How does it look like?
- Are we gonna see wolfenstein3D-like revolution in near future?
- Will larrabee make big changes?
- Will gp-gpu make a huge impact?
- Will MS and it's directx start to become less and less important and will we maybe see something like 3dfx again?
I'm sure we'll see something pretty big in near future. I don't know what it is or how will it happen, but i can feel that almost everybody realized that something IS wrong at the moment and that PC gamers don't want situation like this. I think that piracy doesn't have anything to do with it.
Do you see MS distancing even more from PC gaming, or you think that will change?
I could write random thoughts for hours, but the point is that i'm worried about the future of REAL PC gaming (not any type of pc gaming, we'll allways have that, so this is not one of those "death" threads). I'm talking about pc gaming that we all fell in love with decades ago.
Gaming became mainstream, so we can't expect the results from golden age where a few gamers and pc enthusiasts made a game for a few hundred dollars in a garage. it's a different world, but i think mtv-hollywood path isn't right choice for pc gaming.
I really appreciate opinion of everyone here - this and few other pc-gaming-hardware forums could really be called home of hard-core pc gamers. You can't find that kind of people ANYWHERE else, period. So thanx....and sorry for not-so-good english....

So... you can FEEL a change? I do too, when I'm on the shrooms.
I see PC gaming on the street, asking for change and homeless in ten years.

Apparently Cheney scared the shit out of someone here, so I'm all for equal opportunities humor.
FTR, I still work at Halliburton.

Revolution of the distribution market. Like the one they keep saying will come and never does.
Piracy, rampant as ever. A resurface of Star Force maybe?
As far as the state of PC gaming economy, still booming because I still think there are still honest pirates out there that do the "Try before you Buy" credo.

Digital Distribution will take the lead in sales.
Invasive DRM drops away, is replaced by various authentication methods from DD clients and removed completley on older (1 year) titles. Piracy levels remain the same.
You'd be mad for including a Single Player component.
Flash/Casual games will make up the majority of released titles.
The indie scene will become less indie as production values and methods of distribution and marketing rise.
AAA big budget titles will be reduced to ports and a tiny number of PC orientated studios.
Larrabee and GPGPU will not make the impact it hopes, high end hardware continues to push the shiny stuff. Unless onboard graphics really get a huge amount of power behind them. But in an era where Flash games rule, is this important?
DirectX continues its hold, though will be rebranded a few times.
Linux and Mac gain greater compatibility, the windows lock in is less apparent.
Social 2.0 Gaming takes off, but attachment rate is still short.
Interactive gaming takes off. A mix of Social2.0 community content where the 'studio' just provides the game engine. (Also, check out Rainbows End by Vernor Vinge for an interesting idea of gaming/world mashup)
World of Warcraft is still running thanks to the latest expansion.
We are still waiting for Duke.

In the past 5 years, console manufacturers have done so well that even self-confessed "PC gamers" now have 1-3 consoles. There's no point in developing big-budget games for the PC when your target audience would rather play it on their PS3.
For this reason, I see the PC gaming scene in 5 years as a struggling independent games market, with most of the big dollars going into consoles or flash/java games.
20 years ago, the big titles were for the Amiga or NES, and the PC was little more than a playground for small-time game developers. It would not bother me in the least to see it go back that way. It might even inspire me to contribute.

Hi.
I'm more concerned with the evolution of digital distribution and all the associated nonsense that comes along with it (locks, pricing, release dates, etc.)
Also a bit concerned with everything that's being done under the 'Fighting Piracy' banner. DRM, activations BS, customer's rights being crapped all over, you know, the usuall.
In 10 years from now i see all of this exactly the same or worst unless gamers can stop thinking about themselves for a minute as just gamers and start realizing that they're also citizens/consumers with rights. Bitching about not being able to play a game for whatever reason is all fine and dandy, but bitching about our rights is slightly more important. Best way to make a point ? Our wallets / CCs.
As for evolution in how games are made, i don't care. There will always be talented people around with something to say, and that's the 'main ingredient' really, regardless of CPU/GPU wars or any similar tech cliffhanger.
Yeah. Me.
And capfitz, do you really have to mention...THE NAME? It scares me too.

What? I have one-to-three consoles? Where are they and when are you going to give them to me? ;P

In five to ten years, the line between PC and console gaming will be .. gone.
Over the last 10 years, PCs and consoles have gotten more and more alike. Consoles have gotten more expensive, PCs have gotten cheaper. PCs will interface with your television, PCs and consoles play DVDs, and blu-ray disks too now.
I forsee Sony and Microsoft dominating the "Livingroom Computer" market, and having games that will only work on THEIR system. (PC w/ two game controllers, keyboard, mouse etc. etc.)
I forsee a new wave of hackers, who exist entirely to break the coding on the games, to make them work on other systems.
I forsee Nintendo becoming a developer for the most part, other than their hand held systems. Which despite everything Sony and Microsoft do, Nintendo's handheld will always be superior.
And I also forsee the zombie apocalypse coming.

I just read an article that said 3-D gaming is coming, and I mean 3-D like the theaters, not polygonal graphics. Not that I agree with it, but I still read it.

Actually you might be on to something there because the funny lady who reads my tea leaves foresaw the exact same thing.

I think we'll see more development into realistic physics in games in the coming years.
Physics engines will reach a point where they are fantastically realistic as CPU power is ever increasing but we're sort of reaching a roof for how demanding PC graphics are with the current generation of technology.

PC gaming will never go away. As long as there are people that play games on them, there will be people that make the games.
World of Warcraft will still be around ten years from now. So many subscribers. I think Everquest has less than a million and it's been around for at least a decade. WOW is very close to peaking and will slowly go downhill.
Fewer monthly fee MMOs released. Few MMOs really succeed. Tabula Rasa, Sims Online, and Auto Assault all were shut down.
More lower budget games will be made. Popcap will rise and be a major player, if they aren't already. (My wife got Plants vs Zombies. Highly addictive.)

Me --> playing Severance, Blade of Darkness and DOSBox abandonware. As usual....