Exploring the World of Modern Gaming Platforms

Gaming has been an interest of many for who knows how long. Part of the many reasons of why gaming has gained so much interest of many is due to the vast majority of genres and not to mention, video games help release stress and research even suggests that it may help improve mental sharpness and focus. We have RPGs, MOBAs, FPS, TPS, Battle royale just to name a few. These vast variety of genres allow people to choose and try out from a wide array of choices to suit their personal needs. That said, the same could (probably) be said for modern gaming platforms.

In its most basic form, gaming platforms are divided into 3 – PC (and Laptop), Console, Mobile. Each has their own strengths and weaknesses and disclaimer; this is by no means an article to shame or promote and glorify one platform over the other. Once again, every platform is unique and thus this article is made to explain as well as explore more regarding interesting and unique points of each gaming platforms Without further ado, let’s jump right into it

First off, we got the PC it’s a staple in most households as most of us owns one (even non-gaming ones) due to its multifunctional use. But that aside, PC and Laptop is probably the best when it comes to customization and adjustability. Players can set the graphics to either prioritize smoothly running frame rates or immersive graphics. The choices mentioned previously actually depends on the PC build, and that’s when adjustability comes into play.

Not only graphics adjustability, PC’s builds are very flexible and you can either go as expensive or as cheap as you want depending on your budget. Therefore, there are many low entry PC gamers out there that build relatively cheap PC and choose to run most games on low settings and prioritizing 60 fps.

Speaking of prices, there are often discounts from PC exclusive gaming stores like Steam and Epic Games – Epic Games even gives out free games every week and it changes every week so if you’re waiting on a certain game for it to be free, rest assured it will be one day (though it might take quite a long time)

All of these makes the PC a very adjustable platfrom to go for and 2nd best when it comes to pricing. But on the other hand, newer games will demand even better graphics. So despite having set the graphics to its lowest and prioritizing frame rate, it might not be enough and sometimes, players are forced to upgrade their devices to play a game that was able to run on their PC previously.

Now let’s talk about Mobile Gaming. This has been a debate for many gamers whether or not Mobile Gaming is actually gaming or not due to the lack of quality games out there on the mobile market. Not to mention the graphics are not as mesmerizing as the other platforms.

But then, there’s no doubt that the mobile gaming industry has been developing rapidly over the past years and has produced lots of visually pleasing, high graphic games such as Genshin Impact, Asphalt 8, Vainglory just to name a few.

Another thing worth noting is how the android screen size is quite small, therefore it might be uncomfortable for some players. On the other hand, due to the small size and portability of the platform, mobile gaming allows players to game anywhere and anytime they want – it’s very efficient provided the battery can withstand the drainage of hours of gaming.

Now for the last platform, console. Console gaming has been a beast in the gaming industry due to the insane quality they provide at the cost of insanely high pricing both game and platform-wise. It’s no debate that console gaming provides the best when it comes to graphics quality due to consoles are made specifically for gaming thus making it able to run console exclusive games to perfection.

But that’s pretty much it for console. The downsides of the consoles is that the market is highly dominated by AAA games like GTA V, Call of Duty, and many more games alike. Not a problem when you’re into AAA games, but then again, it might make diversification difficult.

Developing time for these games are also time consuming. Take FIFA for example. It takes them a full year to develop a new FIFA game yet at times, not many things have changed graphically and experience-wise, just a new roster of squad and UI changes. Some however, would argue that the wait is definitely worth it for some games and I personally agree that there would be games worth the wait.

Aside from that, console also suffers the same issue as PC and it’s forced upgrades. At times, when consoles are already outdated, console gamers might need to upgrade their device, since some games will discontinue development for old devices.

Overall, gaming has been a worldwide sensation over the years and it’s not surprise. The gaming culture and industry has been growing for a long time and so will gaming platforms especially during the pandemic time when most of the people stay at home. And just like genres, each platform has their own set of pros and cons which might not be everyone’s cup of tea, yet there will always be one to suit each gamer.

Source: uark.edu and starloops studios