Have you, yes you the consumer that's reading this, ever tried to keep a PC maintained for new releases? Have you gone too newegg.com, bought an i7 for $300, a GTX295 for $450, a motherboard for 150, a power supply for 200, a case for 50, and a brand spankin new operating system for an extra 200, and a Hard Drive for 100?? After your done doing that, have you seen the large dent in your wallet?

Sure, your computers gonna last for maybe 2 - 3 years, but when your time to update comes and nothings compatable what then? Go out and buy another motherboard with a PCI Express x16 3.0 PCI slot on it? another GTX4 series card? another octocore processor? A hard drive with atleast a Terabyte on it??? and god forbid, ANOTHER OS?

There's a good reason people don't buy PC games, and its not because they don't love em. It's because PC gamers need to be the rich few who can afford to constantly renew there PC's for upcomming requirements.

Gaming PC's are impractical. They are expensive to maintain and they are expensive to upgrade. Games luckily are priced lower but at a huge expense to the consumer. If your game is well optimized, chances are it'll surpass your ol' and busted gamin rig by a year or two. Most PC gamers will tell you its aggrivating to play a game on an expired PC because everything that's been advertised about that particular game has been dumbed down. Sure, not by much, but that's the plesibo effect for you.

So why pirate? simple. most people don't want to pay for somthing they don't think will work on there machine. Whether its because the game itself isn't optimized for the PC (GTA IV anyone?) or your PC can't run it (Crysis). I think, in order for the PC gaming market to get off its face, we need to make a PC gaming Constitution. By the people, for the people. Somthing that all company's can abide by. somthing that protects the consumer from shitty console ports and somthing that will give leeway to those with older computers.

I mean, Xbox has an approval system, PS3 has an approval system, why can't PC gamers have there own universal approval system? It would vastly improve the quality of our games and decrease piracy.

PC gaming won't die, and it won't it some kind of much-feared persistent vegetative state, it just won't happen
not much else to say IMHO

I don't pirate games that have good online multiplayer, i.e. mmos and borderlands. I do, however, pirate games that are too old to find copies of at stores.

I did pirate mass effect, oblivion, and fallout 3 which i feel sort of bad about. But then again, its not like the console sales didn't do insanely well.

gamefreakbsp:

HUBILUB:

StarStruckStrumpets:
What makes you think I care?
I don't play games on the PC anyway.
Nor do I pirate.
You're the PC gamers, you fix the problem.

It certainly isn't my concern.

Why do you even bother commenting if it doesn't concern you?

Because it is infinitely entertaining pissing off PC gamers who are now forced to play games that are on the level of what everybody else is playing. Oh the agony.

What's sad is that you think it's fun to piss off PC gamers. Instead of laughing at us PC gamers as we are being pulled down to the console level, where there are no mods, no tweaks, where updates take forever, you should be pissed off at the publishers and developers who decide that console players aren't intelligent enough to handle what PC gamers do to every game.

!noitisiuqnI hsinapS eht stcepxe eno oN

TylerC:
Yes, YOU. If you are one of the vast majority of people who pirate copies of video games, you are causing a huge problem.

Wow. You're pretty ignorant of the current landsdcape of game piracy.

Most of the software piracy that goes on where I live trades in "chipped" consoles and burnt Xbox/Playstation games. These are ludicrously expensive at retail and therefore very profitable for pirates. Most console owners I know would rather do without the XBox Live "abuse service" (which only raises the ire of Mum and Dad when they walk in the room) and have cheap, hacked games. Backyard mod shops who sell pirate games will "chip" your console for a small fee, no technical or soldering knowledge required, and broke parents are often delighted that little Timmy has worked out a way to save them money on that Christmas present, and if it means they can't use XBL all the better.

