It’s the age old argument: PC or Console? Each faction stands by their decision and will gladly argue their case until they’re blue in the face. Each side points out the strengths of their preferred platform with an air of arrogance and superiority. But at the end of the day, only one truth really matters: the ability to modify PC games makes gaming on the PC infinitely more rewarding than on a console.
Console games are set in stone; basically, you get exactly what you paid for. You could have the artistic talents of Michelangelo, but without the ability to access the game files and make changes, it’s a moot point. You can only hope that the game developer releases updates to fix bugs, add content, and improve upon the initial release. Furthermore, you hope they don’t charge extra for it.
A perfect example is a recently released game called The Elder Scrolls: Skyrim. In and of itself, this is a fantastic game across all platforms: PC and console. I use this as an example because a game receiving this level of praise across the entire globe should require very little in the way of “improvement”. The game has received an almost perfect score from most of the game reviewing outlets, and stands as a new standard for role-playing games in general. One would think, then, that the ability to modify the game would be irrelevant. Yet that couldn’t be further from the truth.
Whether a game misses its mark and flops in every respect, or achieves the level of success that Skyrim has, there is always room for improvement. To be more exact, there is always room to make the game more to your individual liking. It could be something as simple as the graphic overlay utilized by the game to display your inventory, or how fast arrows fly, or increasing the number of objectives (see: Quests) in the game. It could also come down to the overall art-style of the game, or just how green the trees are. As stated above, with a console version of a game you’re stuck with what you bought. But with the PC, you have a global community of talented graphics artists and script writers standing by to make all these changes and more.
Almost any gripe you have about a game can be altered, or completely changed and removed, simply because you chose to play the game on the PC. With Skyrim, you can add more color to the environment, change the mechanics behind how your character levels, make enemies more intelligent, give your character super powers… the list goes on. If a patch breaks something, the players can fix it themselves. If there isn’t enough content in the game, the players can add more. And best of all… it’s free. The predecessor to Skyrim was Oblivion, and boasted approximately 200 hours of gameplay from start to finish. For console gamers, that would be the end of it- time to shelf the game. But on the PC, the modding community has easily added at least that much more content to the game. And again… for free. The monetary benefits alone make the PC version of the game a no-brainer.
Skyrim stands to achieve the same level of commitment from its community. The official tools necessary to make certain changes to the game have yet to be released, yet already the community is making drastic changes to everything from improved graphics to better gameplay options. Granted, this is all a matter of taste; perhaps you don’t like your water to ripple so much, or your arrows to fly in a straight line. That’s ok. Whatever you do prefer, it’s probably going to be available at some point.
But only if you play the PC version of the game.
Some will argue that console gamers get exclusive access to certain game titles. Well, sure. But there are also game titles released on the PC which console gamers do not have access to. The difference is this: PC owners have access to tools called “Emulators” which are programs that allow your computer to emulate, or pretend to be, a console, and therefore allow you to play a console game on your computer. Needless to say, console gamers do not have this option for playing PC-only games. In my mind, that ability completely destroys the necessity to ever own a console. Is it legal? What country are you in?
I also understand that a computer system can set you back a great deal more than a console can, but let’s not forget that a computer is also capable of a great deal more than any console. I would love to read a study on how many console gamers also have a computer in their home. If they do, then the price difference is a moot point. Whereas I own, and game, on my PC… yet have neither the need, nor desire, to own a console.
In the end, it comes down to getting what you want out of your chosen platform. If you find yourself perfectly content with games as they’re released from the developers, never wishing you could make it better- or even just different- in some way, then consoles are probably the perfect choice for you. But if, like me, you’d love to take a game with 200 hours of content and get 400 hours from it instead for the same monetary investment, or have the ability to make the game run smoother, look better, and play the way you want it to play, then do yourself a favor and invest in a gaming PC.
As for Skyrim, the game I mentioned earlier, see for yourself how it compares on the PC to what others are getting on their consoles. Visit my YouTube Channel and watch my in-game videos: My Official YouTube Channel
And to see where I’m getting my modifications (Mods) to the game for free, visit: Skyrim Nexus
