PC Elitism: Pros, Cons, Even more cons, and why it really shouldn't matter.

[Entraboard]

I love gaming on my PC, sometimes I stray to the consoles for a couple of years but I always come back.
Enjoying one doesn't have to exclude the other: each has their strengths and each has their faults.

I played Fallout New Vegas the first time on the Xbox 360. Nothing wrong there, had a great time.

Then there was a Steam Sale on F: NV Ultimate Edition (with all the DLCs). It was a good deal, and bought it for the PC.

Hadn't done that before: playing the exact same game on two different platforms.
Thoroughly enjoying it again: loading times don't take forever, expanded gameplay through community created Quests, mods that enhance the experience in new and pleasantly unexpected ways. Nothing wrong there, having a great time.

Yeah, I could ***** and moan that the console version took forever with loading screens, offers little re-playability, and all new content had to be bought from the developer.

Yeah, I could ***** and moan that on the PC version some of the mods loaded make the game unstable or corrupts my save, that the coding could be better and that it is overall more expensive.

But you know what? I played it on the console precisely because it was more accessible or "mainstream". Just plop down on my couch, fire it up and have fun.
None of the tinkering with hardware bits, downloading firmware, trawling forums for solutions.

Basically, to each his own.
Which leads me to the second part of this discussion:

What does ELITE mean anyway?
As a noun it means: the choice or best of anything considered collectively, as of a group or class of persons.
As an adjective it means: representing the most choice or select; best:

I think by it's very nature PC gaming is Elite gaming.
I have maybe two or three friends who are PC gamers. We research, build our own rigs and genuinely enjoying working/playing on computers. We also have consoles, but there is just something about building a PC. The thrill of scouring the market for the best deals and choices on hardware. Putting all the pieces together while optimizing heat dissipation and airflow.

Yeah, most people don't find that fun or exciting at all. But for a select few, it is joyous creating and bringing to life that monstrous electronic platform on which to run games on..
Isn't that the very definition of elite?
Wouldn't a PC Gamer, who only wants the best platform on which to game, be an Elite Gamer?
These rigs we build, which outperform the consoles in technical terms, are they not "the choice or best of anything considered collectively"? The very definition of Elite.

But still... I enjoy plopping on the couch, booting up the console (with it's inferior graphics and processing power), starting up a party with my old high school friends and blasting mo'fos on COD. Does that also make me a casual gamer?

No, it just makes me a gamer in general.

Sometimes you wanna wade in the pool, sometimes you wanna battle the ocean.
In either case, you are still a swimmer.

 

[schrodinger]

I own both a PC and PS3, so that makes me the [HEADING=1]HYBRID SUPER RACE![/HEADING]

Anyways, i honestly do not care about the never ending PC vs Console war because I can see past the silly elitism that both parties have. Both PCs and consoles have their fair share of pros and cons, like for example PC game can be modded, and mods can be godsend; consoles have the appeal of just putting in the damn game and playing it, and I don't have to worry if my console can play the game.

So yeah, quit with the elitism BS and play some damn games.

 

[TehCookie]

I think the biggest reason some PC people have such venom for consoles is because the big two console makers keep buying away game developers and leaving the PC market out in the cold. Consoles are also seen, quite rightly, as a loss of personal freedom to people who are used to the power of building and maintaining their own rigs. Why on earth would someone who could build, tinker with, and keep upgraded their own powerhouse gaming system ever want to submit to using a device where they can do none of that. Oh yeah, due to the greedy console bastards buying out companies and making their games console exclusives.

PCs have exclusives too, it's not like consoles are the only ones who do. It goes both ways. PCs are also a pain in the butt if you just want to play games and don't care about hardware. Those greedy console bastards also prevent indie games from easily being made for consoles, which PC gets. Both have their pro's and con's. Stop being jealous of the other guys and instead enjoy what you have.

Perhaps I'm weird when games are the most important thing in considering which platform to get, so to me if you want console games get a console. If you want PC games get a PC. Get both if you can afford it or all if you're rich.

 

[Amir Kondori]

Why do we have to kick this dead horse over and over and over again? Some people only game on consoles, some only game on PC, some game on both.