On the other hand, most PC gamers where I live have't pirated a single game since Steam became an online distribution service and made computer games affordable in my country at reasonable prices for the first time since the mid 1980s. PC games are also a lot harder to pirate now, and pirates themselves realise that it isn't as profitable so have mainly moved onto consoles where the big money is.

i used to copy friend's copies in my youth, still have some burned discs lying around from old copy-parties LAN parties. But generally, if I ever really wanted a game, I'd end up buying it. The only game I ever completely fell in love with that I didn't pay for was Doom: lo and behold, 15 years later I end up buying it for 5 bux on steam.

I'm a huge believer in the try-before-you-buy system, which is why I like demos and have always been a huge fan of shareware. If a demo isn't available, I'll try to borrow a copy from a friend rather than outright pirate a copy. Now that I understand how important it is to compensate the developers (and how expensive it is to make games) I will not do it. But now I hardly ever buy new games...

well, judging by the post that started all of this, i`ll have to say that i don`t understand what everyone is so pissed off about, i mean seriousely, it doesn`t really matter if there`s "digital pirates" sailing the seven seas of the internet and copying the digital treasures that await them, besides they`ll all enter davy jones` digital locker anyway, and even if they do get out of the locker like good`ol jack sparrow and his mates, then who cares, those game industries make enough money anyway, and even if there`s not enough money goin around, there`s always a job at some fast food restraunt waiting for them to beg for a job, but anyway, there`s no reason to get all loopy over a couple of pirates...(or should i say "digital pirates")

TylerC:
Yes, YOU. If you are one of the vast majority of people who pirate copies of video games, you are causing a huge problem.

Where are you getting "The Vast Majority" from? In May of this year, the piracy rate of ALL software on the PC, not just video games, was at 41%. I'd be willing to bet it's about half to 2/3 of that number that actually pirate games, making the actual percentage between 20%-26% While that is indeed a high number, it's not the "vast majority," and despite that piracy rate, the industry is still growing.

http://www.mcvuk.com/news/34296/41-of-all-PC-software-is-pirated

But hey, you know what they say. 86% of all statistics are made up on the spot ;)

Hell, let's look at that "60% piracy rate" on Modern Warfare. Modern Warfare sold 14 million copies and if you average the price to $50, you'll get a total revenue of $700,000,000 before costs are taken out. Now then, under the assumption that 14 million comprised 40% of total copies out there, then that means we're looking at roughly 21 million pirated copies. That's an ASTRONOMICALLY high amount, and I am highly skeptical of that actually being the case.

Edit: The above numbers are based upon the assumption that they were referring to ALL online players across all platforms, rather than just PC.

mrtenk:
Have you, yes you the consumer that's reading this, ever tried to keep a PC maintained for new releases? Have you gone too newegg.com, bought an i7 for $300, a GTX295 for $450, a motherboard for 150, a power supply for 200, a case for 50, and a brand spankin new operating system for an extra 200, and a Hard Drive for 100?? After your done doing that, have you seen the large dent in your wallet?

Sure, your computers gonna last for maybe 2 - 3 years, but when your time to update comes and nothings compatable what then? Go out and buy another motherboard with a PCI Express x16 3.0 PCI slot on it? another GTX4 series card? another octocore processor? A hard drive with atleast a Terabyte on it??? and god forbid, ANOTHER OS?

There's a good reason people don't buy PC games, and its not because they don't love em. It's because PC gamers need to be the rich few who can afford to constantly renew there PC's for upcomming requirements.

Gaming PC's are impractical. They are expensive to maintain and they are expensive to upgrade. Games luckily are priced lower but at a huge expense to the consumer. If your game is well optimized, chances are it'll surpass your ol' and busted gamin rig by a year or two. Most PC gamers will tell you its aggrivating to play a game on an expired PC because everything that's been advertised about that particular game has been dumbed down. Sure, not by much, but that's the plesibo effect for you.

So why pirate? simple. most people don't want to pay for somthing they don't think will work on there machine. Whether its because the game itself isn't optimized for the PC (GTA IV anyone?) or your PC can't run it (Crysis). I think, in order for the PC gaming market to get off its face, we need to make a PC gaming Constitution. By the people, for the people. Somthing that all company's can abide by. somthing that protects the consumer from shitty console ports and somthing that will give leeway to those with older computers.

