KuicE start THE BEGINNING OF THE MAGAZINE, WHERE ARTICLES ARE SMALL
PC Gaming Alive and
Kicking
Hardware and software
vendors join forces to
promote PC gaming
W
hen the formation of the PC
Gaming Alliance (PCGA) was
announced at this year’s Game
Developers Conference, you didn’t
have to look any further than the
news stories covering its creation to
understand why the mega consor-
tium of PC hardware and software
companies felt compelled to create
such an entity.
In one breath the press would
mention Intel, Microsoft, AMD,
Nvidia, Dell, Acer, EPIC, and
other industry luminaries banding
together to promote PC gaming,
and in the next it would point to the
“grim” market numbers: a 6 percent decline
in sales of PC games to just $911 million.
That’s the problem, according to Randy
Stude, president of the PCGA. While there’s no
shortage of high-fi ves and backslapping when
the subject is console-gaming sales fi gures,
PC gaming is always discussed in the hushed
tones typically reserved for the critically ill.
Stude says that job one for the PCGA is to
address the perception that PC gaming is on
its last legs. The group points to numbers from
market research fi rm DFC Intelligence, which
show PC gaming sales in the U.S. last year at
$2.76 billion—an increase of 12 percent.
Why the disparity in fi gures? The problem,
according to Stude, is inconsistent reporting
methods. NPD—the organization whose sales
numbers are most often cited by the media—
doesn’t include online gaming, e.g., Steam
and World of Warcraft, in its totals. And as for
hardware, shouldn’t a high-end gaming sys-
tem, $1,000 CPU, or $500 GPU be considered
in the PC gaming numbers? The PCGA hopes
to be a central depositary of more accuratePC gaming fi gures.
The group also hopes to address the
“massive” piracy problem affecting PC
games and the phishing of online gaming
accounts. Another goal of the PCGA is to
develop more reliable minimum hardware
specs for game developers to follow to help
clear up consumer confusion as to what
games can run on what system builds.
Today, however, the group is short on
details and long on goals. Members admit
that there’s much work to be done, but
they say you have to start somewhere.Still, will the fellowship hold together if, say,
the members decide not to recommend
Microsoft Vista as a gaming platform? What
happens if the group says people should (as
we recommend) avoid integrated graphics
like the plague? Stude, from Intel, says he
hopes the alliance will survive such chal-
lenges but membership is voluntary. Others
in the PCGA say that despite the questions
and doubts, at least a group now exists
where such discussions can occur. And at
least there is an organized body that’s fi nally
waving the fl ag for PC gaming.08 MAXIMUMPC | MAY 08 | http://www.maximumpc.com
The perception that PC gaming is dying may be the result of untallied sales from download
services such as Steam.Source: DFC IntelligenceIS PC GAMING DYING? SEE FOR YOURSELF
US PC GAMING REVENUES 2007 $2.76 billion +12 percentUS PC GAMING REVENUES 2008 $3.1 billion +14 percent (forecast)WORLDWIDE PC GAMING 2007 $8.3 billion +14 percentWORLDWIDE PC GAMING 2008 $9.6 billion +16 percent (forecast)