The PC vs console debate has been there for ages, with each camp having their own distinct advantages and disadvantages. While consoles offer a more streamlined gaming experience, PCs make up for it by being a lot more customizable – offering ways to enjoy the game beyond conventional hardware limitations.
Admittedly, ports across both platforms are rather similar in the modern era. The debate still rises, and as per a recent report, neither side is truly winning the battle.
PC gamers are spending a lot less time on video games
As per a recent report from Midia Research, a large percentage of both PC and console gamers spend less than 10 hours a week actually playing through games. In reality, this number is even lower when we take into consideration averages and majorities.
PC gamers in particular, spend less than 5 hours a week on video games, and this number represents a two-third majority on the market. Consoles also follow a similar trend, with two-thirds spending less than 5 hours on average per week as well.
A number of factors can be held responsible for this new trend. Of particular importance would be the fact that video games are of a much grander scope than they used to be before. After all, games these days are both technical and cinematic showpieces.
As games get more and more complex, players find it increasingly difficult to keep up with them as they grow older and accumulate more responsibilities with the coming of age.
What used to be a casual 30 minute run has now turned out to be a 50-hour long blockbuster RPG.
This could perhaps be attributed to the mobile gaming market’s continued thriving. After all, mobile games are designed to be played in short bursts, which helps retain player volume in the long run. More and more players accumulate games that they do not finish, and live service helps mitigate that to a certain extent.
Additionally, games also demand a lot more attention than they used to, competing with other media such as movies, music, and books.
This can also be linked as to why gaming services such as Game Pass are stagnating, as well as the general slump associated with the industry as of late. The industry needs to cut back on development times, and have a long hard look at its current predicament.
Making more quality games with modest budgets should be encouraged, over yearly refreshes that do little to innovate the medium.
PCs are more general hybrid machines, which means they can do a lot more
Another point of contention here is the fact that PCs, while capable of gaming, can do a lot more. One does not simply buy or assemble a PC for gaming only – it is a multipurpose tool.
Therein lies the beauty of PC gaming – it’s a lot more flexible, and PCs are not just restricted to games. You can multitask, and more importantly, tweak a game to your heart’s content.
Squeezing every bit of performance out of an ancient or weaker system is kind of an engaging challenge, and the great modularity of PC (thanks to an almost endless assortment of configs) is what makes it so great and accessible.
This post belongs to FandomWire and first appeared on FandomWire