I mean, Xbox has an approval system, PS3 has an approval system, why can't PC gamers have there own universal approval system? It would vastly improve the quality of our games and decrease piracy.

Why would you buy all that? I7's are useless for gaming, I5's are just as good, half the price. GTX295's are overpowered and you can pick up a 4890 for $200. You don't need to spend $200 on a power supply. Do some research and you can get a PC that plays games better than consoles for about the same price, and it's a PC. I get to use it for the internet, chatting and gaming without using given systems. I choose what I want to run, and I get better looking games. If I'm not sure it will run on my system, I look on the box.

PC's have many approval systems. Microsoft activate every copy of windows, every copy of Games for Windows Live, companies offer CD keys, DRM and other anti piracy measures.

You'll never have PC gaming like console gaming. Nobody has a computer of a specific power, each and every one of them will run faster or slower. It'd mean you have to optimize it for little Timmy's PC world pile of crap as well as the PC's that can run Crysis at resolutions far beyond 1080p. That's too much work and the cost goes up.

I have to admit that these pirates are damn good at cracking games. And to be honest, this "Limited installation" Shit doesn't do a damn thing to stop them.

I don't pirate games, but have considered the option. Games that I've considered pirating, I usually never buy anyway. Let's say I did pirate the game. Seems fair enough that I'd be taking money away from the publishers and developers. BUT! Let's say pirating wasn't an option. Would that really make me more inclined to buy a game. Probably, but I've got other stuff to spend my money on, like food and clothes. I probably wouldn't buy the game even if I couldn't pirate. That my friend, is deadweight loss.

It's important to understand that the loss of a companies revenue is a lot more complex to measure than to just simply say "everyone who pirated the game would buy it if they couldn't pirate it". I don't believe piracy to be a form of stealing, but rather, a form of copying. What I'm saying though is just a regurgitation of what most people have to say on the matter so I won't say much else. Simply put, I don't think piracy will be the death of PC gaming, but it could cause a domino effect that could lead to the industry's demise.

I don't download Videos or Games. Its a medium that should be payed for. As for music ive payed for Vinyls, merchandise at mildly hefty prices i think i deserve some leeway on the music i get from that artist.

My friends do, but I've never done it, and don't think I will. Is kind of annoying you can't borrow games that need to be registered on Steam, though

mrtenk:
Have you, yes you the consumer that's reading this, ever tried to keep a PC maintained for new releases? Have you gone too newegg.com, bought an i7 for $300, a GTX295 for $450, a motherboard for 150, a power supply for 200, a case for 50, and a brand spankin new operating system for an extra 200, and a Hard Drive for 100?? After your done doing that, have you seen the large dent in your wallet?

Sure, your computers gonna last for maybe 2 - 3 years, but when your time to update comes and nothings compatable what then? Go out and buy another motherboard with a PCI Express x16 3.0 PCI slot on it? another GTX4 series card? another octocore processor? A hard drive with atleast a Terabyte on it??? and god forbid, ANOTHER OS?

There's a good reason people don't buy PC games, and its not because they don't love em. It's because PC gamers need to be the rich few who can afford to constantly renew there PC's for upcomming requirements.

Gaming PC's are impractical. They are expensive to maintain and they are expensive to upgrade. Games luckily are priced lower but at a huge expense to the consumer. If your game is well optimized, chances are it'll surpass your ol' and busted gamin rig by a year or two. Most PC gamers will tell you its aggrivating to play a game on an expired PC because everything that's been advertised about that particular game has been dumbed down. Sure, not by much, but that's the plesibo effect for you.

