The Emergence of the PC as a Gaming Platform

In the late 1980s and early ‘90s, video gaming was becoming mainstream. If a kid didn’t have a console at home, chances are, he had a friend who did. But, at the same time, something new popped up. The Commodore 64 was the first gaming computer, but the era from 1986-1994 saw the emergence of the PC as a viable option for gaming, alongside the consoles.

One of the largest deciding factors for many to start gaming on the PC was a simple one: money. id Software proved with Doom and Wolfenstein 3D that shareware games, which only required purchase after some content was already experienced, were a viable marketing strategy. For many consumers, this meant minimal financial risk when purchasing games. If a consumer did not enjoy the first few hours or levels of a game, he or she would not need to purchase it, making it unlikely that he or she would spend $30 or more on a game that he or she did not enjoy.

Also, many households were starting to become home to PCs. Dad or mom might need one for work, or college students might have one for class.  Since there was no need for a new purchase of over one hundred dollars, the hardware seemed economical as well.

PC gaming also offered some of the first truly 3D games, and more realistic sound. Games like Doom, Myst, and Wolfenstein 3D revolutionized video with a move away from raster images and the pixelated look of the 8-bit and 16-bit eras.  Sound cards became one of the biggest-selling PC components with the advent of Creative’s Sound Blaster, which included a joystick socket.

The joystick, which could be connected to the Sound Blaster, was one of a couple of options for playing games on the PC as well. Players and game developers could choose between the keyboard, the mouse, both keyboard and mouse, or a joystick. This allowed each player to choose game/controller combinations that worked best for him or her.

Whether their reasons were relating to customization, technology, or money, many gamers of the late 1980s and early 1990s turned to the PC. If it weren’t for the early PC game developers, and the early adopters of such games, it is highly likely that, 20 years later, we wouldn’t have the same PC games we do. Many of the point-and click adventure/RPG games owe Myst a lot. Many of the first-person shooters might never have been, had Wolfenstein 3D or Doom never been successful. The factors of the emergence of PC gaming as a contender to consoles remain still, and modern gamers would do well to remember the humble beginnings of the PC gaming market.