If you could Game on Ubuntu, Ubuntu would take over the world.

[lylepratt]

I really mean what the title says. The fact that I can not play any game I want on Ubuntu is the only thing that prevents me from make the permanent switch on my desktop. My company owns VGPRO.com and we have a lot of contact with other gamers. Their opinions are all the same. "We'd switch to Ubuntu if only we could game!"

So, why aren't more resources being devoted to finding a free solution to the gaming problem on Ubuntu and every other linux distro?

[Naegling23]

"I cant play halo 3 on my vista machine. therefore I would never want to use vista. I mean, who would want to run something that wont run all the games I want to play? This windows thing is never going to take off unless they let you play more games"

There are games on linux. There are windows only games. There are games that run on windows and mac, but not linux. There are games that only work on playstation/xbox/wii. There are games that run on linux only. Instead of saying that you cannot play play game A on linux, start saying that games x, y, and Z are available for linux. Once you start doing that, you'll see that there really are a lot of games for linux, especially considering the market share differential. If bioshock doesnt work on linux, its because they didnt port it to your system, not that your system is broken, and if they dont want your money, then be happy not giving it to them.

[hikaricore]

... I have absolutely no trouble "gaming" /w Linux

wanna try that again?

Perhaps you and your other gamers should develop a game or a port of a game for Linux.
You could even contribute to an existing game or possibly the WINE project.

[erginemr]

It will be difficult to try and convince the professional game developers to develop games for Linux, because the philosophy behind Linux is free software (as in free speech) and some Linux users believe that all software should be open source. Dont't get me wrong: not because they favor piracy or something, but because this is the philosophy behid Linux.

On the other hand, professional game developers are trying to make money. So...

Or am I wrong? What do you think on this?

[derekr44]

Originally Posted by erginemr It will be difficult to try and convince the professional game developers to develop games for Linux, because the philosophy behind Linux is free software (as in free speech) and some Linux users believe that all software should be open source. Dont't get me wrong: not because they favor piracy or something, but because this is the philosophy behid Linux. On the other hand, professional game developers are trying to make money. So... Or am I wrong? What do you think on this?

Not entirely accurate, but close. In my opinion, it isn't the fact that Linux is free, it's the ignorance that many people have in regards to GPL as in "free". Like we say here, free as in free beer isn't the same as free as in free speech.

Take iD and Epic games for example. They have produced native Linux versions of their popular games (UT2004 & Doom) and yet they still sell them. Just because a piece of software is written for a "free" kernel doesn't mean they have to give away their games at no cost. And they don't necessarily have to give their code out either. It just has to work on Linux.

IMO, the whole Linux thing comes down to ignorance. Your standard Windows users see Linux as a world for geeks and nerds. A Mac is more chic than Linux and is more socially acceptable to them. (just mention Apple iPod or Creative Zen and see the difference in response... heck, go watch the Mac ads on TV that constantly poke fun of Windows) Your software developers see Linux as a red-headed step-child that is a world for demanding hackers. To me, it all comes down to a lack of understanding of what Linux is all about.

If people actually bought Linux-native proprietary software, I think you'd see a shift in the right direction.

[Shinbu-Otaku]

Originally Posted by erginemr It will be difficult to try and convince the professional game developers to develop games for Linux, because the philosophy behind Linux is free software (as in free speech) and some Linux users believe that all software should be open source. Dont't get me wrong: not because they favor piracy or something, but because this is the philosophy behid Linux. On the other hand, professional game developers are trying to make money. So... Or am I wrong? What do you think on this?

that is a very good point, although recently i have heard of a few 'Made for Linux' logos going on the front of game boxes, i think the new unreal tournament is one of them. This will hopefully make more games developers realise that computers arent just windows, and money can be made from any OS, just look at Mac, its not windows but still has propriety software made for it.

Once lots of paid-for software comes to linux, bill gates should fall to his knees (bit of wishful thinkin there lol)

[GSZX1337]

EDIT: Seems pretty stupid to quote someone who's post waas on the first page.

[lylepratt]

Well, my point is not that there are no games available to play under the linux platform. My point is that the game choices available that run on Linux platforms have no comparison with the game choices on the Windows platform. Obviously this is primarily due to the smaller market of linux gamers not being large enough to justify developers creating a port for the linux OS.

But, to say that the gaming environment of Linux is comparable with that of Windows is simply ludicrous.

Anyways, I am not here to rant on Ubuntu. I love linux and Ubuntu and run it on my laptop. I am simply imploring why there has not been a bigger push made for a gaming solution for linux that does not require development companies to port every game they make. Sure there is Wine and Crossover, but for the average n00b user, thats almost not even an option.

[lespaul_rentals]

Originally Posted by lylepratt Sure there is Wine and Crossover, but for the average n00b user, thats almost not even an option.

Well...I don't want to sound elitist, but is Linux really intended for the n00b users? I think any and all community is a great thing, don't get me wrong, but the only time I've ever heard of wine or Crossover being an issue was when someone was unwilling to learn. Ubuntu doesn't need any more people who install their distro and complain about all the "advanced" stuff they have to do.

There's a reason that more games are made for Windows. Obviously, a larger market share is the main reason. It always annoys me when people complain about gaming on Linux. Buy a freaking Xbox or PS3 -- or heck, even stay with Windows -- but stop whining about the selection of games for Linux. If you are going to live your life governed by PC games, I honestly don't think Linux is for you. I used to play Halo Custom Edition back in my Windows days and I got pretty good; I was part of some large, powerful clans. However, I don't use computers for gaming only, and reducing any operating system to a gaming platform is a huge offense. Computers are made to perform calculations, design and build, and increase productivity. Watching videos, playing games, browsing the web -- those are all side tasks. Consoles are for gaming, they're dedicated gaming computers.

I'm sorry if I sound rude, but threads like this kind of rub me the wrong way. If you don't like Linux because of the lack of games in comparison to Windows, Linux is not for you. You can game in Linux (openarena and Tremulous come to mind) but I think that not switching over simply because of differences in number and types of games between the two kernels means you are not enough in love with Tux.

Sorry if I come across as rude, but this thread has been done 10^10 times.

[ukripper]

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