20% had a sound card.<ref name="cgw199405">{{Cite magazine
| date=May 1994
| title=Software Publishing Association Unveils New Data
| department=Read.Me
| url=http://www.cgwmuseum.org/galleries/index.php?year=1994&pub=2&id=118 
| magazine=Computer Gaming World
| pages=12}}</ref> Another survey found that an estimated 2.46 million multimedia computers had internal CD-ROM drives by the end of 1993, an increase of almost 2,000%. ''Computer Gaming World'' reported in April 1994 that some software publishers planned to only distribute on CD as of 1995.<ref name="cgw199404">{{Cite magazine
| date=April 1994
| title=Invasion Of The Data Stashers
| url=http://www.cgwmuseum.org/galleries/index.php?year=1994&pub=2&id=117 
| magazine=Computer Gaming World
| pages=20–42}}</ref> CD-ROM had much larger storage capacity than floppies, helped reduce software piracy, and was less expensive to produce. [[Chris Crawford (game designer)|Chris Crawford]] warned that it was "a data-intensive technology, not a process-intensive one", tempting developers to emphasize the quantity of [[digital asset]]s like art and music over the quality of gameplay; ''Computer Gaming World'' wrote in 1993 that "publishers may be losing their focus". While many companies used the additional storage to release poor-quality [[shovelware]] collections of older software, or [[video game remake|"enhanced" versions of existing ones]]<ref name="cgw199304p24">{{cite magazine | url=http://www.cgwmuseum.org/galleries/index.php?year=1993&pub=2&id=105 | title=Forging Ahead or Fit to be Smashed? | magazine=Computer Gaming World | date=April 1993 | access-date=6 July 2014 | pages=24}}</ref>—often with what the magazine mocked as "amateur acting" in the added audio and video{{r|cgw199404}}—new games such as ''[[Myst]]'' included many more assets for a richer game experience.

Many companies sold "multimedia upgrade kits" that bundled CD drives, sound cards, and software during the mid-1990s, but [[device driver]]s for the new peripherals further depleted scarce RAM.<ref name="weksler199406">{{Cite magazine
| last=Weksler
| first=Mike
| date=June 1994
| title=CDs On A ROMpage
| url=http://www.cgwmuseum.org/galleries/index.php?year=1994&pub=2&id=118 
| magazine=Computer Gaming World
| pages=36–40
}}</ref> By 1993, PC games required much more memory than other software, often consuming all of [[conventional memory]], while device drivers could go into [[upper memory area|upper memory]] with [[DOS memory management|DOS memory managers]]. Players found modifying <code>[[CONFIG.SYS]]</code> and <code>[[AUTOEXEC.BAT]]</code> files for memory management cumbersome and confusing, and each game needed a different configuration. (The game ''[[Les Manley in: Lost in L.A.]]'' satirizes this by depicting two beautiful women exhaust the hero in bed, by requesting that he again explain the difference between [[extended memory|extended]] and [[expanded memory]].) ''Computer Gaming World'' provided technical assistance to its writers to help install games for review,<ref name="weksler199306">{{cite magazine | url=http://www.cgwmuseum.org/galleries/index.php?year=1993&pub=2&id=107 | title=Memory Management and System Configuration for MS-DOS Games | magazine=Computer Gaming World | date=June 1993 | access-date=7 July 2014 | author=Weksler, Mike | pages=99}}</ref> and published sample configuration files.<ref name="cgw199401load">{{Cite magazine |date=January 1994 |title=Load For Bear |url=http://www.cgwmuseum.org/galleries/index.php?year=1994&pub=2&id=114 |magazine=Computer Gaming World |page=34}}</ref> The magazine advised non-technical gamers to purchase commercial memory managers like [[QEMM]] and [[386MAX]]{{r|weksler199406}} and criticized nonstandard software like [[Origin Systems]]'s "infamous late and unlamented Voodoo Memory Manager",<ref name="wilson199312">{{cite magazine | url=http://www.cgwmuseum.org/galleries/index.php?year=1993&pub=2&id=113 | title=The Sub-Standard In Computer software | magazine=Computer Gaming World | date=December 1993 | access-date=29 March 2016 | author=Wilson, Johnny L. | type=editorial | pages=10}}</ref> which used [[unreal mode]].

