The Rise of PC Gaming and VR

This chapter reviews computer offerings from Atari and Commodore (Atari ST and Amiga), Macintosh personal computer, changes at Apple, to the rise of the IMB compatible “clones.” Technological innovations, such as graphics and sound cards, and gaming in DOS are discussed, as well as genre pioneers like Civilization , Ultima Underworld: The Stygian Abyss , Dune II , and real-time strategy (RTS) games . First-Person Shooter (FPS) titles like Wolfenstein 3D and Doom are covered, along with breakthroughs in CD-ROM media Myst , The 7th Guest , and Wing Commander III: Heart of the Tiger. Coverage continues with Windows 95 and games such as Quake , Tomb Raider , Diablo , and the Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game (MMORPG) Ultima Online . Technologies such as DirectX, 3D Accelerator Cards, and Nvidia’s GeForce 256 are discussed, as well as games such as Age of Empires , StarCraft , and EverQuest . The chapter also reviews business models like freemium, real-time strategy pioneers, popular games like Unreal Tournament with its Unreal Engine, Half-Life , and Counter-Strike. This chapter covers Steve Jobs reacquiring Apple, the new millennium of PC gaming, bugs and patches, popular MMORPGs, Steam & indie games, virtual online worlds; has a Pro File on Will Wright; and highlights Second Life, Ailin Graef, and Jon Jacobs in popular virtual worlds. This chapter concludes with recent trends such as Twitch, cloud gaming, and virtual reality (VR).