If 2004-20012 was the Dark ages, Don't Turn on the lights.

[JCgames]

It's been a bit since i posted, but i could not let this go unsaid. This paragraph made absolutely no sense at all. Did you just discount any game that also launched on a console? Even then it was the MMO golden age, some of the best strategy games of all time, and RPGs that are still thriving today. These games shaped the games we play today and this is just stuff off the top of my head. All of these games had more players than the stuff from the 80's and 90's and nearly all are still thriving today with many on next gen versions like EU/X4, Civ VI ect. Even still there are some that will still say these are the best versions of any of those games. .

MMO's The golden age of the MMO
WoW (biggest online game ever made)
Eve online (best corporate sandbox)
Starwars Galaxies, (Most unique sandbox ever, i ran a business selling arms, making museums and decorating houses, playing music, dancing and that was all with out picking up a weapon!) (So loved fans made servers!)
City Of heroes (customization that was 20 years ahead of it's time) and (So popular fans made their own servers)

Strategy games
Civ IV, (some say the best civ to this date)
total war (is there anything else like it?)
Gal civ II (amazing space game with ship building to the extreme)
Europa Universals (One of the great 4X's)
X2/X3, (deep space anyone?)
Tropico, continues, (3+4 one of the best city builders around)
Grand ages Rome (building epic roman cities and watch um burn!)
Starcraft II (still dominates Pro RTS)
Leauge of Legends (never played it but i hear it has a small following. )
Dota/War III, ( while techinally just prior to this time, the main play was all through the 00's for the first versions.)

RPG's
Dragon age Origins, DAII (one of the most beloved games of all time)
Mass effect trilogy, (now its being found by next generation gamers in legendary)
The witcher (Geralt is a house hold name now, but back then was still epic)
Never winter nights 2, (highly under rated game, NWN orginal was taking off with the modding world)
Thief Deadly shadows, (only one of the best levels ever created)
Kotor 2 (still labeled as the best starwars game ever, but i say it's SWG)

The sim's 2/3 and second life, (a couple of games that were corner stones of Modding we have today)

FPS's
Half life 2 (people love this)
Orange box (portal anyone?)
Steam launches (only the juggernaut of gaming)



So this was the dark ages?? Well Snuff my torch and infect me with cholera. I'll keep my diet of stale bread, moldy cheese and warm beer while in bliss with my PC, You can have your X-360 and halo. As a famous PCG alumni used to say.. "Nuff Said"

 

[Hveðrungr]

XCOM and Dishonored both released in this period too. It was a pretty terrible article. A lot of the PCG staff don't play anything except team shooters it seems, so maybe that's what they're basing it on.

 

[Brian Boru]

Then of course we have:

FPS
Launch of the Far Cry franchise
Launch of Crysis franchise

Strategy
Supreme Commander games
Command and Conquer 3
Red Alert 3

 

[Kaamos_Llama]

First off welcome back @JC Games

From this article?

PC gaming is mainstream. Now what?

Openly but quietly, PC gaming has become more popular than it's ever been. Wait, when did that happen?

www.pcgamer.com

Spoiler: This paragraph?

2005-2012: The Dark Times

• The Xbox 360 is a tremendously popular alternative to PC gaming, going on to sell more than 84 million units
• Windows Vista and Windows 8 are perhaps the worst-ever versions of the OS, particularly for gamers
• Games for Windows Live is abysmal, excruciating DRM that hamstrings the experience of major blockbuster games on PC
• Many disappointing and/or delayed PC ports of multiplatform games (ex.: Capcom manages to completely screw up Resident Evil 4, a universally beloved action game)
• Duke Nukem Forever releases
• But hey, Minecraft!

 

[Hveðrungr]

2005-2012: The Dark Times

• The Xbox 360 is a tremendously popular alternative to PC gaming, going on to sell more than 84 million units
• Windows Vista and Windows 8 are perhaps the worst-ever versions of the OS, particularly for gamers
• Games for Windows Live is abysmal, excruciating DRM that hamstrings the experience of major blockbuster games on PC
• Many disappointing and/or delayed PC ports of multiplatform games (ex.: Capcom manages to completely screw up Resident Evil 4, a universally beloved action game)
• Duke Nukem Forever releases
• But hey, Minecraft!

Yes, this paragraph. It's like it was written by someone who doesn't really play PC games except for FPSs (perhaps the least PC-specific genre), mostly multi-player. Wait a minute…

 

[Kaamos_Llama]

There are more people playing PC games in 2024 than there were in 2005-2012 even as a % of the whole non mobile market, which is how I took this article. TBF I only really scanned it.

No doubt there were a ton beloved PC games around that time, and very good point about the MMO golden age especially.

 

[Hveðrungr]

@Kaamos_Llama Yeah I basically agree that this is PC gaming's golden age rn. The major PC-focussed genres, like strategy (turn-based and RTS), sim, and puzzle games, are mostly at a peak (a major exception is immersive sims). AAA devs are doing badly across videogaming as a whole, but PC doesn't need AAA devs like consoles do, it can do fine on AA-to-indie devs.

I just thought the article did a bad job of making the case lol.

 

[Zloth]

I'll stick with what I said in the articles topic: PC gaming's golden age is always the last few years. Gaming just keeps getting better and better! It's slowing a lot, though, so maybe we'll start getting hills and valleys instead of upward slopes and cliffs. (Or maybe quantum PCs will show up and start the craziness all over again.)

 

[Colif]

If 2004-20012 was the Dark ages, Don't Turn on the lights.

given the time frame of 2004 to 20012 is still ongoing, its premature to call it a dark age as we only 20 years into it... we have over 19000 years to go.

Alas, I don't think I will still be around to see end.

refuses to admit the title might be a typo

 

[DXCHASE]

Fun fact for me, the year PCG picked to start the "rebirth" age, is when i actually got into pc gaming as in i had my own gaming pc. So the dark age title fits for me because i wasnt on PC, though i knew a lot about it, just never had the money.

 

[Colif]

better not turn on lights, too many people will discover the man behind the curtain was in fact a bunch of rats in a suit.

after the dark age came the end times.... sounds about right

 

[Rolfil]

Have to add - Company of Heroes. One of the best RTS ever.
Shame they ruined the series with the Italy campaign in CoH3

 

[JCgames]

A few more that i missed, and I'm surprised no one else said.

Oblivion, and the morrow wind mod scene hitting it's stride.

Fallout 3, the game is still beloved nearly 20 years later.