=== Contemporary PC gaming ===
{{See also|Games for Windows}}
[[File:PC CD-ROM Software Logo.svg|thumb|upright=0.5|right|Logo used by majority of PC games sold in a [[CD]] format]]
[[File:PC DVD-ROM Software Logo.svg|thumb|upright=0.5|right|Logo used by majority of PC games sold in a [[DVD]] format]]
[[File:Pc game logo.png|thumb|upright=0.5|PC Game logo found on most contemporary box arts and trailers]]
By 1996, the growing popularity of [[Microsoft Windows]] simplified device driver and memory management. The success of 3D console titles such as ''[[Super Mario 64]]'' and ''[[Tomb Raider (1996 video game)|Tomb Raider]]'' increased interest in [[3D rendering|hardware accelerated 3D graphics]] on PCs, and soon resulted in attempts to produce affordable products with the [[ATI Rage]], [[Matrox Mystique]], [[S3 ViRGE]], and [[Rendition (company)|Rendition Vérité]].<ref>{{cite magazine|title=PC Goes 3D|magazine=[[Next Generation (magazine)|Next Generation]] |issue=26|publisher=[[Imagine Media]]|date=February 1997|pages=54–63}}</ref> 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 (1998 video game)|Unreal]]''.<ref name="unreal">Shamma, Tahsin. [http://www.gamespot.com/pc/action/unreal/review.html Review of Unreal], Gamespot.com, June 10, 1998.</ref> However, major changes to the [[Microsoft Windows]] operating system, by then the market leader, made many older DOS-based games unplayable on [[Windows NT]], and later, [[Windows XP]] (without using an [[emulator]], such as [[DOSBox]]).<ref name="dosincompatibility">{{cite web|url=http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/using/games/expert/durham_og.mspx|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070420123928/http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/using/games/expert/durham_og.mspx|archive-date=April 20, 2007 |title=Getting Older Games to Run on Windows XP |access-date=September 22, 2006 |last=Durham |first=Joel Jr. |website=[[Microsoft]]|date=May 14, 2006}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/using/helpandsupport/learnmore/appcompat.mspx|title=Run Older Programs on Windows XP|website=[[Microsoft]]}}</ref>

The faster graphics accelerators and improving [[Central processing unit|CPU]] technology resulted in increasing levels of realism in computer games. During this time, the improvements introduced with products such as ATI's [[Radeon R300]] and [[NVidia]]'s [[GeForce 6 series]] have allowed developers to increase the complexity of modern [[game engine]]s. PC gaming currently tends strongly toward improvements in 3D graphics.<ref name="graphicstrend">{{cite web |url=http://www.justadventure.com/articles/3D/3DGraphicsTrens.shtm |title=Brief Glimpse into the Future of 3D Game Graphics |access-date=September 23, 2006 |last=Necasek |first=Michal |date=October 30, 2006 |archive-date=October 11, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111011001859/http://justadventure.com/articles/3D/3DGraphicsTrens.shtm |url-status=dead }}</ref>

Unlike the generally accepted push for improved graphical performance, the use of [[physics engine]]s in computer games has become a matter of debate since announcement and 2005 release of the [[nVidia]] [[PhysX]] [[physics processing unit|PPU]], ostensibly competing with [[middleware]] such as the [[Havok (software)|Havok physics engine]]. Issues such as difficulty in ensuring consistent experiences for all players,<ref name="ppumultiplayer">{{cite web|url=https://arstechnica.com/old/content/2006/05/6828.ars |title=Tim Sweeney ponders the future of physics cards |access-date=August 22, 2006 |last=Reimer |first=Jeremy |date=May 14, 2006}}</ref> and the uncertain benefit of first generation PhysX cards in games such as ''[[Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter]]'' and ''[[City of Villains]]'', prompted arguments over the value of such technology.<ref name="grawppubenchmark">{{cite web |url=http://www.pcper.com/article.php?aid=245 |title=AGEIA PhysX PPU Videos – Ghost Recon and Cell Factor |access-date=August 22, 2006 |last=Shrout |first=Ryan |date=May 2, 2006 |archive-date=September 29, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100929000622/http://pcper.com/article.php?aid=245 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name="covppubenchmark">{{cite web|url=http://www.anandtech.com/show/2076 |title=PhysX Performance Update: City of Villains |access-date=September 13, 2006 |last=Smith |first=Ryan |date=September 7, 2006}}</ref>

