So I constantly hear people saying, “I can’t play that game. My computer doesn’t have an advanced graphics card.” I also hear, “I’ve had my computer for a couple years. I don’t think it can handle that game.” And I absolutely love this one, “I don’t know what my computer has in it, so I don’t think I can play games on it.” Really, people? Really?
I often find myself telling people to play certain PC games—despite the fact that I’m not really a PC gamer myself—only to get excuses like the ones I mentioned above. And while the lack of advanced technology does make it impossible to play some of today’s high-end PC games, most computers can handle a 1998 classic. That’s right, I’m talking about StarCraft.
I’ve told people in the past to play StarCraft only to get some lame excuse about how their hardware can’t handle it. Since purchasing StarCraft for my PC just last week and seeing that my computer—which has the basic hardware it came with when I bought it—can indeed handle StarCraft, I’ve been pushing my friends to play the game even more than before. And guess what. I still get the excuses.
Literally moments before installing StarCraft onto my computer, I sent an instant message to my friend. This guy’s a computer science major, and he knows all sorts of computer stuff. So I asked him, “Hey, dude, will my computer be able to handle StarCraft. I mean, I know I don’t have any advanced stuff on here, but it’s a 1998 game.” He responded, “Yes.” That’s all I needed to know.
See, I have a pretty good computer, but my graphics card isn’t really good. To quote my computer guru friend, it’s really more of a “graphics chip.” So yeah, I don’t have advanced technology on here, but I am still able to play StarCraft. So why won’t any of my other friends?
Maybe it’s fear. Fear of trying something new. Fear of getting really into an awesome game. Perhaps they have genuine fear that they’ll shell out the cash for StarCraft and their computer really won’t be able to handle the game, thus requiring them to either put the game on the shelf and forget about it or spend even more money on a graphics card. I really don’t know.
All I know is that excuses run rampant throughout the PC gaming community. I’ve heard many of them first-hand, and I’ve heard many through other sources. But seriously, when it comes to StarCraft, the excuses need to stop. Obviously, you don’t need great technology on your computer to play this wonderful game, so don’t use the “I need a better graphics card” excuse. Better yet, don’t use any excuses. Just go play StarCraft now. You won’t regret it. And yes, you’re computer can handle it.
