Opinion: PC games market is defining the future of this industry

PC GAMING WEEK: A few short years ago there were some people under the illusion that the PC games market was in perpetual decline.

Aside from being proof – if any was needed – that the lack of digital data has seriously skewed our view of our own market, it also highlights what an incredible journey the platform has been on.

Steam has over 75m registered players, which is on par with Xbox 360 and PS3’s installed bases. PC eSports tournaments are attracting millions of spectators – 32m in the case of last year’s League of Legends finals. And the platform is proving a hotbed for creativity and inventive software.

And that’s despite the fact the PC boxed market has declined by a huge 80 per cent over the course of ten years.

The influx of indie studios have certainly buoyed the PC space. Bedroom coders and small teams have been creating inventive titles, giving the PC a line-up of unique software that it has historically lacked.

Yet, for all the big numbers and exciting growth, the PC is still treated like an after thought by some in this market.

Retailers are dabbling with digital downloads and points cards, but why not hardware and parts? Surely if so many gamers are building gaming machines, our specialists should be helping them?

And why are many games arriving on PC after their console counterparts? We are still waiting on news of GTA V on the PC.

Not that we at MCV can talk. Over the last five years we have also relegated PC gaming to special features and one-offs. But no more. This week’s MCV is entirely dedicated to the PC market. From the latest graphics cards to the biggest changes impacting the market, it’s all here.

And this is not some rare one-off occurrence. Over the coming weeks MCV will talk about the changing face of PC publishing and the rise of MOBAs.

PC gaming is now firmly part of our dialogue. As it should be for everyone operating in today’s market place.