Unfortunately a tiny percentage of those people, when hiding behind the safety and anonymity of a screen name online, will attack and belittle and insult others who do not happen to game on the same platform that they do. I firmly believe that those people, on both sides are the minority.

They are minority even on the forums, as every time these threads come up you have far more people either saying that they game on both consoles and PC or that they game on one but think it is fine that other platforms exist. I heard some one say that mobile games were the future the other day. Do I agree? Hell no, but it doesn't bother me one bit that he thinks so nor do I feel the need to go and say terrible things about people who do play games mostly on mobile devices.

It would be really nice to live in a world where people go grow the hell up and not attack others, like cowards, on a message board and in forums. It would be really nice to live in a world where gamers were more passionate about the games than what platform they are on.

Now feel free to ignore this post and go on ranting.

 

[Funyahns]

The idea that pc gamers are smug and elitists is pretty funny to me. When you go to any of the gaming websites and hear people arguing back and forth over PS4 and Xbox One, then you will see some smug behavior. Those 2 systems are so similar in tech that the arguing back and forth is pretty pointless. Or, the most smug of all. Which is a computer user, its just not a pc though. Its the people who use Macs. Spend 3 times as much on equipment that is exactly the same power as a plain pc/laptop. Then they brag about it, they are more interested in being seen using an apple than anything.

Most PC users are just plain people who play games, and are just looking out for the next great release on our system of choice. Not some group who is frothing at the mouth over console releases.

 

[loc978]

So many folks talk about the market size increasing like it's a good thing... Personally, I find the homogenization of gaming to appeal to a wider audience has diluted gameplay mechanics. I miss my niche... though thankfully it seems to be coming back around. The sooner we can get away from huge, monolithic publishing houses, the better. Here's hoping they die in a fire.

As for consoles... inexpensive machines with standardized hardware aren't a bad thing in and of themselves... but dividing into armed camps behind companies that release similar closed systems, publishing "exlusively" for one or the other of said closed systems... that's just the asinine politics of greed. That's another big reason I prefer the PC. If I want to ditch Microsoft, I can, and I can still play games. Shoving Linux onto a 7th gen console and playing its games is significantly less feasible.

 

[FalloutJack]

Snip

Actually, elitism is snobbery and inappropriate behavior towards people who favor consoles or - at the very least - sneers at those who try both.

I, for one, think console gamers should be the ones who get over it.

You know, like this guy. One line of aggressive stance, baring teeth for no other reason than to tow the line. Totally uncalled for.

Here's a thought, how about everyone stops having a damn persecution complex and plays some fucking video games?


Because at the end of the day, that's all we really want from any of these things.

Exactly.

The truth is, they're equals, and meant for the same thing: Fun.

 

[DefunctTheory]

You know, like this guy. One line of aggressive stance, baring teeth for no other reason than to tow the line. Totally uncalled for.

One line of aggressiveness, or a sarcastic remark aimed at 5 paragraphs of PC 'elitist' bashing?

As others have said, this is one of those times where the complaining has become a bigger problem then the initial issue ever was.

 

[FalloutJack]

You know, like this guy. One line of aggressive stance, baring teeth for no other reason than to tow the line. Totally uncalled for.

One line of aggressiveness, or a sarcastic remark aimed at 5 paragraphs of PC 'elitist' bashing?

As others have said, this is one of those times where the complaining has become a bigger problem then the initial issue ever was.

Does this thread come across as bashing elitism? I guess it does the way I have written and titled it, but I didn't intend it to do so. I think PC players are often the more informed gamer, kinda the "nerds of the gaming world" i guess. And I think that should be taken as a compliment more than anything else.

Being an Elitist isn't stupid IMO, its the arguments between consolists that follow that are stupid. The reasons to buy a console are different to the reasons for a PC, so why get defensive about it? I think i should have stressed the "why it shouldn't really matter" part because I was hoping the discussion would be more about what is behind elitism than anything else.

Please pay attention when the OP clarifies himself. It's not a five page thread yet and the guy's just starting out, so give him a break.