So why pirate? simple. most people don't want to pay for somthing they don't think will work on there machine. Whether its because the game itself isn't optimized for the PC (GTA IV anyone?) or your PC can't run it (Crysis). I think, in order for the PC gaming market to get off its face, we need to make a PC gaming Constitution. By the people, for the people. Somthing that all company's can abide by. somthing that protects the consumer from shitty console ports and somthing that will give leeway to those with older computers.

I mean, Xbox has an approval system, PS3 has an approval system, why can't PC gamers have there own universal approval system? It would vastly improve the quality of our games and decrease piracy.

I actually connect with that on a personal level. I recently had to get a lot of parts replaced because it couldn't play anything more advanced than Oblivion on low quality.

I am more than guilty of pirating. However, that's ONLY because I'm in highschool and I don't have a job. When I have a job, I have no need to pirate other than to use as a demo. Once I work up the cash, I do plan on going to game stop weekly, as I've done in the past.

JeanLuc761:

TylerC:
Yes, YOU. If you are one of the vast majority of people who pirate copies of video games, you are causing a huge problem.

Where are you getting "The Vast Majority" from? In May of this year, the piracy rate of ALL software on the PC, not just video games, was at 41%. I'd be willing to bet it's about half to 2/3 of that number that actually pirate games, making the actual percentage between 20%-26% While that is indeed a high number, it's not the "vast majority," and despite that piracy rate, the industry is still growing.

http://www.mcvuk.com/news/34296/41-of-all-PC-software-is-pirated

But hey, you know what they say. 86% of all statistics are made up on the spot ;)

Yeah, sorry I guess you were right in that fact, and I'll make sure to change it, but just looking at this forum, it does seem to be the vast majority.

vdgmprgrmr:
This is strange. You all seem to be under the impression that people need money to make games. That it would be impossible, for some reason, for gaming to thrive without big business behind it.

Personally, I'm an FPS guy. Let me tell you some of the FPS games I play:
Cube, Sauerbraten
Assault Cube
Blood Frontier
Alien Arena
Open Arena
Tremulous
Nexuiz
Smokin' Guns
Urban Terror
Warsow
.kkrieger

Hey wait! Isn't every single one of those free? Yes, they are. Hell, for all but one (kkrieger) I can go get the damn source code and modify it however I wish.

And you can't try to say that you can't be innovative unless you've got a huge company behind you. Rogue was developed by a couple kids in college for the hell of it, and that marked the beginning of an entire genre. Without Rogue we'd not have NetHack (also free, and open-source), which, as I recall, is a massively influential game on its own. It also influenced Dwarf Fortress (holy crap, that's free too), which is basically the most complex game you can find in existence. And Spelunky (this is almost overwhelming now) spawned from NetHack and La Mulana (cough*free*cough).

Yeah. PC gaming will certainly die because people don't throw money at game developers. Game developers make games because they want to, not because they want people to shower them with cash. If anything about the PC dies, it'll be mainstream gaming, because the massive corporations that currently think they control it will buckle under how free the PC truly is. What then? Oh no, it looks like the people who care about making games more than getting dollars will finally be the center of attention. Tell me, please, where is the downside to this?

We don't need game companies to play games. I survive without them every single day.

This guy speaks the truth, the majority of the innovation is in the indy games, they put alot of effort into them and take many ideas off the community who support them.
Really the only game I am playing at the minute (apart from the odd bout of UT3) is Men of War, most of you probably haven't heard of it, it is criminally under-rated but I can't say this is a bad thing, if it attracted the masses it would end up being dumbed down and it would lose it's appeal to me.

educatedfool:

vdgmprgrmr:
snip

This guy speaks the truth, the majority of the innovation is in the indy games, they put alot of effort into them and take many ideas off the community who support them.
Really the only game I am playing at the minute (apart from the odd bout of UT3) is Men of War, most of you probably haven't heard of it, it is criminally under-rated but I can't say this is a bad thing, if it attracted the masses it would end up being dumbed down and it would lose it's appeal to me.

Yeah exactly, but a lot of indie games that may have price tag are pirated, and that is absolutely killing games, like one of my favorites, World of Goo. Damn near one of the best games I've ever played.

