Poll: Is The "PC Elitist" As Common As The Escapist Would Like To Think?

[MercurySteam]

Elitists do exist, especially on The Escapist and there are plenty of times where you see themselves proclaim their console to be superior above all others. Even if it is true, telling everyone and and rubbing in their faces quite simply makes you look like an asshole. As the owner of an enthusiast gaming machine and an Xbox 360, there are some days when it's good to have everything simplified (consoles) but other days when you just want everything to look awesome (PC).

 

[bojackx]

I view the console as the inferiour platform. Less raw power, worse controls (since I can pretty much plug in anything and play), worse backwards compability.

But this is just hardware. Console gamers are just people who chose a different platform. And their choice makes them not "lesser gamer" than myself or anyone.

I did choose yes, but this comment gives a more much accurate portrayal of my own opinion. But in general I do tend to see more people who think they're super ultra mega gamers who have the best hardware (like some turtle beach x11s) on consoles, when clearly if you were in it for hardware, you'd be a PC gamer. So in general, I'd say the average PC gamer is a nicer person.

 

[Funkysandwich]

I prefer the PC, but that doesn't mean I'm not a console gamer too. I own a SNES, a N64, a PS2, a Gamecube and a PS3, but currently the PC is my platform of choice, especially since PC versions are getting better these days. Saint's row the Third comes to mind, on PC that game looks incredible.

We really need a new console generation though, developer's won't invest in PC gaming enough for games to advance till we get new hardware, sadly. I think end of 2011 would've been a good time to launch new consoles, but Microsoft and Sony disagree.

 

[Joccaren]

Yes, they exist.
You know what? So do console elitists.
Yes, they are vocal. So are console elitists.
Does ANYONE but them actually respect them? No.

I also think the term 'PC Elitist' is thrown around far too much in some places. In some places I will be called an Elitist for pointing out that a PC has better hardware than a console. Other times, I will be called an elitist for pointing out that a PC isn't always more expensive than a console, and it would be more expensive for me to get a console than to get a PC and play games on either. When something like that is said, there is nothing wrong with it - unless you have great self esteem issues and need to have the best of the best to feel good about yourself, in which case YOU'RE the elitist. If I were to say 'Stupid console gamers are ruining it for all of us', then sure, something to complain about. Hell, I don't even mind people complaining about me saying that Consoles are holding gaming back - even though it is true. Thankfully here at the Escapist we have quite a nice community (And apparently mostly PC gamers from a poll not too long ago. Who'd of thought?).

Do I look down on console gamers? Only the ones who look down on me for being a PC gamer, and them as much as I look down on PC elitists. I've said it many times that each is a better platform for a different person, and we really need to stop fighting and start pushing devs to make better games for both of us.

Consoles doesn't have "worse" controls. To create a functional control system with a hand controller is much harder that mouse and keyboard. Just saying it's "worse" is just not enough.

I believe the phrase most people saying that were looking for was 'Less Precise' - which is 100% true. Even with auto-aim and such on for the consoles, PC gamers devastated them in tests for cross-platform viability due to the extra precision provided by the mouse, and the extra options for key bindings provided by the Keyboard.

 

[Rariow]

I'm a PC gamer myself, and I will admit this: I don't "get" console gamers. I just frankly see no advantage that consoles have over the PC, apart from them having less technical problems over compatibility/system specs. This doesn't mean I look down on them. I'm sure that some of the console gamers think exactly the same way about the PC. Whom I honestly dislike are exactly the PC elitists. Just because you prefer a mouse and keyboard doesn't mean that you're "superior" to someone who prefers a controler, and by constantly saying how much better you are, you're making us ALL look like jerks.

I will also say this: I'm tired of people complaining about PC elitism. It's a lot less common than people make it out to be, and I'm sick of being flamed so much for being a PC gamer. I seem to find a lot more people who are "Console elitists" so to say than PC elitists. If you go into the depths of the internet, I'll assure you you'll find a lot more console wars than PC elitists bragging.

 

[MercurySteam]

Poll is wrong, looks like 300 people missed the yes button.

I can't tell you how sill you made yourself sound by posting this.

but i wont lie there is an odd satisfaction in checking another item of the list with upgrading your pc.
working hard for something makes it all the sweeter.
hell im gonna call my pc lilly.