Similarly, many game publishers began to experiment with new forms of marketing. Chief among these alternative strategies is [[episodic gaming]], an adaptation of the older concept of [[expansion pack]]s, in which game content is provided in smaller quantities but for a proportionally lower price. Titles such as ''[[Half-Life 2: Episode One]]'' took advantage of the idea, with mixed results rising from concerns for the amount of content provided for the price.<ref name="episodereactions">{{cite web|url=http://uk.gamespot.com/pc/action/halflife2aftermath/review.html|title=Half Life 2: Episode One for PC Review|access-date=September 2, 2006|date=June 2006|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090924003908/http://uk.gamespot.com/pc/action/halflife2aftermath/review.html|archive-date=September 24, 2009|df=mdy-all}}</ref>

<!--== Polish PC games ==
During the 1980s, the cheap and talented workforce of the [[Polish People's Republic]] began producing video games with Warsaw company Karen,&nbsp;founded by enterprising emigrant Lucjan Wencel, developing many hits that were released in the United States.<ref name=":18">{{Cite news|url=http://technopolis.polityka.pl/2014/25-lat-wolnosci-w-grach-wideo|title=25 lat wolności w grach wideo|work=Technopolis|access-date=January 10, 2018|language=pl-PL}}</ref> The 1991 strategy game "''[[Solidarność (video game)|Solidarność]]''" by Przemysław Rokita, where players led a trade union to political victory, was the symbolic beginning of a new trend where interactive works applied video game conventions to local Polish culture and history,<ref name=":18" /> and through a distorting mirror portrayed the [[Eastern Bloc]], local villages, and the mentality of citizens.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.benchmark.pl/testy_i_recenzje/najlepsze-polskie-gry-2922/strona/9445.html|title=Najlepsze polskie gry. Podsumowanie|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180107175012/http://www.benchmark.pl/testy_i_recenzje/najlepsze-polskie-gry-2922/strona/9445.html|archive-date=January 7, 2018|url-status=live|access-date=January 6, 2018}}</ref> Developers in this age struggled with minimal profits, working after hours, harsh working conditions, older computers, and an ignorance of foreign languages and sentiments.<ref name=":18" /> The&nbsp;country saw its own text based games – e.g. ''[[Mózgprocesor]]'' (1989),&nbsp;arcade games – e.g. ''[[Robbo (video game)|Robbo]]'' (1989), football manager – ''Polish League'' (1995), ''Doom''-clone – ''Cytadela'' (1995), and ''[[The Settlers (1993 video game)|The Settlers]]''-clone&nbsp;– ''[[Polanie (video game)|Polanie]]'' (1995), however the adventure game genre was the "most significant species in the 90s", a genre which was finally cracked with ''Tajemnica Statuetki.''<ref name=":18" />

