Misconceptions of the average console gamer

Brandon Jones
Nov 12, 2017
3 min read

I remember when my family got its first computer, I was fifteen and literally no one else in our family owned one up to that point. My father had purchased the title Thief because it seemed like a fun game, for him that was rare, but we were never able to get the game to work. As funny or silly as this may sound, this exact scenario is why many gamers prefer console to PC gaming. But it’s no different than picking up any new hobby, with a little knowledge and time you can be boasting your rig, or PC set up, with the rest of them!

Consoles and PCs are similar in many ways, both have graphics cards, motherboards, ram, rom, and a hard drive. The difference between the two, however, is customization. Major game companies come out with new systems every 3-5 years with new technology and nifty upgrades, with a PC though you can upgrade grade it part by part as you see fit. If you have ever looked at the back of any PC program, you would see a box labeled “system requirements.” These are referring to what graphics card, how much ram, or anything else specific that you would need to properly run it. If there was a title you really wanted to play, it may just be a matter of getting one or two new parts and upgrading. This is something you cannot do with a console because it's against the law.

Pay to play online has been a source of income for consoles over a decade. Each major manufacturer has their own fees, terms, and conditions. The results of these have been irritating for some who are forced to deal with issues such as lackluster communication, immature gamers, and over-priced accessories. With a few exceptions, PC gamers have enjoyed free online play since it's emerging popularity. In fact, PC has been in the foreground of gaming for quite some time. The first game demo was on PC as well as the first digital platform and another fun feature we’ll dive deeper in to.

DLC has become the bread and butter of many developers and admittedly enhance gameplay. There have even been rumors of an Xbox one title allowing their fan base to create and share their own DLC. In the PC gaming community, these are known as mods and gamers have been doing it for years. Many popular titles are best known for the PC mods, Minecraft, The Fallout series, and The Elder Scrolls series are just a few of the hundreds of games that have free mods. You can even find videos and programs allowing you to make your own!

So the short of it is, why buy a console you’ll just have to spend $500 dollars to replace when you can upgrade your PC over time spending just as much if not less. Consoles are just PCs made for strictly entertainment purposes, a PC can not only be used the same way, it is also a tool used in everyday life like programming or writing an article. And with that last nugget of information, this is Brandon saying thanks for reading and if you have any questions or comments, feel free to chat in the comments below.