PCs can be a damn pain in the ass at times, but slaving over your obsession makes it that much more worth it (especially when you have to work at Coles to pay for it). But at the end of the day, you're able to look under your desk at something a bit like this:

It's near enough to bring a tear to your eye...

 

[Joccaren]

Cool story bro, but the static on that monkey's body would fry every piece of circuitboard it came in contact with. Seriously, exposed boards are a nightmare to deal with.

I don't know if such boards have been encased in protective material since then, but when my mum installed a (non-protected) graphics card about 5 years back, it took her the best part of a day. And she has an engineering degree from Oxford.

Did it take her 50 years to get that degree? (No offence intended, meant to be viewed as an exaggeration)
I'm sorry, but either you are exaggerating badly, or your mum fails at electrical engineering.
Plugging in a new Graphics card takes me 2 minutes. 15 seconds to unplug (Got that screw plug thing, takes time), 20 seconds to unscrew from the tower [At the back ports] (I'm bad at unscrewing things), 2 seconds to press the release button, 7 seconds to pull it out of the case, 20 seconds to put it in the static proof bag then into the box it came in, then repeat that for putting it all back together. After that you have the arbitrary automatic driver install, then the optional (But highly recommended) visit to the company site to get the latest driver, and that would be the longest part thanks to the computer having to load up. Even then that would be a 5 minute total. The best part of a day is really, really, really, really bad for installing a graphics card. Note, this was 7 years ago when I was 10.

In my experience, people who play console games only are very likely to latch on to their respective console and defend it to the death. It's as if some of you truly believe that it is some magical machine that improves as games improve. It doesn't.

Recently I've seen a good number of threads where console gamers are acting like a victim of some PC gamer hate machine, but the only time I've seen any PC gamers talking about it, it usually goes like this...

You should get that for PC. It looks way better and there are mods.

I dunno. It looks just as good on Xbox as far as I can tell.

The Xbox is outdated and can only run the game on very low settings.

Whatever. You just spent all this money on a gaming rig and now you feel like you have to defend your console. Why are you PC elitists always trying to to pick on us console players?"

Next time you feel like someone is being a PC elitist, at least try to consider that the PC gamer might just be right.

Really? Could just be me, but there, it looks like it's the P.C. owner who feels the urge to declare how their platform is better than the console owner's platform and keep attacking them until they admit their choice of platform is better. It looks to me like the P.C. owner is the insecure one. But that's just me.

The PC gamer is being somewhat aggressive in pointing out the superiority of their platform, but the console player drops back the second they hit resistance to using flawed stereotypes and calling the PC player an elitist. In addition, I have seen that happen after only the first comment, which is merely a recommendation.
Not to mention, if you had a PC capable of playing it, why get it on a console? The game actually costs more to get on a console than a PC (Yeah, people prefer control schemes and such. I get there are reasons. Just thinking that there might be something missing from that conversation - the part where one of them tells the other to go buy the platform of their choice [I've seen it happen both ways])

It's near enough to bring a tear to your eye...

Amen to that.

Honestly I feel those who build their own computers fail to understand that there are people who don't even understand the difference between AV and SCART. You've completely lost perspective.

I have never heard of AV or SCART. I built my first PC at ten years old. It really, really isn't that hard. It is seriously like Lego, but with a 'No touchy' rule for anything but the sides of a chip.

 

[TomLikesGuitar]

Really? Could just be me, but there, it looks like it's the P.C. owner who feels the urge to declare how their platform is better than the console owner's platform and keep attacking them until they admit their choice of platform is better. It looks to me like the P.C. owner is the insecure one. But that's just me.

See!

What the hell?

You overdramatize the simplest comment and make it into a BARRAGE OF UNSTOPPABLE CONSOLE HATRED.

No one is being insecure in that conversation. It's simply 2 people discussing which platform they think a game is better on.

The PC gamer is being somewhat aggressive in pointing out the superiority of their platform, but the console player drops back the second they hit resistance to using flawed stereotypes and calling the PC player an elitist.

I agree with the second part, but I don't see how my example is aggressive in any way.

Let me redo it with general terms for trollpwner...

Argument for getting a game for PC.

Argument that game is not better on PC.

100% factual defense against previous statement.