''Tajemnica Statuetki'' was the first commercially released Polish adventure game,<ref name=":5">{{Cite web|url=http://www.miastogier.pl/publicystyka,401.html|title=RetroStrefa – Tajemnica Statuetki|last=Onysk|first=Wojciech "Raaistlin"|date=May 16, 2013|website=MiastoGier.pl |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171228232518/http://www.miastogier.pl/publicystyka,401.html|archive-date=December 28, 2017|url-status=live|access-date=December 28, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=http://gry.wp.pl/artykul/zapowiedz,a-quiet-weekend-in-capri,1168,1.html|title=A Quiet Weekend in Capri|last=Polska|first=Grupa Wirtualna|work=Gry.wp.pl|access-date=February 2, 2017}}{{Dead link|date=April 2020 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> one of the first Polish and Polish-language video games ever,<ref name=":9">{{Cite web|url=http://xn--czytelniamagazynw-vyb.karpacz.pl/15.php |title=Tajemnica Statuetki (page 15)|last=Marciniak|first=Jacek "AloneMan"|date=2003 |website=SS-NG|language=pl|access-date=December 28, 2017}}</ref> and Chmielarz's first game that he had developed from start to finish<ref name=":1">{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UKYTAQAAMAAJ&q=%22Tajemnica+Statuetki%22|title=Przekrʹoj|date=2001|publisher=Czytelnik.|pages=50|language=pl|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171229052316/https://books.google.com.au/books?id=UKYTAQAAMAAJ&q=%22Tajemnica+Statuetki%22&dq=%22Tajemnica+Statuetki%22&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiY_Oyi56zYAhVFUbwKHRkKDKgQ6AEILjAB|archive-date=December 29, 2017}}</ref> – the first officially sold program that he wrote.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/gambler_magazine-1998-11|title=Co ja robie tu?|last=Piekara|first=Jacek|publisher=Gambler Magazine|year=1998|pages=73}}</ref> It is sometimes erroneously considered the first Polish computer game, a distinction held by Witold Podgórski's 1961 [[Early mainframe games|mainframe game]] ''[[Marienbad (video game)|Marienbad]]'', inspired by a Chinese puzzle called "[[Nim]]", and released on the [[Odra (computer)|Odra 1003]].<ref name="auto3">{{Cite news|url=http://gry.onet.pl/artykuly/dawno-dawno-temu-zanim-powstal-wiedzmin/n2vn5|title=Dawno, dawno temu, zanim powstał "Wiedźmin"…|last=Quark|date=July 15, 2013|work=Onet|access-date=December 28, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171228232222/http://gry.onet.pl/artykuly/dawno-dawno-temu-zanim-powstal-wiedzmin/n2vn5|archive-date=December 28, 2017|url-status=live|language=pl-PL}}</ref> (Meanwhile, ''Polygamia'' writes that 1986's text-based ''[[Puszka Pandory]]'' is the first game written by a Pole, sold in Poland, and reviewed in Polish press).<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://polygamia.pl/opowie-ci-z-krypty-puszka-pandory|title=Opowieści z krypty: Puszka Pandory|last=Kluska|first=Bartłomiej|date=March 5, 2010|website=Polygamia|language=pl-PL|access-date=December 28, 2017}}</ref> Despite this, Onet wrote in 2013 about a [[List of common misconceptions|common misconception]] that the game marks the point where the history of digital entertainment in Poland begins.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://gry.onet.pl/wiadomosci/slyszeliscie-kiedys-o-marienbad-pierwszej-polskiej-grze-wideo-w-historii-nie-no-to/vwwqx|title=Słyszeliście kiedyś o "Marienbad", pierwszej polskiej grze wideo w historii? Nie? No to koniecznie musicie nadrobić zaległości!|date=March 18, 2013|work=Onet Gry|access-date=January 6, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180107061117/http://gry.onet.pl/wiadomosci/slyszeliscie-kiedys-o-marienbad-pierwszej-polskiej-grze-wideo-w-historii-nie-no-to/vwwqx|archive-date=January 7, 2018|url-status=live|language=pl-PL}}</ref>

-->

== Platform characteristics ==
The defining characteristic of the PC platform is the absence of centralized control, an [[open platform]]; all other gaming platforms (except [[Android (operating system)|Android]] devices, to an extent) are owned and administered by a single group.

PCs may possess varying processing resources of video gaming systems. Game developers may integrate options to adjust [[Display resolution#Computer monitors|screen resolution]], framerate,<ref name="ivan11">{{cite magazine|last=Ivan|first=Tom|title=Console Battlefield 3 is 720p, 30fps. DICE explains|url=http://www.computerandvideogames.com/308112/console-battlefield-3-is-720p-30fps-dice-explains/|magazine=[[Computer and Video Games]]|date=June 20, 2011}}</ref> and [[Spatial anti-aliasing|anti-aliasing]]. Increased [[draw distance]] and [[Non-player character|NPC]]s amount is also possible in [[open world]] games.<ref name="warner11">{{cite web|last=Warner|first=Mark|title=Tweaking Skyrim Image Quality|url=http://hardocp.com/article/2011/11/23/tweaking_skyrim_image_quality/3|publisher=[[HardOCP]]|date=November 23, 2011|access-date=February 24, 2012|archive-date=September 17, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190917181538/http://www.hardocp.com/article/2011/11/23/tweaking_skyrim_image_quality/3|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name=cvg11>{{cite magazine|title=DICE on cutting Battlefield 3 console content: 'We're not evil or stupid'|url=http://www.computerandvideogames.com/313066/dice-on-cutting-battlefield-3-console-content-were-not-evil-or-stupid/|magazine=[[Computer and Video Games]]|date=July 26, 2011}}</ref> The most common forms of input are the [[Computer mouse|mouse]]/[[Computer keyboard|keyboard]] combination and [[gamepad]]s, though [[touchscreen]]s and [[Motion controller#Gaming|motion controllers]] are also available. The mouse in particular lends players of [[first-person shooter]] and [[real-time strategy]] games on PC great speed and accuracy.<ref name="nintendo">{{cite web | author=Joe Fielder| title = StarCraft 64| work=Gamespot.com |date = May 12, 2000| url = http://www.gamespot.com/n64/strategy/starcraft64/review.html?q=starcraft%2064| access-date = August 19, 2006}}</ref> Users may use third-party [[Input device|peripherals]].{{citation needed|date=January 2016}} 

