Gaming on Ubuntu

[American_Outcast]

Don't get gamers to use it, get "normal" people to use it. Games are not what made Windows the number one OS; MS Office did that (and some shady business practices). Games only came to Windows after it became apparent that it would be the OS of choice for the average user. If we get a lot more "average users" on Linux, then maybe the game developers will look at Linux as a potentially viable platform and start making games for it.

I also suggest getting kids to use it. My 9 year old uses Ubuntu every day, even though the computer he uses has the option of booting into Windows. He is going to grow up with Linux as a standard, just like I grew up with MS-DOS and later Windows as a standard. He's already become a "Linux evangelist" to his friends. In fact, one of his friend's fathers called me a while back to ask "What is this Linux thing my son keeps talking about?" I pointed him towards Ubuntu and he actually runs it on his business laptop now (still has Windows on the home PC though).

I agree. The average user is what is important. I will keep using Ubuntu (Linux in general) and I do not want to go back to XP. But i do have an XP partition for games only. If I really want to use that game I will reboot into. Takes a minute to shutdown and boot it up. For non 3D games I use xp on my Virtual machine. So for me I have it covered. But for everything else, including many games as well, I use Ubuntu.

I am already showing people how good Ubuntu is for the average desktop user. If each one of us helps another get started on Ubuntu, then we have helped double the user base. That is a lot of people. Keep doing that every year then Ubuntu WILL catch up with MAC and Windows.

Anything is possible and within reach.

[blueshark.oo7]

The fact is that the only way that more games are going to be available for Linux is if they are made by Linux people in the first place.

Another fact is that as more good quality games are made for Linux, more people will join the opensource community.

We've got to make those games, not wait for other people to do it for us. There's been some decent tries over the years, but it's not really been anything up to the standards of other operative systems.

[prammy]

@blueshark:

As someone who supported Loki ( I bought every single game they released, even the ****** ones) unless the linux version is released in a decent timeframe it does not matter how good the game is. Most people who use Linux also have a windows partition for gaming, and they will just buy the windows version so they can play with their friends. And they definitely do not want to buy it twice.

[JM_Zen]

I agree. The average user is what is important. I will keep using Ubuntu (Linux in general) and I do not want to go back to XP. But i do have an XP partition for games only. If I really want to use that game I will reboot into. Takes a minute to shutdown and boot it up. For non 3D games I use xp on my Virtual machine. So for me I have it covered. But for everything else, including many games as well, I use Ubuntu.

I am already showing people how good Ubuntu is for the average desktop user. If each one of us helps another get started on Ubuntu, then we have helped double the user base. That is a lot of people. Keep doing that every year then Ubuntu WILL catch up with MAC and Windows.

Anything is possible and within reach.

While I agree with all the above points, I still see some wisdom in promoting Linux as a 'gamer's OS'. While this isn't currently feasible, with some tweaks to compatibility (i.e. our OS adapts to the games, rather than the games having to adapt to our OS*) it's a definite possiblity. Maybe a specialized version specifically for gaming - think along the lines of a 'Gubuntu' release.

If you can get even a small percentage of gamers on this system it would do wonders for publicising Linux to the 20-30yr old demo.

Anyway, this is my first post... so... please ignore me if my opinion is idiotic. :\


* I know very little about programming, and I know that's not simple, but surely it can be done?

[gwoodard]

Making games "compatible" with Wine or its alternatives seems counter-productive, since the whole purpose of Wine is to replicate the Windows API.

Um, the reason I asked this was to see if game companies can make a profit on games made for linux (and not have to use wine, cedega, or crossover to play) oh and apple and Windows

[gwoodard]

Making games "compatible" with Wine or its alternatives seems counter-productive, since the whole purpose of Wine is to replicate the Windows API.

The reason this question was asked was to see if game companies could make games compatible to play on linux (without wine or other "programs" )

[American_Outcast]

Anyway, this is my first post... so... please ignore me if my opinion is idiotic. :\

No opinion or idea is idiotic.

I do think, as I said in a previous post, if Linux was added to the companies that make games, they could pick up the ones who no longer buy Windows games and pick up a new market of those who would buy more games if they are made for Linux. Then they would have those who would rather buy them for Linux rather then Windows.

So profit from those they lost from not making Linux games, good ones. New customers who use Linux but aren't really interested in games right now because they are made for other OS's. Plus the those who buy Windows games but would buy Linux games instead. With the right company, the right marketing and the right visions, etc, they could make a decent profit. But first the average user needs to be targeted and, for example, Ubuntu has to be seen and known on a wider scale.

I would love to see Ubuntu TV commercials, radio ads and so on. But that would cost a lot of money but I think a some point it could be done in the next few releases if Ubuntu keeps getting better like it has been.

Yes, I dream big and see things big. Flying high is the best way to go, as long as ones feet are still on the ground.

[Henry Rayker]

While I agree with all the above points, I still see some wisdom in promoting Linux as a 'gamer's OS'. While this isn't currently feasible, with some tweaks to compatibility (i.e. our OS adapts to the games, rather than the games having to adapt to our OS*) it's a definite possiblity. Maybe a specialized version specifically for gaming - think along the lines of a 'Gubuntu' release.

If you can get even a small percentage of gamers on this system it would do wonders for publicising Linux to the 20-30yr old demo.

Anyway, this is my first post... so... please ignore me if my opinion is idiotic. :\


* I know very little about programming, and I know that's not simple, but surely it can be done?

Modifying the OS to suit the games is not really a feasible, to be honest. That's sort of what wine is trying to accomplish (trying to emulate the Windows API as closely as possible). Honestly, the resulting OS would probably wind up being more Windows than Linux.

Honestly, I think the Linux community is worth next to balls to the gaming industry. The industry is so large (money wise) and the Linux community is VERY small...and when you factor out all of the "open source only" nuts, you've got an even smaller number of people...factor out the "I'm in it for the free software" people and you're at an even smaller user group. The amount of cost-per-copy to get the games to the users would be completely absurd.

[madsmeg]

Modifying the OS to suit the games is not really a feasible, to be honest. That's sort of what wine is trying to accomplish (trying to emulate the Windows API as closely as possible). Honestly, the resulting OS would probably wind up being more Windows than Linux.

Honestly, I think the Linux community is worth next to balls to the gaming industry. The industry is so large (money wise) and the Linux community is VERY small...and when you factor out all of the "open source only" nuts, you've got an even smaller number of people...factor out the "I'm in it for the free software" people and you're at an even smaller user group. The amount of cost-per-copy to get the games to the users would be completely absurd.

I completely disagree, how would having games playable on Linux possibly make it like windows, or bring it closer? An OS is just that, an Operating System, it is something in the background that allows you to access, install and run files. All windows did was made it "pretty" and more user friendly. so you could say that all linux distro's are trying to be like windows (ofc they aren't).

And the point is yes we are "worth next to balls" in the gaming industry, and thats what we have to change, while i agree that the average user must be targeted, i do wonder, what IS an average user? What does an average user do?

[AJB2K3]

IMHO Midway ruined the UT franchise by removing the linux executable from there disks.
IMHO this will increase the amount of stolen copy's of ut traveling the web.