I don't like L4D

Left 4 Dead does a lot of things right. In fact it nailed the zombie survival idea in gaming form perfectly, most would say. I haven't really watched any zombie movies, but I understand their appeal, and I "get it" when I see all the film-like details added to the game series, such as the film grain, the movie posters on the load screen, and the end credits. There might be specific film references in the levels themselves and those I wouldn't be able to catch for obvious reasons. I recognize the fact that for what the L4D franchise sets out to do, it accomplishes brilliantly, in a way no other game has been able to do, almost creating a sub-genre all on its own.

The Plight of Highend Graphics

This rambling is kind of a response to a blog post by Antony Leather of bit-tech. The question posed is that of the effect of Crysis on the PC gaming industry, more specifically on the consumers whose burden it is cope with the demands of the game on their home computers. Is (or was) it a trivial matter, perhaps even a positive influence on PC gamers and the market, or was it such an unreasonable expectation on the target demographic to affect a movement of consumers away from the PC into the user-friendly arms of the current console generation?

Interestingly, a recent article on Fudzilla uses similar language in its last sentence: "No wonder gamers are turning to consoles in droves." Both entries were published the same day, and it seems unlikely that one influenced the other.

This idea that people are actually leaving the PC in favor of a more simplified gaming experience strikes me as a misguided notion. It would seem to me those who have stayed with PC gaming up to this point and for any reasonable length of time have come to terms with the fact that PC gaming involves certain obstacles and considerations that go beyond that of mainstream gaming. With gaming on a platform of superior visual fidelity, freedom, and control options, the price is that you know a little more about the technical underpinnings of the the hardware and software that you're dealing with, and yes it might require some upgrading sometimes. But Crysis didn't introduce this idea anew to the market of PC gaming. When was the last time a game pushed the envelope to such levels?