{{Essay-like|date=April 2023|section}}

The advantages of openness include:
;* Reduced software cost
: Prices are kept down by competition and the absence of [[platform-holder]] fees. Games and services are cheaper at every level, and many are free.<ref name=sweeny07>{{cite web|last=Sweeny|first=Tim|title=Next-Gen podcast|url=http://wap.evilavatar.com/forums/showpost.php?p=824721&postcount=13|publisher=[[Next Generation Magazine]] podcast|access-date=February 23, 2012|year=2007|quote=We've been developing games that are community-based for more than ten years now, ever since the original Unreal and Unreal Tournament. We've had games that have had free online gameplay, free server lists, and in 2003 we shipped a game with in-game voice support, and a lot of features that gamers have now come to expect on the PC platform. A lot of these things are now features that Microsoft is planning to charge for.|archive-date=May 14, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130514233614/http://wap.evilavatar.com/forums/showpost.php?p=824721&postcount=13|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name=lane11>{{cite web|last=Lane|first=Rick|title=Is PC Gaming Really More Expensive Than Consoles?|url=http://pc.ign.com/articles/121/1214544p1.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111213174954/http://pc.ign.com/articles/121/1214544p1.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=December 13, 2011|website=IGN|date=December 13, 2011}}</ref>
;* Increased flexibility
:PC games decades old can be played on modern systems, through [[Emulator|emulation software]] if need be. Conversely, newer games can often be run on older systems by reducing the games' fidelity, scale or both.
;* Increased innovation
: One does not need to ask for permission to release or update a PC game or to [[Video game modding|modify an existing one]], and the platform's hardware and software are constantly evolving. These factors make PC the centre of both hardware and software innovation. By comparison, closed platforms tend to remain much the same throughout their lifespan.<ref name=economist12 /><ref name=bertz10>{{cite magazine|last=Bertz|first=Matt|magazine=[[Game Informer]]|title=Valve and Blizzard Defend PC Platform, Diss Console Flexiblity|url=http://www.gameinformer.com/b/news/archive/2010/03/13/valve-and-blizzard-defend-pc-platform.aspx|date=March 13, 2010|access-date=February 23, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130425064648/http://www.gameinformer.com/b/news/archive/2010/03/13/valve-and-blizzard-defend-pc-platform.aspx|archive-date=April 25, 2013|url-status=dead}}</ref>

There are also disadvantages, including:
;* Increased complexity
: A PC is a general-purpose tool. Its inner workings are exposed to the owner, and misconfiguration can create enormous problems. Hardware compatibility issues are also possible. Game development is complicated by the wide variety of hardware configurations; developers may be forced to limit their design to run with sub-optimum PC hardware in order to reach a larger PC market, or add a range graphical and other settings to adjust for playability on individual machines, requiring increased development, test, and customer support resources.{{Citation needed|date=June 2012}}
;* Increased hardware cost
: PC components are generally sold individually for profit (even if one buys a pre-built machine), whereas the hardware of closed platforms is mass-produced as a single unit and often sold at a smaller profit, or even a loss (with the intention of making profit instead in online service fees and developer kit profits).<ref name=lane11 />
;* Reduced security
: It is difficult, and in most situations ultimately impossible, to control the way in which PC hardware and software is used. This leads to far more [[Copyright infringement of software|software piracy]] and [[Cheating in online games|cheating]] than closed platforms suffer from.<ref name=koroush10>{{cite web|last=Ghazi|first=Koroush|title=PC Game Piracy Examined|url=http://www.tweakguides.com/Piracy_5.html|publisher=TweakGuides.com|date=December 2010}}</ref>

