Summary of "This Old Game Magazine Explains Why Most Games Fail Today"

Summary of This Old Game Magazine Explains Why Most Games Fail Today

This video explores the culture and history of PC gaming through the lens of a June 1993 issue of Computer Gaming World magazine. The host, Chris, uses this historical perspective to explain why many modern games fail and how the PC gaming market—especially on Steam—has remained consistent over decades. He contrasts PC gaming culture with console gaming and argues that many indie developers misunderstand PC gamers’ preferences, mistaking enduring tastes for fleeting trends.

Game Storyline & Industry Context

The video focuses on PC gaming in the early 1990s, particularly around June 1993, just before landmark titles like Doom and Myst reshaped the industry.
PC and console gaming have historically been very different cultures, with distinct game preferences and hardware setups.
The 1993 magazine highlights how PC games emphasized strategy, simulation, and complex UI-heavy games, while consoles focused more on action and platformers.

Gameplay Highlights & Genre Insights

Core PC genres:

Crafty building, strategy, simulation, and horror games dominate PC gaming culture.
These tend to be sandbox-style games with deep mechanics, complex UIs, and less linear storytelling.

Genres that don’t perform well on PC/Steam:

Platformers and puzzle platformers rarely succeed on Steam despite their popularity on consoles.
PC gamers prefer keyboard and mouse; only about 15% of Steam players use controllers, making platformers less accessible.

Popular genres on Steam (supported by Steam data and 1993 magazine polls):

Strategy and war games (including 4X and management sims)
Role-playing games (though these are hard and expensive for indie developers to make)
Action games, mainly evolved into FPS and open-world survivalcraft genres
Sports games, especially racing and simulation-heavy sports titles
Horror games, a strong but often underappreciated PC genre

Indie developers often start with platformers, but successful studios (e.g., Blizzard) tend to shift toward strategy and simulation games.

Key Tips & Strategies for Developers

Don’t chase trends; embrace PC gaming culture: Making crafty, buildy, strategy, simulation, or horror games aligns with the core PC gaming audience and is not just chasing trends. PC gaming culture has been consistent since the 1990s and likely will remain so.
Understand the PC gamer mindset: PC gamers are tinkerers who love deep customization, configuration, and complex UIs. Games should allow remapping of controls and extensive settings customization.
Platformers and controller-heavy games struggle on PC: Most PC gamers use keyboard and mouse and often lack controllers, making these genres less accessible.
Indie developers should avoid inventing new genres: New genres often fail initially; it’s better to improve and innovate within existing genres.
Presentation matters for marketing: Good screenshots, clear unique selling points, and professional submissions to reviewers are crucial.
Expect bugs and patching: Games have always been buggy; patching has been part of the culture since the 1990s.
Distribution has evolved but discovery problems remain: The challenge of too many games and difficulty finding quality titles existed even in 1993.
Historical context: PC games often drew on current events and adult themes (e.g., Gulf War strategy games, horror, and even hentai games). PC gamers tend to be older, wealthier, and more educated than console gamers.

Interesting Historical & Cultural Notes

Before Steam, games were often purchased via mail order or specialty software stores.
Early PC gaming required hardware upgrades like Sound Blaster cards and joystick adapters.
Early indie developers sometimes sold games by advertising their home phone numbers.
PC gaming culture includes gritty, grimdark aesthetics and complex UIs.
Point-and-click adventure games were once AAA showcases but declined with the rise of Doom and first-person games.
Bethesda’s early open-world games were janky but foundational for later hits.
Blizzard started with a puzzle platformer but shifted to strategy games like Warcraft.

Summary of the Magazine’s Poll Results (June 1993)

Top genres by player votes:

Adventure games (dominant at the time)
Role-playing games (popular but difficult for indies)
Strategy and simulation games (core PC gaming genre)
Action games (mostly FPS and proto-open world survivalcraft)
Sports games (simulation-heavy)

Platformers were absent or insignificant in these rankings.

Final Advice from the Video

To succeed on Steam/PC, focus on the culture of crafty, buildy, strategy, simulation, and horror games.
Avoid chasing trends or inventing new genres; build on what has historically worked.
Embrace complexity, customization, and deep gameplay.
Ignore the misconception that PC gaming trends change rapidly—PC gaming culture is stable.
Spend more time making games and less time endlessly researching or watching YouTube.

Featured Gamer & Sources

Chris (the host): Provides commentary and analysis from a historical and personal perspective.
Computer Gaming World magazine, June 1993 issue (#107): Primary source for historical data and cultural context.
References to industry figures such as John Romero (ID Software), Will Wright (Sim City), and companies like Blizzard, Bethesda, and MicroProse.
Mentions of indie developers from the 1990s selling games via mail order (e.g., “Mr. SDJ”).
Data and analysis from Steam genre statistics and user behavior.

This video is a rich, nostalgic exploration of PC gaming culture, emphasizing that many modern indie developers fail because they misunderstand the deep-rooted preferences of PC gamers—preferences that have remained stable for decades.