PC Gaming Is Not Dead!

I'm making a proclamation; PC gaming is alive and well. I'm sick of the doomsayers, the console fanboys who don't understand why one would use such a brilliant machine for playing games... Every other day, I trawl forums, and find at least one thread foretelling a fiery demise of the PC gaming art. Today was the straw that broke the camels back; the absolute manifestation of PC gamer negativity, amalgamated into a single sentence: "Lets face it folks, PC gaming has become pointless..." What would drive an individual to the cusp of insanity? PC gaming has been there since the beginning, providing entertainment unmeasurable on a platform with so much potential. All the genres that we love so dear, they were all created on the PC. And PC gaming is still striving to outdo itself, still thriving in a world of sequels, prequels and remakes. I think what the nay-sayers have ignored is, although PC gaming as a singularity isn't too remarkable, but combined with the multitude of options available to a PC gamer through his PC, it is... A gateway. A gateway to unlimited entertainment.
That's why I'm here to provide a few pathways to entertainment one can enjoy on their PC. Although they might not all have to do with gaming, they prove the worth of a PC. I'll begin with an obvious one: Classic gaming.

PC PATHWAY TO JOY # 1: CLASSIC GAMING
I weep for XBox 360 owners. Their precious white box can barely play Xbox games. However, the PC has a back catalogue of thousands of classic titles which all, although some with a little help, can be played under the current windows environment. Looking back through PC history, there are so many titles which are revered for their brilliance; the Diablo series, Fallout, Sam & Max... The pool of genius is literally endless. Revisiting an old, unfinished game from your library is one of the greatest joys of being a PC gamer.

PC PATHWAY TO JOY # 2: ABANDONWARE & FREEWARE
PC is the only platform where you can find games for free. As simple as that. Sure, homebrew is a similar, but theres only small quantities of it and its a hassle to install. We're talking a wide range of polished, enjoyable games just a download away. As time has worn on, the freeware scene has been bolstered by some real gems. Enemy Territory, Savage, FEAR Combat, AA, their all great games, and their all available for free. Just google 'Freeware' and you'll be bombarded by sites with plethoras of greatness just screaming to be downloaded. And lets not forget free MMO's... These Korean wonders have provided hours of entertainment for raging geeks who enjoy the grind (me included).

PC PATHWAY TO JOY #3: FLASH
Flash is a revolution in content creation. It allows anyone with only a smidgen of talent to create an animated movie or game, and share it with the world. Sites like Newgrounds have stockpiled the greatest of this medium, and shared them with the world. Great series' like Thing Thing have set the bar for Flash, and the power of Flash continues to surprise me to this day. I love seeing the latest games being uploaded every day, some good, some not so good. They could be simple games, or complex creations with wonderful art and sound.

PC PATHWAY TO JOY #4: EMULATORS
Ooh, I'm naughty. I can't talk about ROMs... Their illegal! For the purpose of this section, I own every game in history, and delete all ROMs 24 hours after downloading them. OK, thats better. How great are ROMs!? I know its a bit hypocritical to be praising a function of PCs that relies on consoles, but seriously... Classic gaming from every era? Japanese RPGs fanslated into English? Its a virtual unlimited library of fun.

PC PATHWAY TO JOY #5: MODS, MAPS & MORE
Part of what makes PC gaming great, is the community. The fans of a game are what sustain it, and if given the right tools, they can create virtually unlimited replayability in a game. It adds enormous value on a game to include an SDK or other mod tools, which allow players of the game to change, customize and re-make the game to their liking. Games like Oblivion, Half-Life and Half-Life2, and UT 2004 have shown that if you support the mod community, it can reap rewards. A lot of really popular games have a ton of extra content available to you, if you look for it. Mods have even become commercially successful in the past; Counter Strike, Day of Defeat, Red Orchestra are all examples.

PC PATHWAY TO JOY #6: PATCHES & EXPANSIONS
While fanmade content is great, what truly is spectacular is the extra content the developer provides to refresh and renew a favourite game. Often, patches aren't just there to fix bugs (although this is good too); sometimes developers will reward players by releasing new maps and game modes. Not only this, but expansion packs allow players to get an extra dose of their favourite game, without waiting for a sequel.