=== Modifications ===
{{Main|Mod (video gaming)}}
The openness of the PC platform allows players to edit or modify their games and distribute the results over the [[Internet]] as "mods". A healthy mod community greatly increases a game's longevity and the most popular mods have driven purchases of their parent game to record heights.<ref name="CinemaBlend_1Jul12">{{cite web|url=http://www.cinemablend.com/games/DayZ-Helps-Arma-2-Rack-Up-More-Than-300-000-Sales-44161.html |title=DayZ Helps Arma 2 Rack Up More Than 300,000 In Sales |publisher=Cinema Blend |last=Usher |first=William |date=1 July 2012}}</ref> It is common for professional developers to release the tools they use to create their games (and sometimes even [[source code]]<ref name=alienswarm_sdk>{{cite web|title=Alien Swarm Game & Source SDK Release Coming Monday|url=http://store.steampowered.com/news/4081/|publisher=[[Valve Corporation|Valve]]|date=16 July 2010}}</ref><ref name="q3source">{{cite news |title=Quake 3 Source Code Released |url=http://www.shacknews.com/onearticle.x/38305| date=August 2005 | access-date= October 22, 2006}}</ref>) in order to encourage modding,<ref name=peel12>{{cite web|title=Red Orchestra dev on mod tools: "I never understand why companies effectively block people from doing that stuff."|url=http://www.pcgamesn.com/article/red-orchestra-dev-mod-tools-i-never-understand-why-companies-effectively-block-people-doing-stuff|publisher=PCGamesN|date=8 October 2012}}</ref> but if a game is popular enough mods generally arise even without official support.<ref name=smith11>{{cite web|last=Smith|first=Adam|title=Mods And Ends: Grand Theft Auto IV|url=http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2011/10/07/mods-and-ends-grand-theft-auto-iv/|publisher=[[Rock, Paper, Shotgun]]|date=7 October 2011}}</ref>

Mods can compete with official [[downloadable content]] however, or even outright redistribute it, and their ability to extend the lifespan of a game can work against its developers' plans for regular sequels. As game technology has become more complex, it has also become harder to distribute development tools to the public.<ref name=kalms11>{{cite web|last=Kalms|first=Mikael|title=So how about modtools?|url=http://forums.electronicarts.co.uk/battlefield-bad-company-2-pc/1350772-so-how-about-modtools.html|publisher=[[Electronic Arts]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100923144056/http://forums.electronicarts.co.uk/battlefield-bad-company-2-pc/1350772-so-how-about-modtools.html|archive-date=September 23, 2010 |date=20 September 2010}}</ref>

Modding has a different connotation on consoles which are typically [[digital rights management|restricted]] much more heavily. As publicly released development tools are rare, console mods usually refer to hardware alterations designed to remove restrictions.<ref name="console_modchips">{{cite web|url=https://www.theregister.co.uk/2004/07/21/ps2_mod_chip_win/|title=Judge deems PS2 mod chips illegal in UK|website=[[The Register]]|access-date=September 22, 2006|date=July 2004}}</ref>

=== Digital distribution services ===
{{Main|Digital distribution of video games}}
PC games are sold predominantly through the Internet, with buyers downloading their new purchase directly to their computer.<ref name=economist12 /><ref name="esafacts12">{{cite web|title=2012 Essential facts About the computer and Video game industry|publisher=[[Entertainment Software Association]]|date=March 2012|url=http://www.theesa.com/facts/pdfs/ESA_EF_2012.pdf|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130102205511/http://www.theesa.com/facts/pdfs/ESA_EF_2012.pdf|archive-date=January 2, 2013|df=mdy-all}}</ref> This approach allows smaller independent developers to compete with large publisher-backed games<ref name=stuart10 /><ref name=garr11>{{cite web|title=Download distribution opening new doors for independent game developers|url=http://www.statesman.com/business/technology/download-distribution-opening-new-doors-for-independent-game-1409285.html|publisher=Statesman.com|date=17 April 2011|last=Garr|first=Brian|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110421074810/http://www.statesman.com/business/technology/download-distribution-opening-new-doors-for-independent-game-1409285.html|archive-date=April 21, 2011|df=mdy-all}}</ref> and avoids the speed and capacity limits of the [[optical disc]]s which most other gaming platforms rely on.<ref name=kuchera07>{{cite web|last=Kuchera|first=Ben|title=Is Blu-ray really a good medium for games?|url=https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2007/01/6658/|website=Ars Technica|date=17 January 2007}}</ref><ref name=rage_capacity>{{cite web|title=Rage Will Look Worse on 360 Due to Compression; Doom 4 and Rage Not Likely for Digital Distribution|url=http://www.shacknews.com/article/53976/rage-will-look-worse-on|publisher=[[Shacknews]]|date=1 August 2008}}</ref>

