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Why Aren't More Linux Users Gamers?
tops writes "MadPenguin.org wonders why more Linux users aren't gamers and attempts to answer that question. The article suggests, 'As far as I'm concerned, it all comes down to a choice. Expect the gaming industry to follow the Linux doctrine or instead, build up a viable, cross platform gaming market that includes us, the Linux users.' The article urges publishers to consider Linux users as a viable market, and requests that game developers target Linux as a platform during the pre-production phase." What do you think are the most important obstacles barring the big game publishers from reaching out to the Linux market more than they already do?
I'm a linux user and a linux gamer.
I just don't like paying for stuff and refuse to pay $50 for a game.
I'll wait until it's open sourced (ala quake) or just not worry about it. My favorite games to play include Urban Terror (based on ioQuake), tremulous, warzone2120 and other free (speech/beer) games.
*shrugs* just not really the linux way to pay for high quality software.
Skiffy is Spiffy, but Ort is tort.
User installed base and social demographics. Developing for Linux users is not profitable. Especially since those people who are for open source seem to be more apt to pirate media and and software. Just look at the vocal majority on Slashdot. They dont want pay for media, will openly break DRM. They don't respect private property. Who in their right mind would develop a product who's profit model is based on unit sales for a community of thieves!?
Yeah, it's obviously "Microsoft exercising a monopoly position in the Gaming Industry"
and not:
* An ever changing and effectively pointless array of Linux desktop variations
* No standard application installation and packaging format that any Linux can use regardless of what version and variation
* Laughably bad development tools - a million half-assed Visual Studio clones and other 0.1 level IDE projects
* No simple and easy way for every user to simply download the latest video driver and just install it
And on and on and on and on and on...
I won't even get into stable sound and input APIs that can be counted on to be present on any machine.
Porting to Linux means for us:
1) Almost 100 percent piracy rate
2) Absurdly high amount of support calls compared to installed base
3) A constant danger of getting dragged into distro wars or screams from the GPL Kooks to 'release the source'
Never again. If I want to lose money in the games market there are much more enjoyable and easy ways to do so. No matter what people think about Microsoft they have an army of people who get up every morning and create a stable platform for developers to leverage. And they are rewarded handsomely for their efforts.
Want Linux games? Get up off your lazy asses and do the gigantic amount of work to bring Linux up to the same across the board quality for developers and end users as Microsoft provides right now.
Because there's a zillion different Linux distributions and every single one of them would need a different binary.
Not gonna happen...
No sig today...
"The biggest obstacle: DirectX"
You're joking right? As a game studio owner you are looking at:
> A bewildering array of desktop variations between distros and even between distro versions
> Virtually zero retail shelf space
> Crazy piracy rates that make Windows gamers look reasonably honest
> Incredibly poor developer support in both tools and APIs
Come on, be serious. Adding a GL renderer to an existing game is nothing. Most of us already have GL versions.
Linux has effectively zero commercial game support because that is what it deserves.
the project faces, platform for the d0n't feel that
I found this article to be amusing because it challenges a belief that I had about linux users; that being their ability to provide for themselves. For all this talk all about "open" and collaborative work, you'd imagine there'd be a huge community for home brewed games and entertainment titles. All of my "nix" friends boast about their "freedom" and lack of "closed systems" and constantly deride my choice of OS (OSX), but it seems their self proclaimed reliance and independence has also given them a dearth of gaming titles. My advice: roll your own and quit bitching!
There is no security when liberty is sacrificed.
Listen "dude," what sort of lack of maturity is this that you have to resort to vulgarity to express yourself. I want everyone to take note of this: if you can't control yourself, you can't control anything else.
Now, Mr. Anonymous Coward, the system requirements state:
* Microsoft® Windows® Vista(TM)
* 2 GHz or faster processor
* 1 GB of system RAM
* 7 GB available hard disk space
* NVIDIA 6100, ATI X700, or above
Check it out at the link, k? It is for VISTA ONLY. Don't think about arguing here. I don't care if you can crack it or not. It is for VISTA ONLY. Capiche? I could care less what you can modify it for or what you can do to it. Do you see anything else listed there as an operating system? No. There for it was released for VISTA ONLY. There, thats three times. Hopefully it has registered with you, that it is VISTA ONLY.
Check out the link below, if you don't believe me.
http://www.microsoft.com/games/pc/halo2.aspx#buyit
"Go tell your daddy I was mean to you because you were wrong about Halo 2 being Vista only, you little bitch."
And I feel sorry for your daddy to have had to deal with a kid like you.