The Elite PC Ghetto of Gaming

There's an interesting article over at The Adreneline Vault that argues PC manufacturers – which derive their continuing revenue stream from hardware upgrades – are needlessly pushing gaming into the realm of the elite players, where companies can make big bucks by selling high-end equipment.

Writer Jim Richmond makes a good case, too, arguing that hardware and software companies are working together to develop games that can only be played on yet-released video and graphics cards, insuring that the hardcore gamers will adopt the new technologies.

To a large extent, it's a socially stratifying operation – and one that many people feel is helping consoles take a serious bite out of the already declining PC gaming market. While the tactics may help drive short-term sales, there must surely be some concern that by reducing its market size, PC makers could be inadvertently harming their ability to create cross-media partnerships.

With so many PC gamers potentially being driven from the computer, the growth of the console-driven market will likely continue to increase, particularly with next-generation machines like the Microsoft Xbox 2 which will have PC-like capabilities without all the hassle of upgrading and configuring.

Of course, the tradeoff is that those who continue to play PC games (such as the professional gaming leagues) are part of an elite group of high-end users that are much sought-after, not only because they fall into the 18-35 male demographic, but also because they make perfect beta testers.