​EB Expo debate recap: consoles vs PCs

ebexpo-debate

​I’d heard a few casual conversations about whether PC gaming is better than console gaming, and vice versa, but never a semi-formally structured debate. That was about to change, as I sat in on a session titled ‘The Great Debate: Consoles vs PCs, Which is Better?’ at the EB Games Expo in Sydney.

The host was John Robertson, and I’m not sure what I liked better: his hair, his jokes or his dandy pinstripe trench.

Representing the console side was Tara Stuart aka Tazpants, Matt Hewson from The Black Panel and esportscaster Dallas, who centred their arguments around:

  • We all have nostalgia about console games (Tazpants’s first console was a PS1, which made me feel old in my Atari/NES corner)
  • Consoles encourage a social/community spirit
  • Consoles are less detrimental to your health
  • You can fit consoles around a busy life
  • Consoles are easier to play and you can sit on the couch doing it (an excellent point)
  • Consoles are easier for people with failing eyesight and dexterity
  • The competition on consoles is fairer, as often with PCs it comes down to who has the better machine and not who has better skill.

The PC proponents were Nathan Bramley who kept reminding us he was a school teacher, actor/gamer/journo Danii Johnstone and game dev Adrian Vergara. Their arguments were:

  • PC games can be modded to awesomeness
  • It’s easier to replace parts on a PC
  • PCs break down less and are easier to fix
  • PC games are more accessible, more diverse and less expensive than console games
  • If you love controllers, you can use one with a PC
  • PC players have less fanboy extremism and fewer petty online forum wars
  • Steam

And then Danii proceeded to wrap up her argument with a gangsta rap extolling the virtues of PC gaming, complete with a backing track and a pause in the middle while we all waited for a fictional console game to load. It ended with a dramatic mic drop. I quietly fell in love.

Here’s a snippet from someone’s Vine account:

The debate was judged with the very scientific judging method: cheers from the crowd.

“Whichever side wins this debate is objectively true forever!” John Robertson announced reasonably.

The PC crowd was slightly louder from the get-go but John dragged out the cheers until our voice boxes and eardrums had been sufficiently destroyed in tandem.

The best bits included Danii’s rap, clearly, and Dallas’s comment defending console graphics: “If I wanted better graphics, I’d go outside.”

And the best bit of all: Matt explaining why console games are more convenient for new fathers.

“When you get a new bubba, you have to hold it all the time,” he explained. “That eats into your gaming time! Or… does it?” And then he used a plush toy as a temporary baby, and this happened:

matthewson-gamebaby

OMG THIS IS GENIUS. He gets to win the debate.

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