The_Liquid_Laser said:
Ok, you are using a very different classification then I would use. I do not associate PC games with having a steep learning curve, per se. The principle of "easy to learn, difficult to master" is simply a principle of good game design, whether it is on the PC or console or arcade or a board game or whatever. The average PC game in the 80's and 90's did, in fact, have a steeper learning curve compared to the average arcade or console game, but that is because of another more important reason, which I'll state in a bit. I remember playing Warcraft 1 and 2, though. These games are extremely easy to learn. In reality the main campaign for these games is actually a huge tutorial, but it doesn't feel that way, because the games are so well designed including being very easy to learn and yet difficult to master. There are plenty of pure PC games that I like and there are plenty of pure arcade games that I like, and here are the main differences I see between the two platforms. (This especially is referring to 20th century games). Arcade: Short, intense, focus on intuitive controls, easy to die, mainly challenges the body (i.e. coordination, timing, reflexes, etc...).
PC: Long, slower paced, content heavy, focus on cutting edge graphics, mainly challenges the mind (i.e. strategy, puzzle solving, etc...). Just going by these qualities I've stated, neither arcade nor PC gaming is inherently better than the other. However, since PC games challenged the mind, they tended to have a steeper learning curve just to make that challenge interesting. Arcade games, on the other hand, did tend to be simple, because a person needed to feel they had a meaningful experience in about 3 minutes. So, arcade game designers did tend to be better at executing the "easy to learn, difficult to master" principle. I think that there needs to be a "PC evolved" category, just for the sake of making discussion easier. I would call NES games like The Legend of Zelda, Mega Man, Metroid, Castlevania, and Mike Tyson's Punch Out, "arcade evolved". Their basic gameplay comes from the arcade, but they are also longer, with more content, than a pure arcade game. They are mostly on the arcade side, but borrow somewhat from PC design. I would call games like Dragon Quest and Fire Emblem "PC evolved". They borrow from a PC genre, but they are also made simpler and more intuitive for the console. I would also call a game like DOOM "PC evolved". This was the first time an action game became really popular on the PC. That was a big part of it's appeal. To me it felt like a "casual action game" in the same way that Dragon Quest feels like a "casual RPG". The controls on consoles were better than keyboard and mouse. In reality though, they borrowed a few elements from arcade game design to make DOOM. However, it came to PC first, because PC could handle 3D graphics better than consoles could. The graphics focus makes it a PC game, but the action part is why I would call it "PC evolved". |
