I haven't said at any point that this worries me. Again, let me make it clear that I don't think gaming as we know it will cease to exist. I just think that the majority of the market will be elsewhere.
Looking at your article, I'm not really sure how it disagrees with what I'm saying:


The people in charge of the future of gaming are not standalone startups. Sorry, they just aren't. I'd love for that to be the case, but it's in the hands of companies like EA, Microsoft, Nintendo, Sony, etc. Another key point from that article is that top earners in the app markets spend nearly $30,000 as an average marketing budget. Guess who has that kind of money to throw at games?

This is the way it's gone with every form of entertainment that has been conceived, and I don't see why video games would be any different. Big companies take control, the market expands beyond the comparatively small group of people who were initially into the form of entertainment, and then it becomes more mainstream. Video games are still in a stage where many people question them as a form of entertainment (like people complaining about violence in games, or the fact that they "rot your brain"), but as soon as that sigma starts to fade -- and that's already starting to be the case -- it's not going to be locked into a core market anymore. This isn't some conspiracy theory I'm hatching, it just seems like a trend that has already manifested itself several times before.

Thing is with PC's though, everyone has one already. Everyone needs a PC. Tablets are toys, not PC replacements.

Imo the reason PC gaming became less relevant was due to the rise of comparatively low-specced laptops, which couldn't run or play games well (lol trackpads).

Yeah, that's exactly the issue. High-spec "hardcore" games don't perform too well on most computers, since they tend to be low-spec laptops and netbooks. Most people don't even bother with desktops anymore unless they're looking for a high-powered PC, usually for the purpose of PC gaming. So, again, focusing solely on that side of PC gaming wouldn't be a great choice. I don't think that support is going to disappear -- like I said, EA is pushing for a share of that market with Origin -- but over the next decade or two, it's going to be fairly small compared to the "casual" market.

But there's no reason good games have to be resource hogs. Battlefield 1942 was a great game and runs very well on most computers today. Same with TF2.

A game that is well optimised could sell big.

Neither BF1942 nor TF2 fit in that category though.

If you were to release Battlefield 1942 today, it would panned by critics for having sub-par graphics. It's not necessarily a question of how good a game it is.
TF2 can get away with it because its graphics have a cartoony style, so photo-realism isn't really necessary. Still, that's a single example, and it's unplayable without at least a mouse, which, again, the average person doesn't have (because laptops are far more prevalent).
Further, the subject matter itself (i.e. shooting people and watching them violently explode) doesn't sit well with plenty of consumers. It's not just how well it runs on most computers that affects how well something can be marketed -- that was just the reason I think PC games started to decline.
"Hardcore" games are going to become a niche market, and simpler, more cinematic games could very well take the lead because they're a lot easier for new gamers to relate to. People already know how movies work, so adding a little interactivity on top of it can ease new players into the experience. Look at games like Uncharted, for instance, which has been Sony's flagship title for years. I'm not saying it's a bad game (I've never played it, so I can't really judge), but it's definitely a very movie-like experience. So, it doesn't necessarily have to be Peggle and Bejeweled taking over the world of gaming. I just don't think it's going to be gritty shooters anymore.

The genre of "Gritty shooter" has become laughable anyway. They've thrown too much testosterone into the characters and made them ridiculous.

IN OUR NEW GAME YOU PLAY AS CAPTAIN H. BRASSBALLS DOUCHEFIST-BEATDOWN



THAT'LL BE SIXTY DOLLARS

I can't express with words how hilarious TheKebbit's post was.

i'll be here all week

http://www.crypticsea.com/anewzero/
http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2012/03 ... -new-zero/

I just thought I'd post this, because it's a perfect example of what I was talking about. It's an easy to run game (the graphics are extremely simple) but the gameplay is innovative and pretty deep. Slap some stylised models/textures on top of this engine and you have an amazing game that could run on most peoples computers.