Where Are We Going?
29th January 2008
Hazel
Articles
Commercial, Future
Looking at Linux right now, we have several distinct sets of games available to us:
- Free and open source native games.
- Commercial native Linux games.
- Console games playable using emulators.
- Free and commercial Windows games playable using Wine/Cedega.
Each of these areas grows with some degree of separation from the others - increasing the compatibility of Wine doesn’t directly affect the number of native games available for example.
I think we can be fairly safe in assuming there will always be people with ideas and projects to ensure that open source games development will continue into the future. Similarly Wine and Cedega show no sign of dying any time soon, so we can imagine that compatibility with Windows games will continue to grow. Console game emulator development is limited both by our current hardware, and by the development of games consoles themselves. This leaves us one category to consider, commercial games which are available for Linux.
Where Are We Now?
Whilst a bold effort has been made by a few key developers, this is an area where Linux gaming still lags far behind Windows. Tux Games “the online store for Linux games” lists just under 100 titles - a tiny number compared to the thousands of total commercial releases.
Do We Want More Commercial Games?
In general, commercial games represent expensive and closed source software. Whilst a common selling point of Linux is its ability to perform on older hardware, new games releases require frequent hardware upgrades. For casual gamers and open source advocates, there probably seems to be little need for more commercial releases.
However, it’s not uncommon for Linux using gamers to keep a Windows partition just for gaming, and the lack of new commercial games is a common reason given for refusing to switch to Linux. Surely being taken seriously by games developers will eventually be a necessary step in Tux’s path to world domination (MUAHAHAHAHAHAH)?
But seriously, our inability to play the latest big game releases is not something the Linux community can continually overlook if we wish to appeal to a wider audience.
What Do You Think?
What can we do to encourage developers to release games for Linux?
Is it really necessary for the growth of the operating system?
Do you still boot Windows to play games?
Share all your thoughts and opinions below.
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29th January 2008
I have a windows partition still on my machine, both for doing Windows specific coursework and programming, and of course games. I think that with Ubuntu being very popular, and the EEE PC being a big hit, we will slowly start to see companies releasing Linux clients. How slowly still depends on how much of a noise we all make about it. However with the Unreal games regularly releasing Linux clients, and NeverWinter Nights also having one, some publishers will start suggesting to developers that it’s worthwhile.
29th January 2008
Yeah, I was wondering how much of an impact machines like the EEEPC and the $200 gOS pc will make. They both encourage new Linux users, but neither have the hardware to cope with modern games releases. Hopefully opening Linux up to more users this way will eventually lead to more of them playing games under Linux too though.
29th January 2008
That’s what I was thinking. I mean people would be a bit silly to try and run games on the EEE PC, however if they’re comfortable with the way Linux works then that should get more experimenting with “proper” machines
29th January 2008
But don’t you think most EEE PC owners are already Linux users? I could be completely mistaken there, but I don’t know any non Linux users who own one.
With budget computers like the gOS PC though, hopefully more young people will grow up with Linux in the household rather than starting with Windows.
29th January 2008
I don’t know for sure, but wasn’t the EEE PC the biggest selling christmas toy in the US? Surely that couldn’t just be people already familiar with Linux… a very cheap laptop that can do what the EEE can is sure to attract more than just Linux enthusiasts… no? Although I guess they did offer it with XP… but that still seems like a bad idea with the SSD. I forgot about the gOS, I think the less people think of programmers when they think of Linux the better, especially for the games side of things.
1st February 2008
“I don’t know for sure, but wasn’t the EEE PC the biggest selling christmas toy in the US?”
Yes, I think it was.
“I think the less people think of programmers when they think of Linux the better, especially for the games side of things.”
I agree entirely - any new Linux users, and new hardware being shipped with Linux can only help the availability of Linux games, and make it a platform commercial devs will take seriously.