I never pirate games, unless they're really old ones I can't get hold of and are essentially 'abandonware'. Movies on the other hand... :P

EDIT: Whatever happened to shareware?

I only download games I've already bought or games they don't make anymore. I agree we shouldn't pirate, so the people who make the good games get the money they deserve.

All my PC games are either retail bought or i borrowed them off a friend.

Ahhpple:
btw building a computer isn't expensive, you could build a solid machine today for around the same price as a console and it would last you a good three years at the very least.

Shit like this really, really pisses me off. Do you people not go outside? Not everyone knows how to build a computer. Not everyone knows someone who can build a computer. In fact, I'd say a vast majority of people don't know either of these things. Even if it were true, your argument is still shit. A console lasts 5+ years (and the current generation is expected to last longer). You said a good computer can last 3. Why bother?

I have never pirated any game, ever. I'm well aware of the existence of illegally free games online but it's not worth it. The sources are commonly full of viruses like trojans (Who you gonna complain to - the illegal pirates for giving you a virus? Or the legal companies for getting a virus trying to steal software...right) and despite many people never getting caught, the price to pay and such is totally not worth it just for a game. Besides - if the game is good the developers deserve every bit of money it costs me to buy the game.

It's basically a moral decision when you get down to it. Can you steal and not feel guilty about it? Pirating is easier than actual theft because unlike the physical effort required to do it, you can sit in your chair and just click and do it. You don't have to feel guilty holding something you didn't pay for under your jacket or stuffing it in your pants and then that realistic risk of being caught by someone when you're walking out and getting in trouble on the spot. Even if you did steal games online, your punishment wouldn't come right away (Unless you got a virus, which is more a just punishment than an actual punishment per the police or whomever). It's easy for lots of people to think they're totally anonymous on the internet and have no inherent risk of being caught for stealing things online. They feel like they can just delete it and then they never stole a thing. But they don't realize their IP is logged and this information can be retrieved simply because they themselves don't know how and assume no one else does or if they did that they just don't care.

You pirating scumbags - you can get away with it for awhile, maybe even a long time. But some of you will get caught and pay a huge price all for such little benefit in comparison to the punishment. Is it really worth it? You hurt the market anyway - if you do it enough then PC's will be dropped in favor of game consoles. Then you won't have any games to pirate or buy legally. Just remember, pirating is stealing even if you aren't physically handling something and taking it out of a store without paying. You're taking software a company spent lots of money to develop and is asking a fractional price of that development cost in return for their effort and not paying them a dime. Imagine if your place of employment decided to lead you on to think you're getting a paycheck for your work and then just decides "Nah, we don't need to pay you" - they benefitted from your work and you got nothing for it. You're doing the same thing to game companies. Games aren't cheap to make and they take a long time. Ultimately you affect the livelyhood of the people who work for the company that make the game too. If no one paid for a game they spent lots to make then they'd have to lay off people and they'd have no money for anything.

EDIT:

The Bandit:

Ahhpple:
btw building a computer isn't expensive, you could build a solid machine today for around the same price as a console and it would last you a good three years at the very least.

Shit like this really, really pisses me off. Do you people not go outside? Not everyone knows how to build a computer. Not everyone knows someone who can build a computer. In fact, I'd say a vast majority of people don't know either of these things. Even if it were true, your argument is still shit. A console lasts 5+ years (and the current generation is expected to last longer). You said a good computer can last 3. Why bother?

Yes, Mr. Moron we aren't cave dwellers because god forbid - we're not clueless saps who hand HP/Dell/Lenovo our wallets when we need a new computer. Computers are so easy to build, you are an idiot if you can't figure it out. Honestly, the parts fit in ONE way. You can't put them in the wrong way. They're not even hard to setup. So for the reduced cost you're expected to essentially be able to put things in the slots they fit in (And won't fit anywhere else) and do a little bit of simple legwork. If that's so much to ask, pay twice the cost for a pre-made computer that's inferior.

