PC Gamers Need To Chill Out

The author of this article is solely a PC gamer.

PC gamers are simply a different breed of people from everyone else. Most of us have loved PC gaming for a very long time. When our friends started getting consoles,  we kept gaming on our PCs. When our friends talked about how cool Xbox Live was, we had already been playing Jedi Outcast and Battlefield 1942 online for quitesome time. When Overwatch came out and tons of people had no idea how to play a hero shooter, we already had years of experience playing Team Fortress 2, so Overwatch was just a natural transition.

Is it true that a PC can be a far more powerful machine than any current generation console? Is it normal to be able to run games at high resolutions with a locked 60 frames per second? Is a keyboard and mouse a technically more accurate than a controller? Is there a wider variety of games available for PC (especially indie games)?

YES.

It’s true, from an outside perspective, it’s understandable that someone might think that PC gaming is “superior” to console gaming. But is it really true? Are we really part of gaming’s “master race”? What are the good, the bad, and the ugly of PC gaming?

The Good

1. Functionality – PCs have much more functionality than a console. PCs can be used for word processing, social networking, email, media streaming, and many other things. Though it could be argued that some consoles are gaining more of these functionalities, it really can’t be argued that PCs are more versatile than consoles. 
2. Cost – Building a PC that meets minimum requirements to play “current generation” games can be done relatively cheaply. 
3. Performance – On the flip side, building a PC for high performance can also be done by gamers who have the money to do so. These machines are more powerful than any console on the market, allowing gamers to have the most optimal graphical experience with no dips in performance.
4. Purchasing – Platforms like Steam and Origin, as well as websites like Green Man Gaming and Humble Bundle allow gamers to purchase games at very competitive prices. By watching these and other services, players can purchase games for way below market value. 
5. Indie Games – There is a virtually endless number of indie games for PC. This is especially true because of steam that makes it very affordable for indie developers to sell their games. 
6. PC Exclusives – Every gaming system has it’s exclusive games. Well, PCs are no exception. From Age of Empires to Civilization to World of Warcraft, the PC has many games to offer that are not available to console players.
7. Free Online Gaming – Online gaming does not require a separate service subscription like Xbox Live or PlayStation Network. Though it’s a relatively small investment, it is worth noting. 

The Bad

1. Security – For PC users who are not tech savvy, a PC can be a gateway to adware, spyware, and other harmful viruses which can result in many performance problems and even identity theft. Though problems like this might occur on a console, they are much less frequent.
2. Compatibility – Most of the time, PC gamers will have no issue playing their games as long as they meet the minimum requirements. But there are often unforeseeable problems that arise due to the version of Windows the machine is running, other programs running in the background, and a number of other whacky, unrelated reasons. PC gamers typically spend a decent amount of time searching the internet for solutions to their broken game.
3. Cost – Even though some PC gamers are more than happy to have slightly outdated hardware in exchange for keeping cost low, there comes a point in time where you MUST upgrade your PC in order to be able to play most current games. When you finally hit that point, or if you’re one of those PC gamers who just has to have the latest and greatest hardware, your wallet will feel it. PC parts are expensive. Yes, there are certainly ways to minimize these costs, but the fact remains that upgrading your PC is costly. 
4. Lack of “couch co-op/competitive” games – Perhaps this is a problem with gaming in general, but it’s very apparent that the PC has a lack of couch co-op/competitive games (games where players sit together in the same room to play the same game together or against each other). They do exist, but they are much less common than on consoles, and they almost always require players to use controllers rather than the token mouse and keyboard that the PC is known for. 

The Ugly

1. Superiority complex – Many PC gamers have a superiority complex about being a PC gamer. This has escalated to the point where it’s become a joke in gaming culture to compare PC gamers to Nazis trying to cleanse the world of “lesser gaming consoles”. Perhaps even more disturbing is how many PC gamers have embraced the mantra, believing that anyone who would play any game on a console is not part of the “master race” and ought not be considered a real gamer.
2. Toxicity – Players treating other players poorly is a problem on every platform, but is especially toxic in PC gaming. Perhaps this is simply because PC games have always had text chat embedded in the
   multiplayer, so PC gamers have had a lot longer to cultivate the “skill” of creativity ridiculing and humiliating players who make them angry (or who they just decide to pick on). Any way you slice it, online PC gaming feels like a much more hostile environment than console gaming. 
3. MOBAs – Seriously, these things are the worst. For something that started out as a modification to Warcraft 3 (an actual good game), MOBAs have certainly gained a great deal of popularity. Though countless players do truly enjoy MOBAs, many of those players embody all of the negative things people say about PC gamers. In other words, MOBA players often “prove the point” that console players make about us.

Conclusion

There are tons of good reasons to play your video games on a PC. We here at Handsome Phantom love the PC and PC games, which is why we don’t want to see that sub-culture fall be reduced to pettiness and douche-bagery. PC gamers need to chill out. It’s okay to have the best system, just don’t be all high-and-mighty about it. 

Stay classy PC gamers. Don’t be a dick.