I love to use a computer both for work and play. After all, a PC is both a tool and a toy, is it not? Sure, computers were originally designed for very serious tasks such as crunching numbers for weapons, but it didn't take long for computer scientists and programmers to make a very significant discovery: Computers are great devices for gaming and other kinds of entertainment.

Now, when I tell people I like to play computer games, it's common for them to grin at me as if I'm a kid (or an idiot). I suppose the image people often have of computer gaming is that it's the past time of a ten-year-old. 

It's not true! Most PC gamers are adults, and I think it's fair to say that most of us are above average regarding intelligence and education.

So what makes computer gaming such a mature and dare I say sophisticated form of entertainment? For one thing, you need to have a good knowledge of computers to make the most of your computer games. Games are some of the most demanding forms of software, and you better have some robust hardware to run the latest games with smooth frame rates. Most games list “system requirements” on the box, and you'll need to know your computer's operating system, CPU, RAM, and graphics card video memory to make sense of those requirements. 

Another reason that PC gaming is such a mature past time is that you'll need to be able to figure the games out! PC games, unlike many of their console siblings, involve a learning curve. On some games this learning curve can be steep and you can expect to put time and effort into just learning to play. Even after all that, you'll often need to know what strategies can help you finish the game. It's common for gamers to get stuck in a game, and many of the games I've played I've never finished.

And one more thing before I go—PC and console gaming is a multi-billion dollar industry. You can make good money as a game developer. And games involve graphics, of course. Has anybody thought about how graphics can be useful for their business? 

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