Also, a good computer will last 5+ years - my last one did. Every 3 years or more you might need to upgrade something like more memory, bigger hard drive, better video card - but it's never a necessity. Unlike game consoles you can lower settings so you can still play new games even if your stuff isn't top of the line. I built my computer for $800 and it's very high end, I can play any game on high settings at 1920 x 1200 including Crysis - a game far more demanding than any of the silly little games on the 360 or PS3. My next cost to upgrade will probably be in two to three years (I built this machine over a year ago) and will most likely be a video card - and I can sell my old video card and makeup a fair portion of the difference. I spent $215 on my video card but I could sell it for $120 and buy a nicer one for $200 and only be out $80 and have a better video card. You can't do that with consoles unless you consider selling a last generation console to make a difference between a new one - but that will never be such a small number. Selling a used PS2 to pay for a PS3 before it came out would be lucky to save you $100 off the price tag.

But people like you sit on your little high chair of console gamer casualness and think you're better than us PC gamers because you supposedly are smarter for paying more money for a shitty built pre-made computer. Haha, right have fun with that. When your computer breaks because you downloaded something and got a virus don't ask us for help (But you always do anyway).

TylerC:

educatedfool:

vdgmprgrmr:
snip

This guy speaks the truth, the majority of the innovation is in the indy games, they put alot of effort into them and take many ideas off the community who support them.
Really the only game I am playing at the minute (apart from the odd bout of UT3) is Men of War, most of you probably haven't heard of it, it is criminally under-rated but I can't say this is a bad thing, if it attracted the masses it would end up being dumbed down and it would lose it's appeal to me.

Yeah exactly, but a lot of indie games that may have price tag are pirated, and that is absolutely killing games, like one of my favorites, World of Goo. Damn near one of the best games I've ever played.

I think maybe you didn't read the "snip" part up there. The point I was making was that developers not getting money for making games has practically no effect on whether or not games on the PC will continue to exist, or even continue to be any good. Some of the best, most influential games in the world are free.

People who shout about how game developers can't write games if people don't give them moneys are stupid. I've shown that game developers do write games without reimbursement, and can write good games without reimbursement.

Piracy will never kill gaming, ever.

The only thing piracy will kill is big game corporations, and if I have the opportunity to kill those, I'll take it in a heartbeat.

Fine by me. All PC gaming has gotten me is a bunch of elitists who think they're better because they upgrade their computers every week.

Bocaj2000:
I am more than guilty of pirating. However, that's ONLY because I'm in highschool and I don't have a job. When I have a job, I have no need to pirate other than to use as a demo. Once I work up the cash, I do plan on going to game stop weekly, as I've done in the past.

Bull. Every person I know who has ever said that, then got money, continued pirating games. Why? Because they were free.

I never pirate games myself. I think it's wrong, if you owned a business, then some one came in and stole your products, would you be mad?

The things killing PC gaming is all the elitism. I'm pretty sure by now, everyone is fed the fuck up with all the "1337 PC us3rs" talking so much shit.

I don't download games, but I do obtain them for multiplayer at lan parties.

I'm not proud of it, and I always tell myself I'll buy it if I like it, but I never do.

When I get a credit card though, I'll start buying stuff off steam. I guess at least I've purchased all my Valve games legitimately so far! The Orange Box was the best deal of my life.

Well I pay for my own games, and I don't see what's so damn hard about it for everyone else. If you can afford a good gaming computer you can certainly afford a few games, and it's not like you need every single new release 2 weeks before it comes out. Still can't? Get-a-job.

On Steam alone you can get CSS and TF2 which will keep you occupied for months at only $20 apiece (even cheaper when they have discounts).

The Bandit:

Ahhpple:
btw building a computer isn't expensive, you could build a solid machine today for around the same price as a console and it would last you a good three years at the very least.

