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Tuesday 11 September 2012

Mac Gaming: How It Changed Over The Years

By Mathew Jonathally


More than a decade ago, finding a game playable on Macs would likely result only to disappointment mainly because in those days such games were scarce. While Apple has become well-liked for the clean design and the straightforward operation of their different computer offerings, the closed hardware architecture and limited customization possibilities made building games for it considerably difficult.

Apple's rigid mindset to computer development has also prevented many gamers from getting a Mac. One other reason why Macs really were not viewed as a serious gaming platform is that it was only in the early 2000s when Apple made a decision to replace their PowerPC processors with Intel-based ones and introduced multiple button support for mice and dedicated graphic cards which have long become de facto standards for computers running Windows OS since the gaming industry boom in the Nineties.

Macs have been thought of as generally superior at graphics, producing animation, and editing assorted media compared to Windows-based computers , so a lot of gamers felt that it was such a waste that it was inferior in terms of gaming. Fortunately, Apple has been developing new Macs that are now capable of running games. For example, Apple has provided Boot Camp with their OSX 10.4 Tiger release that allowed end users to partition their computers and use a Windows OS and hence enjoy the best of both worlds - an intuitive and visually-appealing Mac and the excellent customization opportunities of a Windows system.

The creation of Steam service, which delivered an incredible library of casual and advanced games for Mac, has also elevated the appeal of Macs as a gaming platform. Some game builders are also taking notice and have built games which are natively playable on Mac. There are also games otherwise only available for Windows PCs that are ported to Mac via third-party porting houses which include MacPlay.

Nowadays, one could already find flight simulator made for Macs which in the past were only accessible to PC owners. The good thing about these simulator games is that they give people an ability to try an activity they otherwise do not have the resources to try out in real life, such as flying a plane or operating a race car. Like those games that can be run on Windows computers, these simulator games provide an assortment of missions with primary and secondary aims.

Brick and mortar retail stores still allot a small shelf space for for Mac games though because Mac gaming is not yet as prevalent. That said, if you want to play flight simulators for Macs, your best bet would be to download from the Internet through Steam and other niche websites that offer these titles at no cost or for a fee.




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