Many would argue about the start and end of the golden age of PC gaming.
The age of PC gaming covers years of gaming history.
Some would argue that the golden age of PC gaming is now. With the advent of the latest technology and cutting-edge hardware carving out some of the greatest games to date. With that notion, it would be easy to say that the golden age of PC gaming is tied to the latest technology. It is cut and dry. Hardware equals better games end of story.
The nostalgic would say the golden age of PC gaming has been and gone! When the late 1980s passed, so too did the golden age of PC gaming. Modern gamers with little interest or appreciation for retro gaming may look back at this period and regard it as primitive!
When naming the golden age of PC gaming, it can be subjective, and guaranteed to raise a friendly ( and not so ) debate among retro gamers.
Based on my own experience and research.
Here is a shorthand answer on when the golden age of PC gaming was. At least, this is what I believe.
Many would regard the golden age of PC gaming as being between the early 1990s and the early 2000s. It was at this time when genre-defining games were being released such as Doom, Quake, and Half-life – all of which were ground-breaking FPS games. In the earlier part of the 1990s, graphic adventures such as Monkey Island and Myst wore a crown of being great point-and-click games for PC. It was in this age when charm, originality, and innovation set PC gaming apart from other gaming systems.
Are there multiple periods for the golden age of PC gaming?
Although many would agree that the era for great gaming on the PC was from the early 1990s to the early 2000s, I can’t wholly agree with the linearity of the question. It’s lazy to assume it was just then and there was a single grand period.
To me, there was not a single large peak, but a set of smaller peaks in the golden age of PC gaming. These smaller peaks of PC gaming prime, are a range of peaks, clustered across the 1990s, and 2000s.
When was the golden age of PC gaming | break down
To further help in finding the golden era, here are some release dates of some well-known PC games spread across three decades.
When was the golden age of PC gaming across these periods?
1980s
- Castle Wolfenstein
- Prince of Persia
- Sim City
- Dungeon Master
- Star Flight
Round up, this was an early time when games for the PC were being developed.
Although hardware restrictions prevented games from being as immersive as by today’s standards, there were still good games.
Look at Dungeon Master for the PC in the 1980’s! It was a better than lot of 8-bit graphic games of that time.
Although the 1980s was a pioneering step in PC gaming, I do feel much of the limelight was stolen by console computers.
In this regard, I cannot offer the trophy of the 1980s being the golden era of PC gaming.
In the early 1980s, the PC was predominately a business-only computer. It wasn’t until the latter end of the 1980s that PC gaming began to gain larger traction.
1990s
- Monkey Island
- Doom
- Quake 1 & 2
- Abe’s Odyssey
- Half-life
Some of the games above need no introduction. The early 1990s the late 1990s and the mid-1990s, all came out with genre-defining games for the PC.
Graphic adventures with great 2D visuals came out in the early 1990s.
There were also flight sim games like X Wing that came out in the early 1990s.
Doom, which many would regard as a FPS high-point came out in the 1990s.
And lastly, Half Life which came out in the late-mid 1990s.
For me, the 1990s was one of the golden eras for PC gaming.
It is easy to see why some gamers feel older computer games were better. But then again, I was also a child and a young teenager. To me, this was a great time for gaming.
2000’s
- Half-life 2
- Grandtheft Auto 3
- Max Payne
- Red Faction
- Doom3
The 2000s had some outstanding titles! Although many of these listed were sequels.
Although Doom 3 was a game I played, and ‘quite’ enjoyed, I can’t bring myself to say that it was great – or awesome. It was a good game but not on the same wavelength as previous Dooms.
I wonder if Doom 3 had any other title whether It would have got so much flack for being a dull version of the predecessor. Having said that, I enjoyed it enough at university to warrant making maps with it with its included level editor in my spare time.
Is this 2000s the golden era for me? Not quite, but was a good period. For games! I think it was also around this time when I started to play on my console more with friends in my student digs.
My opinion on when the golden age of PC gaming ‘actually’ was
When was the golden age of PC gaming?
PC gaming is great, I love it, and I would happily come back to it at some stage. For now, I will need to stick with my lower-spec computers sadly.
For me, I am going to hang my opinion on a certain degree of nostalgia. To some, controversially, I would say the golden age of PC gaming most from the 1990s to the early 2000s.
I have a particular fondness for games that came out in the mid to late 90s. Part of the reason being is an emotional attachment, the admiration for their originality, charm, and the various other attributes that make the 1990s great for gaming. It was a golden age for gaming.
Games were not as technologically advanced as they are today. But there’s a certain degree of authenticity, simplicity, and charm to these games that I still hold a candle to.
In my opinion, many successful games have made a rod for their own back with game formats.
It is much easier and viable for smaller studios and indie developers to make unique and original games.
For me, I have to give the golden era of PC gaming to the 1990s . There were just too many cool and unique games that came out at that time. This was an apex before console gaming and samey games became more commonplace.
When was the golden age of PC gaming | The Peaks
It could be safe to say there isn’t an absolute definitive stage for the golden age of PC gaming. It is subjective. And each to their own opinion, but I think there is a widely shared opinion when defining the golden era of PC gaming.
I don’t want to play it safe and leave it to an objective answer. The topic is fundamentally subjective.
I believe, there’s not one large grand peak in the golden age of PC gaming, but a cluster of golden peaks! What a spectacle those golden gaming peaks would be! Here is the golden PC gaming era topography.
Some smaller peaks in the 1970s. Gaming was in its infancy across the board and on PCs.
Hills of Glory in the 1980s. PC gaming started to get colour and release more graphically sophisticated games.
There are grand peaks and epic mountain ranges in the 1990s.
Some smaller peaks in the 2000s.
This illustrates the largest cluster was in the 1990s. The 1990s takes the golden crown in this age of gaming.
Other opinions from the internet | golden age of gaming
This is an opinion quote pulled from Reddit.
“Unfortunately I have to burst some people bubble here. The so called “golden era” of PC gaming is not at all subjective nor is it a factor of nostalgia. If nostalgia was concerned then I’d go with the 80’s. Anybody with any kind of critical mind is going to agree that the 90’s was doing pretty much what the 80’s started but better in every aspect, so that’s clearly not it.
The golden era was in the 90’s for two critical reasons: devs were actually making games for the passion they had of making games and sharing said passion with others, not for the sole sake of making games (which usually end up being resumed as a job just to make money). The second reason was the hardware limitation of the machines of the time which greatly pushed those devs into dwelving into originality and profoundly complex gameplay mechanics as a mean to sway customers into buying their games rather than simply focusing on shinnies and graphics. In fact I totally believe that the golden age of PC gaming ended when the focus of games were set on 3D and graphics for the sake of having better graphics over having better games…“
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