No more Games only for Windows!
"Games for Windows is a discontinued brand owned by Microsoft and introduced in 2006 to
coincide with the release of the Windows Vista operating system. The brand itself represents a standardized technical certification
program and online service for Windows games, bringing a measure of
regulation to the PC game market in much the same way that console
manufacturers regulate their platforms. The branding program was open to
both first-party and third-party publishers." as we informed from Wikipedia for GamesforWindows.com that is a no working link anymore.
But this is not a reason for the declaration of the gaming for Linux era, right? Right! The reason is this announcement below.
So, the famous Battleye anti-cheat software will officially support the Linux games with its protection and for this reason many Linux gamers including me, we think that now* it is starting the gaming era of Linux while there is already a huge catalogue of games on google play store for android that is basically fork of Linux. Someone will say that this makes no sense and we are all fools to think that it is now this moment and not some years before when for example google launched the play store and everybody started playing the games on android that is a fork of Linux. No offense dear google but i disagree.
PC is the heart and Gaming Developers the brain of video gaming
Let me explain why many we think it is now the moment of the start of the Gaming on Linux Era.
What are gamers playing ? Video Games. => Who are creating these Video Games? Gaming Developers. => What machines these Gaming Developers are using to create these games ? PC . => What OS are they using ? Depends from the target OS. For smartphone games a PC with Android SDK, for games only for Windows they are using Windows OS, for games for Apple Games, they are using Apple OS and for games for Linux a Linux Distribution. In conclusion, all video gaming developers are using a PC, and most of the times a powerful PC!
So, without gaming developers the games can't exist and without PC machines, games can't be created. This is the reason why the PC will be always the heart and Gaming Developers the brain of video gaming** and for any game included the embedded games on specific H/W since the programmer and the game is stored on developer's PC!
Since we made clear that the video games couldn't exist without gaming developers and their PCs i shall prove why it is now the moment of the Start of Gaming on Linux Era.
All old-school Linux gamers know that the reason many games for windows couldn't be played on Linux via Wine emulator was always the compatibility problem of the drivers of the anti-cheat programs that the games are using to stop the cheaters. This compatibility problem with drivers is the reason that many games for windows can't be played on Linux and only the games that don't have client side anti-cheat software that loads a driver (a windows driver) can be played on Linux without problem with Wine emulator. This is why almost all mmo can be played and all fps games can't be played on Linux with Wine because they are using client side anti-cheat programs.
If you check the Top 100 apps of catalogue of the Wine Emulator and wine's discussion boards you will realize that the reason your beloved Windows game or App can't be played/run on Linux is that the emulator couldn't pass/trick the anti-cheat protection or any other service that needs the app to run.
Of course we should say that the Battleye's announce wasn't the reason but the cause to start the Gaming on Linux Era because the biggest host of PC games that is the Steam announced its own gaming H/W system that is very promised (Steam Deck) and it is based on Linux too (SteamOS) and Steam already started checking the compatibility of the games on Steam Deck. So, after the main problem of windows games from not playing on Linux stepped aside, i don't think we can see any windows game that can not be played on Linux in the near future.
I am not saying that Steam Deck will have success (it depends from players if they adopt it and the company if supports the project) but a big problem for gaming on Linux seems to be solved and when the majority of home/tourist networks around the world be gigabit, Linux implementations like the very promised Google's Stadia that is server side gaming on Linux servers and with minimal H/W on client side, gaming on Linux will dominate the video game market!
Personally i am not big fan of these anti-cheat programs because i don't believe these types of software including the antivirus should run as service on the client because they create unnecessary performance problems to Our Gaming H/W like these problems MS Antivirus created to my PC as you can read here and since these applications are running on our gaming PC nothing can stop cheaters from disable/neutralize them. Exactly what a cheater did on PUBG this week, who bypassed all the 4 anti-cheat programs and won the game, as i wrote on this raged post the human report was more effective than 4 anti-cheat programs together on client-side. 7 people watched and reported him/her (me too) and the anti-cheat programs allowed him/her won the game!
Embrace your self with great courage dear gaming developers and try to abandon the Windows habits that games need admin rights to run.No, they don't need Admin Rights. User home and User permissions on Linux are more than enough to run all games including the drivers of the anti-cheat software!
*On September 23, 2021 (before 1 month) Epic officially announced Easy's Anti-Cheat Support for Linux including native builds and Wine + Proton too. So, with Battleye support the Support to Linux for games completed!
** Also,Video Games are the Body and Gamers are the blood of Gaming that gives life to Video Games!