Diatribe about console gamer oppression. Bitching and moaning about how PC Gamer is an elitist possibly with an insult. May or may not contain insane claims like, "I know PC hardware is better, but I still think it looks better on Xbox." or "PC gaming is dying because consoles are cheaper."

Look, trollpwner, I'm sure there are one or two people who relish in the fact that their PC is better than an Xbox, but most people are not like that. However, when someone says something stupid like "It looks just as good on Xbox", those of us who know better are probably going to correct that statement and give the reason why they are incorrect. It has nothing to do with insecurity or an obsession with PC's; it is just about the need to correct misinformation wherever possible.

For example, if a PS3 user tried to say "PSN is a way better service than Xbox Live", most Xbox players would scoff and explain how much PSN sucks. Similarly, if an Xbox user claimed that "Xbox has better graphics", most PS3 players would scoff and explain how the Xbox can't compare to PS3 graphics.

So I'm sorry... but it just bothers me when someone says something not true and then throws a hissy fit and screams "oppression" because they are corrected.

 

[mgirl]

I consider myself a PC gamer, but consoles are what got me into gaming. I couldn't go back to consoles now, since I now find the controls clunky and slow, but it served me perfectly well when I did use it.

Yes, it's nice having the modding power on a PC, and if you get the right computer, games can look so much better without costing too much, but that certainly doesnt mean that console gamers are worse. I mean, they have the advantage of just being able to put a disk in and play, without massive downloads (e.g. on steam) as well as being able to buy more games from shops. Most of my game shopping has to be online, since stores just dont stock PC games much.

Both consoles and PC have strong points, there's no point in saying ANY gaming platform is 'superior' since it comes down to personal preference, and in some cases, budget.

 

[Joccaren]

The PC gamer is being somewhat aggressive in pointing out the superiority of their platform, but the console player drops back the second they hit resistance to using flawed stereotypes and calling the PC player an elitist.

I agree with the second part, but I don't see how my example is aggressive in any way.

Let me redo it with general terms for trollpwner...

Argument for getting a game for PC.

Argument that game is not better on PC.

100% factual defense against previous statement.

Diatribe about console gamer oppression. Bitching and moaning about how PC Gamer is an elitist possibly with an insult. May or may not contain insane claims like, "I know PC hardware is better, but I still think it looks better on Xbox." or "PC gaming is dying because consoles are cheaper."

I say aggressive because of the way it was said.
The console player said he saw no difference. That is fine and doesn't really need the PC player to point out that consoles are inferior hardware. Showing them some screenshots of each, and not getting annoyed if they still don't see any difference would be fine, but what has happened is that the console player has stated they see no difference, and the PC player implies that they are wrong with the argument consoles are outdated, when really the conversation could have just ended there. The PC gamer felt the need to continue to push the PC as a good platform, and that pushing became slightly aggressive. The console player still overreacted, but there was a little provocation.
Now, if the console player had of said 'There is no difference' as opposed to 'I can see no difference', it would be a different story.

 

[ph0b0s123]

What's the difference between advocating for a platform and being an elitist. This seem to be where most get confused by seeing one as the other. Also why do PC owners get the title 'elitist' when for every other group they would just be referred to as 'fanbois'.

There are factual pro's and con's to both platforms. I don't think making comments which highlight a factual pro or con about either platform should be stigmatized. Like saying consoles have a lower price of entry than PC's. Oh, console elitist comment.

I do think some console owners on this site are a little thin skinned....

 

[D Moness]

Just look at the phrase 'Do you view console users as "Lesser Gamers"?'

I'm surprised everybody doesn't look at that and laugh. It's bloody ridiculous.

Even worse that there are people that agree with it as well. The same as posts like this.

In terms of the gamers themselves.

I have to view them as being less into gaming than myself.

I find it hard to believe that anyone can be so "Into" gaming and not have sought out the PC format.

Said by a someone who wasn't even alive when i was playing videogames and telling me I am less into gaming then him/her because i hardly play on the pc.

I think i am done with this forum.

 

[Crazycat690]

Being a lesser gamer for buying a system exclusive for gaming? That's some fine logic right there lol.

 

[Daystar Clarion]

Yes, but, it's a lot more minor than people might think.

On my encounters with people, I can probably say I've met one who was purely against consoles.

