By Jason Lawrence, Technology & Gaming Columnist
The world of technology moves at a breakneck pace. Yesterday's tech is quickly outshined by today's new innovations; we live in a world where the phone in your pocket will be 'obsolete' in a year. Unfortunately, gaming is no exception.
Generally the console you purchase as a gamer has a life of four to six years before something new steps onto the market and the shift away from your console begins. You have some time to love and enjoy your console before you have to make the considerable financial investment to step up, but inevitably, your choice is going to become outdated and production for that device will stop.
Only one gaming device I can think of has remained steadfast in the face of new technologies, better graphics and sharper, more intuitive gameplay- my laptop. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, my crappy little laptop is the most adaptable, most upgradable system I own and I'm proud of it. But I wasn't always so brazen with my opinion.
I was hesitant to enter the world of PC gaming. I had owned a GameCube and a Wii for most of my life and playing videogames on my computer sounded strange to me. That is, until I decided I wanted to play BioShock and didn't have a console to play it on. So, I made my way to Steam and bought the game, downloaded it to my laptop, and started playing. I was awestruck. My little laptop gave me crisp sound thought my headphones, clear, beautiful graphics on the screen, and an intuitive gameplay style with the keyboard that a controller simply couldn't keep up with. I beat BioShock in a week and loved every second of it. I had found a new love.
Nostalgia aside, there are a few real reasons why I believe PC gaming is the best possible choice for investment in today's videogame market. First, the library of games is simply absurd. Services like Steam and Oracle offer a preposterous number of titles for download, all available at the push of a button. Secondly, the graphical quality of PC will almost always outrank the consoles available at the time. Your games will look better, run more smoothly, and maintain a higher overall quality 9 times out of 10. Finally, PC offers mods and customization options simply not available on console. You can make your Skyrim character a life-size version of Tony the Tiger, or make Issac Clark from Dead Space into a dinosaur. The options are nearly limitless.
When it's all said and done, I will always respect console gaming for what it brings to the table in terms of multiplayer experience, casual gaming, and big-screen fun. But the future, in my opinion, lives on PC.