[[Valve Corporation|Valve]] released the [[Steam (service)|Steam]] platform for Windows computers in 2003 as a means to distribute Valve-developed video games such as Half-Life 2. It would later see release on the [[Mac OS X]] operating system in 2010 and was released on Linux in 2012. By 2011, it controlled 70% of the market for downloadable PC games, with a userbase of about 40 million accounts.<ref name="forbes-gnprofile" /><ref>{{cite web|title=40 Million Active Gamers on Steam Mark|url=http://gamingbolt.com/valve-releases-pr-steam-userbase-doubles-in-2011-big-picture-mode-coming-soon|publisher=Gaming Bolt|access-date=7 January 2012|date=6 January 2012}}</ref> [[Origin (service)|Origin]], a new version of the [[Electronic Arts]] online store, was released in 2011 in order to compete with Steam and other digital distribution platforms on the PC.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://investor.ea.com/common/download/download.cfm?companyid=ERTS&fileid=475188&filekey=6d4ea4b7-0389-4c68-964f-af21a86c5a7d&filename=E3_2011_IR_Breakfast_-_6-8_-_small_file_size.pdf|title=PDF E3 2011 Investor Presentation|access-date=2012-04-26|publisher=[[Electronic Arts]]}}</ref>{{Primary source inline|date=January 2024}} The period between 2004 and now saw the rise of many digital distribution services on PC, such as [[Amazon Digital Services]], [[GameStop]], [[GFWL]], [[EA Store]], [[Direct2Drive]], [[GOG.com]], and [[GamersGate]].

Digital distribution also slashes the cost of circulation, eliminates stock shortages, allows games to be released worldwide at no additional cost, and allows niche audiences to be reached with ease.<ref name=senior11>{{cite magazine|last=Senior|first=Tom|title=Paradox sales are 90% digital, "we don't really need retailers any more" says CEO|url=http://www.pcgamer.com/2011/07/06/paradox-sales-are-90-digital-we-don%E2%80%99t-really-need-retailers-any-more-says-ceo/|magazine=[[PC Gamer]]|date=6 July 2011|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130114030409/http://www.pcgamer.com/2011/07/06/paradox-sales-are-90-digital-we-don%E2%80%99t-really-need-retailers-any-more-says-ceo/|archive-date=January 14, 2013|df=mdy-all}}</ref> However, most digital distribution systems create ownership and customer rights issues by storing access rights on distributor-owned computers. Games confer with these computers over the Internet before launching. This raises the prospect of purchases being lost if the distributor goes out of business or chooses to lock the buyer's account, and prevents [[First-sale doctrine|resale]] (the ethics of which [[First-sale doctrine#Application to digital copies|are a matter of debate]]).

