PC gaming versus Console gaming

SUMMARY OF MY PREVIOUS ARGUMENTS These were my initial arguments, which were mostly conceded by my opponent: Third-party games Community modification Retro gaming Backwards compatibility FINAL REBUTTALS/COMMENTS PRICE This has been a major one, which I think I have sufficiently addressed. It is obvious that a PC is more expensive than a Console. However, I’ve shown that a decent PC is reasonably affordable. There is the obvious non-gaming aspects that add to the value. Furthermore, I believe that because my system was a complete setup, requiring nothing but assembly and somewhere to plug it in and the console requires a TV, this point should be taken out of consideration. It’s obvious that a crappy TV will make for a crappy gaming experience and any reasonable TV would cost more than my entire computer (including 20” LCD screen). CONSTANT UPGRADES Let’s be realistic. Though I concede that consoles don’t really need to be upgraded and maintaining a cutting-edge computer could be very expensive, how much of a disadvantage is this? I can think of two ways to approach this point: 1) You could completely disregard upgrades. Build the computer you want, run it until it dies or is obsolete and build/buy another one. I’ve built two computers for myself and neither cost me more than a thousand dollars, both played online games extremely well and I never had to replace anything for the life of them. 2) You could stay on the cutting-edge of PC gaming. Your machine is going to cost you a whole lot of money, but it’s going to sh!t on any console on the market, since console specifications mirror cutting edge technology that their time of release which grows increasingly further into the past every day. It’s difficult for an Xbox 360 to become so affordable and stay on the cutting edge of actual technology. PRIORITY & PIRACY I’ve decided to combine these into one topic, since the first makes many references to the second. First of all, in regards to my anecdote about my Wii: do you believe that it can’t be done? [1] The fact remains that although the piracy inherent in PC gaming might one day bring it to a point where it is no long convenient to play games on your computer, that day isn’t today. It isn’t next week. It’s not anywhere in the foreseeable future. First person shooters, Real-time strategies and MMORPG games at the very least are still going strong on the PC. Huge developers are still developing games for PC. Blizzard, anyone? On a final note, did you read the source you posted? Here are some of my favourite quotes: “However, the developer believes that the market could begin to move back towards PC development in the near future.” “Despite this, Capps believes resurgence in the PC market may be coming.” “According to Capps, publishers are starting to "think their money's going to be shifting back to PC" due to people wanting to spend less time playing games due to the amount of media competing for their attention.” COMFORT So your point began as being about comfort and ended up being about health, but in the end you’ve only proven that sitting is unhealthy. Ok, cool. It is a matter of taste whether you find sitting upright at a desk or lounged on a couch as more comfortable. I’m quite tall, but I honestly find sitting at a desk to feel better for my back. I often hunch forward on the couch and end up with a sore back. The whole point that your article was trying to make was to get active, especially if you sit in a desk all day. I suppose the Wii is the only form of gaming that achieves physical activity, so I concede that aspect of the argument. The PS3 and the XBOX360 are equally unhealthy to PC gaming. Whether you find a desk chair or a couch more comfortable is subjective. SURROUND SOUND & MEDIA CENTRES “You do realize that you hook your Console up to your TV which uses the Home Theatre setup, right?" Yes. Do you seriously not see the point I’m trying to make here? You argued that Console gaming has the advantage of being able to be hooked up to your home theatre system with your plasma and floor-rattling bass; I’m arguing that you can hook a PC up to the exact same system, therefore it isn’t an argument in favour of Consoles. CONCLUSION I’d first like to thank Ann for challenging me to this genre of debate and partaking in what has essentially been an exercise is self-hatred. I love all forms of gaming, but I’ve always preferred PC over Console. For one, it’s a format with a lot more freedom. There are entire communities out there developing new content for games; content that really reflects what the people want, because the people are the ones creating it! Furthermore there are entire communities developing games that they want you to play for free and they don’t skimp on quality; some of these games are amazing. Chronotron (a game where you play a time travelling robot) is nothing short of brilliant. Second, it’s not so restricting with what games you can play on it. As I mentioned in my anecdote about Jedi Knight II, I may feel like playing a game for 10 years ago. With the PC I don’t have to keep my ancient consoles out and ready for action or drag them out of the cupboard when I want to play them. It has one source of truth. I really think my opponent was clasping at straws with her arguments (sorry Ann). I mean sure, PC’s are more expensive than Consoles, but not like Gucci is more expensive than Target. Good PC’s are very affordable. The ‘constant upgrades’ I showed to be an advantage, given that if you stay on the cutting edge of PC gaming, you’re likely to have a superior machine to even the latest console released, with the advantage of having a huge back catalogue of games. Priority is a disadvantage, but the PC market seems to be splitting in two directions: Serious gamers, who play FPS, RTS and MMORPGs: The PC market for these sorts of games is still very strong. Amateur gamers, who play simple and quick games: The PC market will clearly dominate here because of the number of ideal and FREE games the PC offers. In conclusion, I have slayed the naysayers and clearly shown that PC gaming is indeed superior to Console gaming. VOTE PRO! Sources [1] http://www.instructables.com...