Linux, Come Play with Me
Is Windows the ultimate — perhaps only — digital vehicle that carries one safely through an afternoon of decent, playful distraction? Or is that yet another popular myth? And if so, would I even have what it takes to debunk this legend?
After all, my machine is a far cry from what you’d call a “gaming PC”, and my status as a gamer is so far below “n00b” that some few might even think I’m cool. Don’t. It’s just that I cannot be arsed to slouch in front of a computer for hours on end, unless I have to.
When I mentioned those (new) Linux users who reported to only still cling to Windows for the sake of gaming, I began to wonder why that may be so. Are these fellows just too lazy or ignorant to venture to new horizons or are manufacturers just too focused on catering to the biggest fish in the pond to break new ground? I decided to take a lazy afternoon to find useful answers to these questions.
When I installed and explored Fedora 36 Workstation to investigate and offer possible alternatives to Windows 11, I came across a term again I had repeatedly read before in passing, but never really given much consideration.
Steam appeared to be a gateway of sorts into the gaming world, but I couldn’t be bothered to explore that avenue further (due to my, by now, sufficiently discussed general lack of interest in the matter). Yet …
Today, I Wanted Answers
So I donned my invisible mail of fire–tempered ignorance, buckled the holster with my two trusted .90 calibre cognisance boosters around my waist, packed 100 rounds of liquefied stubbornness, and set out to negotiate the yellow brick road towards that City of Emeralds, where Valve, the generators of Steam, dwell.
I was relatively certain I would soon fall flat on the face, but having nothing to lose beats having nothing to gain hands down — every single damn time. Off I went …
Installing the Launcher and Infiltrating the Platform
Installing the launcher for the Steam software distribution service was a piece of cake. It’s available via “Software”, GNOME’s graphical user interface of the repository, and it takes up only 3.7 MB when installed.
To get anywhere, I had to register (for free). Well, then. As my screen name, I picked a character from a novel I had read earlier. Then I created a password that would take a battery of gaming computers a thousand years to crack.
(I know, immature, new–kid–on–the–block behaviour. The server won’t give a flying eff about any user’s password so long as it meets the minimum criteria. But hey, this was a once–in–a–lifetime opportunity to prove who’s the boss — soon enough, I would be humiliated, being shown to the room where they play tic–tac–toe, because that’s the farthest I would get with my emaciated yellow mare. I was bound to be ridiculed like old D’Artagnan upon his arrival in the big city, but I was set to enjoy the show, while it lasted.)
And just like old D’Artagnan, I was utterly amazed at the abundance of sites this big city provided. Lacking experience in the field, I had not even thought about obvious details such as what genre I should turn to. The choice of categories was overwhelming, to say the least.
While I still mulled over a reasonable way to narrow down the possibilities to remain managable inside of the timeframe I had set for this quest, I realised that I had another impediment: I didn’t know the lingo.
It’s fairly obvious what sort of games the “First–Person Shooter” and “Third–Person Shooter” category comprised respectively, and the likes of “Adventure RPG”, “Simulation”, or “Dating” didn’t require more than easily bearable guesswork, but where, for Pete’s sake, would “Grand & 4X”, “Turn–based”, or “JRPG” (to name just random examples) lead the confused wanderer?
The category that stuck out to me as the one where I might tread at least somewhat solid ground was “Hack & Slash” — only to find out that neither of these terms seemed to indicate what I had expected.
Since I had no intention of being trapped in a maze of bit and bytes like a moth in a shoe box in the back of the closet, I decided to pick the first game that would be “free to play”, require me to download less than 3 GB of data, and be not utterly hideous to look at.
Five minutes later (and about twenty minutes after I had installed “Steam”), I was playing a game on a Linux–based computer — and another two minutes later, I was already bored beyond words (probably just as much as I would be on a Windows–based gaming platform).
Yet my entertainment was not the prime objective of this quest. What I had set out to find, was the answer to the question whether or not it is possible to play decent games on a Linux–based computer.
The short answer is: “Basically, yes — and easily so (as even I managed to do it, without any preparation or experience).”
The long answer is: “It depends on a number of factors I cannot possibly anticipate.”
Will you be satisfied? How would I know? I have seen (quite reasonable) people play “Tetris” for hours on end, and afterwards being themselves again. Consequently, I deem just about everything possible.
If you’re committed to a particular game that’s only available for Windows, then you’re going to be stuck with Windows willy–nilly.
Yet if you are just interested in decent games of any one genre, Steam will most certainly provide you with plenty of options. As far as I can tell, there’s something for every age, level, technical equipment, or interest.
So, unless I have completely missed the point of gaming, I shall consider this mission accomplished.