Valve does not release any sales figures on its Steam service, instead it only provides the data to companies with games on Steam,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2011-04-21-valve-no-steam-data-for-digital-sales-charts|title=Valve: no Steam data for digital sales charts|date=April 21, 2011 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Parfitt |first=Ben |url=http://www.mcvuk.com/news/read/digital-charts-wont-pick-up-steam |title=Digital charts won't pick up Steam &#124; Games industry news &#124; MCV |website=MCV |date=April 21, 2011 |publisher=Mcvuk.com |access-date=2013-08-28}}</ref> which they cannot release without permission due to signing a [[non-disclosure agreement]] with Valve.<ref>{{cite web |last=Kuchera |first=Ben |url=http://penny-arcade.com/report/editorial-article/its-time-for-the-gaming-press-to-grow-up-and-ignore-the-npd-group |title=The PA Report – Why it's time to grow up and start ignoring the monthly NPD reports |publisher=Penny-arcade.com |date=2012-07-02 |access-date=2013-08-28 |archive-date=March 6, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130306103524/http://penny-arcade.com/report/editorial-article/its-time-for-the-gaming-press-to-grow-up-and-ignore-the-npd-group |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://ve3d.ign.com/articles/news/61425/Garrys-Mod-Breaks-1-Million-Sold-First-Peek-At-Sales-Chart |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130530001351/http://ve3d.ign.com/articles/news/61425/Garrys-Mod-Breaks-1-Million-Sold-First-Peek-At-Sales-Chart |url-status=dead |archive-date=May 30, 2013 |title=Garry's Mod Breaks 1 Million Sold, First Peek At Sales Chart – Voodoo Extreme |publisher=Ve3d.ign.com |access-date=2013-08-28}}</ref>
However, [[Stardock]], the previous owner of competing platform [[Impulse (software)|Impulse]], estimated that, as of 2009, Steam had a 70% share of the digital distribution market for video games.<ref name="Graft">{{cite web|url=https://www.gamedeveloper.com/game-platforms/stardock-reveals-impulse-steam-market-share-estimates |title=Stardock Reveals Impulse, Steam Market Share Estimates |last=Graft|first=Kris|website=[[Gamasutra]] |access-date=November 21, 2009|date=November 19, 2009}}</ref> In early 2011, ''[[Forbes]]'' reported that Steam sales constituted 50–70% of the $4 billion market for downloaded PC games and that Steam offered game producers [[gross margin]]s of 70% of purchase price, compared with 30% at retail.<ref name="forbes-gnprofile">{{cite magazine|last=Chiang|first=Oliver|title=The Master of Online Mayhem|url=https://www.forbes.com/forbes/2011/0228/technology-gabe-newell-videogames-valve-online-mayhem.html|magazine=[[Forbes]]|access-date=14 February 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.1up.com/news/steam-experiences-sales-growth | title = Steam Experiences Another Year of Sales Growth in 2011 | first = Chris | last = Periera | date = 2012-01-06 | access-date = 2012-02-02 | website = [[1UP.com]] | url-status = dead | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120526021635/http://www.1up.com/news/steam-experiences-sales-growth | archive-date = May 26, 2012 | df = mdy-all}}</ref>

== 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).

== Controversy ==
{{Main|Video game controversies}}
PC games have long been a source of controversy, largely due to the depictions of violence that has become commonly associated with video games in general, with much of the criticism stemming from the fact that the PC gaming industry is not as regulated as on other platforms. The debate surrounds the influence of objectionable content on the social development of [[minor (law)|minor]]s, with organizations such as the [[American Psychological Association]] concluding that video game violence increases children's aggression,<ref>{{cite web | author=[[American Psychological Association]] | url=http://www.psychologymatters.org/videogames.html | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080803074007/http://www.psychologymatters.org/videogames.html | archive-date=August 3, 2008 | title= Violent Video Games – Psychologists Help Protect Children from Harmful Effects}}</ref> a concern that prompted a further investigation by the [[Centers for Disease Control]] in September 2006.<ref name="cvgaggressionresearch">{{cite web| url = https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news/2006/09/7771.ars | title = Senate bill mandates CDC investigation into video game violence| access-date=September 19, 2006|date=September 2006}}</ref> Industry groups have responded by noting the responsibility of parents in governing their children's activities, while attempts in the United States to control the sale of objectionable games have generally been found unconstitutional.<ref name="freespeech">{{cite web| url = https://arstechnica.com/old/content/2006/08/7597.ars| title = Judge rules against Louisiana video game law| access-date = September 2, 2006|date=August 2006}}</ref>

[[Video game addiction]] is another cultural aspect of gaming to draw criticism as it can have a negative influence on health and on social relations. The problem of addiction and its health risks seems to have grown with the rise of [[MMORPG|massively multiplayer online role playing games (MMORPGs)]].<ref name="cvgaddiction">{{cite news| url = https://www.cbsnews.com/news/detox-for-video-game-addiction/
| title = Detox For Video Game Addiction?| access-date = September 12, 2006|date=July 2006 | work=CBS News}}</ref> Alongside the social and health problems associated with computer game addiction have grown similar worries about the effect of computer games on education.<ref name="titleTom Maher discusses the effects of computer game addiction on classroom teaching">{{cite web |url=http://www.dystalk.com/talks/33-video-games-and-children |title=Tom Maher discusses the effects of computer game addiction on classroom teaching|publisher=dystalk.com |access-date=April 24, 2009}}</ref>

== See also ==
{{Portal|Video games}}
* [[Game studies]]
* [[Gaming computer]]
* [[Video game console]]
* [[PC Master Race]]
* [[List of PC games]]
** [[List of best-selling PC games]]

== Notes ==
{{notelist}}

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

{{Video game platforms}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Video game platforms]]
[[Category:Personal computing]]
[[Category:Video game terminology]]