Myself? I view consoles are technically inferior, and can't enjoy them as an experience as much as I can a PC. I'm simply used to using a PC and able to get more immersed in it.

Not for everyone, but, it's what I like.

In terms of the gamers themselves.

I have to view them as being less into gaming than myself.

I find it hard to believe that anyone can be so "Into" gaming and not have sought out the PC format.

I was playing video game before you were even born.

My love of video games surpasses the format they're released on, I may do 90% of my gaming on consoles, but I still play PC games from time to time, and I understand perfectly what the PC community can do to a game that would otherwise fall flat on it's arse.

Take Vampire the Masquerade Bloodlines. The buggiest game I'ver ever played, it was broken because the company pretty much ran out of money, saved only by the fact that fans have been constantly patching since it's release (which was the same day Half-Life 2 was released).

Because of the fans, a game I would of otherwise tossed to the wayside, is now one of my favourite games of all time.

I genuinely don't think PC gaming is any better than console gaming, in terms of experience, but the kind of devotion shown above is impossible to do with consoles.

Now sit in the corner and think about what you've done.

[sub]I'm joking of course, but damn if people don't say silly things from time to time[/sub]

 

[Glademaster_v1legacy]

Just look at the phrase 'Do you view console users as "Lesser Gamers"?'

I'm surprised everybody doesn't look at that and laugh. It's bloody ridiculous.

Even worse that there are people that agree with it as well. The same as posts like this.

In terms of the gamers themselves.

I have to view them as being less into gaming than myself.

I find it hard to believe that anyone can be so "Into" gaming and not have sought out the PC format.

Said by a someone who wasn't even alive when i was playing videogames and telling me I am less into gaming then him/her because i hardly play on the pc.

I think i am done with this forum.

No offence but leaving a forum for something as silly as this well is silly. There won't be many forums where you won't find people who disagree with you on a grand scale and bring up something ridiculous. Take me for example I love JRPGs and if I had of left this forum due to its ridiculous attitude to them I wouldn't have lasted a week. Just my 2 cents on saying you are leaving a forum over that.

 

[WoahDan]

You wont get a straight answer to this by asking so directly OP, most PC elitists dont consider themselves elitists.

 

[Caliostro]

B: At least 1 mention of 2 of the following: Dumbed-Down,

I'd like to weigh in here because there's a bit of truth shrouded in terrible misrepresentation and fallacies.

This idea that consoles are "dumbed down" is based on facts. Consoles are, by their very concept, designed to be more streamlined and simplified gaming PCs. This is a fact. That's why consoles were created: As a way to make gaming PCs more accessible, whistle giving more control to the brand (proprietary machines, ergo exclusive games, etc, etc). This isn't an opinion, and disagree all you will you are demonstrably wrong.

The misconception is that "simplified" and "streamlined" = "dumbed down".

One of the downsides of many "old" PC gaming, and of some PC exclusives to this day, is the overly complicated interface that only serves to diminuish the experience. Whenever I see people proudly claim the "intellectual superiority" of games that requires a game manual the size of a phone book, or insulting other gamers for being unwilling to read the equivalent to Tolkien book just to understand how to fire your goddamn gun, I'm forced to consider these people misguided at best and extremely ignorant and overcompensating at worse. Complicated is not the same as complex, or "having depth". The game can have all the depth in the world without being complicated. In fact, the more seamless the interface the better.

This, in turn, leads us to another problem of this entire issue: that we still judge things based on platform instead of based on their merits. That we're still using platform-relative, instead of more absolute, measurements of quality. Yes, some console games are dumbed down... This isn't the platform's fault, it's the developers'.

As a platform, by itself, as an isolated piece of hardware, the PC is superior. This is objectively verifiable - A PC can do everything a console can and more. The same can not be said for the consoles. Especially right now that consoles are basically 7 year old relatively weak PCs. But a gaming platform is not an isolated thing. It's all down to the games in it. Which in turn depends on the developers. Ultimately making the question of which is "better", one of subjective personal preference. Furthermore as technology develops, as consoles become necessarily more complex, and stronger PCs more streamlined and common ground, the already rather blurry line between "PCs" and "Consoles" is bound to become a mere linguistic technicality.

 

[octafish]

Anyone not using a Commodore 64 is an inferior being.