 

[Griffolion]

I'm having trouble getting why we've had a spate of PC-elitism threads on The Escapist recently. I hope people realise that the PC-elitists are a vocal minority of PC gamers? Most PC gamers also have a console, and realise the merits to both. Sure, they may prefer the PC as a platform, but that's a far cry away from calling console users "peasants" or whatever.

I'm a PC gamer with a PS3, also. I prefer the PC due to its versatility and graphical fidelity over the current gen of consoles (soon to be challenged with the new gen due soon). But my PS3 is still great, and does what it does well. Am I an elitist?

This topic seems to be fast approaching a point where the complaining of PC-elitism is disproportionately higher in urgency and mindshare to the actual issue itself. Can we not just play the games we want to play?

 

[octafish]

Consoles are worse, fact.

PC with 360 controller covers most needs. Allied with a Nintendo console because it has lots of great exclusives and offers a different experience and you're set.

Buying a PS4 or Xbone to play Fifa, Assassin's Creed or Battlefield? Do it on PC, the game is cheaper, and you have more options. You can also play PC confortable on your sofa, just plug it into your TV, so, confortability isn't an argument for consoles.

The only reason someone should opt for a PS4 or Xbone instead of PC is for the exclusives, personally since the only exclusives seems to be shooters and racing games and I hate those genres (shooters with controller...argh...really bad) I don't see a motive for me to buy them.

Though if you want to play multiplayer shooters with a controller stick to consoles, unless it is Battlefield and you are a chopper/jet hog. Even then you aren't playing a shooter anymore, more a weak sim or something.

I don't give a damn any more as there has been an explosion of the types of games I was missing coming to PC. Plus the next generation consoles are a HUGE improvement over the less power than my phone current gen. Mostly though it is the promise of Star Citizen, Cyberpunk 2077, and the return of isometric RPGs that has calmed my console based rage.

 

[Elementary - Dear Watson]

I, for one, think console gamers should be the ones who get over it.

Um...why? I only hear from them after the PC guys have started bitching. People claiming console superiority over PCs are few and far between

Captcha: Live with purpose

I'm posting in a PC vs Console thread captcha. We are beyond that.

- Gamespot
- IGN
- N4G

Know what these sites have in common? Console elitists who start shit first. Especially since GTA V came out.

Then there's the Escapist, the PC elitist stronghold.

3 of them for every 1 of us. hardly an epidemic.

Hell, these fucking people even go after each other throwing around stupid crap like "PS4 has DDR5, nothing can compare."

Isn't it GDDR5?

Also... the key to changing a mindset, especially one of minor hostility is to change the languaged used. Using words like "epidemic", "stronghold" "them and us" and "elitists" add to the problem, no matter how they are used.

To be honest, myself, I don't give a flying fuck about what is better. I am currently working my way through a back log of PS1 and PS2 games that I wished I had when I was a kid (my bucket list I just couldn't afford!) and my PS2 is better than any of your PCs and next gen stuff. It has all functionality offline. It has lasted me the last 3 years, and was only £20 when I got it. It has an enormous (PS2 and PS1) library and all the tried and tested games. It also works perfectly offline, the games are cheap, and loads of games have splitscreen up to 4 players for a great evening with drinks...

 

[Hazy]

If the PC master race were truly superior, they would not need to gloat about it.

 

[Rellik San]

To be honest I think GTA Online server issues have shown, there is no advantage to one platform any more.

I'm lucky I managed to get hold of every major console this generation to play the games I wanted. I'm primarily a PC Gamer and run a nearly 5 year old rig, optimised to within an inch of its life so it can still play modern games on high (technically I did put in a recent graphics card this year though). I just prefer the PC experience over all others, that said, I also love David Cage, Suda51 and Hideo Kojima games, which means I need a console to play them. (What can I say, I'm sucker for the gloriously insane, it's why I like David Lynch movies).

The moral of the story; Everyone has a favoured platform, so just play on that, if you want to play all the great indies you miss on PC without forking out for a PC, a mid-end laptop with a 360 controller is capable of running most of them. If you don't mind sometimes having to wait for the high end releases, but love quirky JTBS then buy a console to go with your PC, just buy what you need to play the games you want.