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Gamers Trust Multi-Gaming Platforms World of Warcraft Gamers Trust Guild Here is the place to sign up to become a review candidate or get ...

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Want to join Gamers Trust Incorporated   A little bit about us first;   Gamers Trust Incorporated is a registered nonprofit organization founded in 2008 that ...

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Gamers Trust Multi-Gaming Platforms

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Posted by Scott Perrin on Jul 3, 2017 1
Want to join Gamers Trust Incorporated

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Gamers Trust Membership Rules

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How Windows 8 Will Change PC Gaming Forever.

When Windows 8 was first announced way back at the Consumer Electronics Show in 2011, it was met with…mixed results to put it lightly. This continues, to this day. Geek Messiah, Gabe Newell, co-founder of Valve, said:

“Windows 8 is a catastrophe for everyone in the PC space.”

So why is this? The biggest issue that I had with the latest operating system fresh out of Redmond was just the interface. In my day job I’m a systems analyst. I work within Windows all day everyday. What I saw wasn’t Windows. What I used when I was accepted into the Windows 8 Developer Preview certainly wasn’t Windows. Only, it was. It wasn’t the Windows I was used to, but whether I liked it or not, this was where the world’s dominant user operating system was going.

Around the same time Windows 8 was announced, Microsoft really started pushing their mobile OS, Windows Phone 8. Confusing naming convention trying to differentiate this from Windows 8, this was to be Microsoft’s shining knight to go into battle against iOS and Android. Windows was to create a unified experienced across all of their platforms.

Yay for unity?

So at this point you’re probably saying, “Hey, tech nerd! I’m here for games. Not tech gobbldy-goo!” Here’s where I’m going. Microsoft has done an excellent job with Windows 8 in uniting all aspects of their three major properties under one umbrella. Profiles and gaming info push from Xbox 360 to other units. Windows Phone 8 pushes content with ease to other units. And the Windows 8 PC operating system is what pulls it all together. Your Xbox 360 profile is intended to be used within your Windows 8 designed games. And Windows 8 is capable of pulling all info and even many apps from your Windows Phone 8 mobile device. Including games.

In my time with Windows 8 since its official launch, not only have I learned to love it, but I have come to appreciate the walled garden that was a source of contention when the OS was announced, the integrated Store. Windows 8’s Store acts just like any other app store. Apps that are specifically written for the operating system are available for download and purchase as easily as clicking. Many games are priced so low that they end up being treated the same as 98% of the games on my S3, impulse buys. Admittedly, because the Store is meant to be cross-platform between the PC OS and the Mobile OS some apps may not translate well if your PC doesn’t have some form of touch interface (or even work in some cases). It’s not perfect, but it’s not the computer apocalypse that is being brandied about. Apple has had an integrated App store built into OS X since October of 2010, and Macs still sell like mad. Also, folks worrying about their favorite games not running on the new OS, I have yet to find one of my PC titles that won’t launch and play just as well as they did on Windows 7.

It’s certainly no secret that gaming has taken a major jump thanks to the casual games readily available on iPhones and Android devices. Where MMOs and RTSs aren’t even on a non-gamer’s radar, casual games that have mass appeal will bring in millions of new gamers $.99 at a time. Games like League of Legends and Halo may be far too intimidating for the average person to show interest in. Not only are they complicated for folks not familiar with video games, but the visuals aren’t really appealing to mass audiences. I’m not talking about the realism. In a time where films like Avatar can completely blur the lines of what is CGI and what is real, most folks aren’t overwhelmed with computer rendering. But Angry Birds? It’s cute, colorful, and can be played with ease. There’s a reason it’s used to promote Windows 8.

 

So while Windows 8 may not appeal to the hardcore crowd of gamers and tech enthusiasts,  its integration of mobile-like casual games within its built-in Store will bring a new boom to PC gaming. People who have never shown an interest in any kind when it comes to investing their time into video games will suddenly become part of “our” crowd. My Grandma plays Spider Solitaire on XP all the time. Why? Because it’s easy to play, access, and use. Windows 8 brings a plethora of new possibilities to these types of potential gamers. It’s not the PC gaming we’re used to, but whether we liked it or not, this is where the world’s dominant user operating system is taking it. And I for one, am certainly on board.

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Joel Polkinghorne
Joel spends his days sorting through the latest gaming news from around the interwebs. He has been involved in gaming his entire life and professionally involved with web media since 2001. Joel lives in Michigan, USA with his wife and son. Follow him on Twitter @sBj.
Joel Polkinghorne

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Joel Polkinghorne About Joel Polkinghorne

Joel spends his days sorting through the latest gaming news from around the interwebs. He has been involved in gaming his entire life and professionally involved with web media since 2001. Joel lives in Michigan, USA with his wife and son. Follow him on Twitter @sBj.

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