Shit like this really, really pisses me off. Do you people not go outside? Not everyone knows how to build a computer. Not everyone knows someone who can build a computer. In fact, I'd say a vast majority of people don't know either of these things. Even if it were true, your argument is still shit. A console lasts 5+ years (and the current generation is expected to last longer). You said a good computer can last 3. Why bother?

I agree, not everyone knows how to build a PC, BUT, its extremely easy to get a good dell thats really capable, and then from there its easy to upgrade for cheap. and computers last a lot longer than 5+ years, if people actually, dare I say, TAKE CARE OF IT FOR ONCE. THe possibilities are endless, great controls, mods, lag free dedicated servers, no bullshit payin extra for internet that you already have, you can browse the internet, take advantage of mouse and keyboard, watch movies and play music, all from ONE MACHINE, GOOD LORD! instead of having a laptop and an xbox, which is expensive combined

Kalezian:
~SNIP~ I also find it odd that people think that I actually care. I was simply stating that a majority of the games in that picture also are on the console.

My post wasn't refering to you, it was refering to him.

WickedSkin:

~SNIP SNAP~

Deshara:
He said dying, not dead.

It kind of occurred to me...

Why aren't console gamers pissed off about no mods, custom maps and such? No dedicated servers? You also have to pay MORE money for 1/4 of the product we usually get. Only because you accept the removal of such grand things doesn't mean we have to. Only because you accept being treated like dogs -or more precisely- a pack of lobotomized monkeys, doesn't mean we have to. Seriously they treat you pretty badly and charge you more for a lot less content.

Mods, custom maps, custom models and such are AMAZING things. It's pretty much been the standard of any PC release. It's the way it should be. Developers are also cutting the games down these days and sell parts as "DLC" and people are stupid enough to support this? Seriously they are all bitches. Whatever happened to "more bang for your buck"?

UGC and proper dedicated servers is what makes PC gaming better then console gaming. We'd like to keep the possibility of UGC and we'd love to see console gamers get it to. You'd love it.

Todays gamers are really really weak :/ Either that or apathetic.

I'm consistantly perplexed by this notion that PC gaming is better for mods and console commands. You claim that I will like it better if Consoles allowed mods and dedicated servers while failing to realise that I, along with most of my other gamer friends, have tried our multiplayer games online and have found that the ability to hack a game was, in fact, not a selling point, and instead traded ours in for the console version. Basically, the way we see it, we think it's fair to pay ten extra dollars for the same game if it ensures that there are no crappy dedicated servers that lag and are filled with hacked players.
Me and 4 of my friends bought L4D for the computer, played it, got fed up with the constant presence of Speed/Aim hackers, and decided we prefer our games without dedicated servers, mods or console commands, because if we're going to pay more than 40$ for a game, we want a game that's been built by proffesional game designers, not one that was built by proffesional game designers and then broken by anybody who knows who to hit ~ and copy/paste the aimhack that ruins the point of playing in the first place.

EDIT: tl:dr: I don't want to control my own experience. That's why I play games like Call of Duty and Left 4 Dead. In most games, you have very little control over what you can do, leaving players only the ability to influence the events and to influence other gamer's experiences, and that's a good thing. Give too much control and there's not much fun in playing, but what's worse is making a game in which all control of your experience is given to the people who aren't interested in your experience being enjoyable, which is what all the "benefits" of PC gaming are.

In the future, I wonder if having miniature keyboards for consoles will be commonplace. That should entice a few PC gamers.

Never pirated a game, for PC or console, in my life and I never will. Besides pirates are overrated, I prefer ninjas.

Syndef:
In the future, I wonder if having miniature keyboards for consoles will be commonplace. That should entice a few PC gamers.

controls isn't the biggest thing for the PC, its mods. we have xbox controllers for the PC yet no console gamers switched, same with the PC gamers. PC gamers are more complex and require more then mere controllers to entice them.

I hate it when people say "I pirate games I wouldn't pay for anyway." If you aren't going to pay for it, you should not get to play the game.