Feral Interactive Wish To Know Why You Game On Linux

Because its free, customisable, its in Catalan (the most important programs, the windows translation is one of the worst that I have ever seen). It's virus free. You can do whatever you want with your computer (unlike windows). Because I can use it, and I have not to format the hard drive every year.

Why do I game on linux, well the fact of the matter isn't simple i am a power user and a gamer enthusiast. So when windows 8 and subsequently xbox one came out, I was utterly appalled with microsoft that i swore off the os entirely or any console made by them. This wasn't the only reason, before microsofts handling of games and gamers has been a constant thorn in my side and the only real thing keeping me on windows was I didn't have a choice at the time, as soon as valve and other developers started moving or porting to linux I left window's permanently. I use linux because it's free and free (this does not mean we linux users are cheap less money spent on os means more money for software and hardware )as in freedom windows likes to restrict you so much and the whole smear campaign they ran against opengl ruined linux's chances at being a competitive gaming machine (though this is changing wewt). I also use linux because i have complete control instead of companies scared i might steal from them even before evidence of such conduct has come out.
nsa (or other kinds)backdoors are impossible to maintain. The os is fast, stable and a wide community support. in short i love linux and i love that games are finally coming here!

Mostly because I'd already switched to Linux, before I got into gaming.

Not that I never used Windows; I can get my work done there, and I could even play more games, but I never felt like I should have to change my habits because they apparently were against some developers' interests.
Also, like liamdawe, I get annoyed I can't change all the silly details whenever I do pay Windows a visit ;)

I game on Linux because I use Linux as my OS and it's a major pain to reboot to Windows to play a game and reboot back when I'm done.

Now, why is Linux my primary OS is a much more complex question. Mostly it's because it's free software - free as in freedom mostly, but also price. I'm a software engineer by profession, so I don't believe *all* software should be open source and free; writing proprietary software pays my bills (although nowadays it's possible to make a living writing open source) and I'll gladly pay for some software (video games being one example, specialized software like IntelliJ's IDEs another, heck even Microsoft Office but that's kinda borderline because of the shady crap they pull off with their obfuscated file formats). I honestly believe humanity would be better served by the dominant operating system being free software in the long run. Obviously that's a long ways off what with Linux's minuscule desktop market share but I still feel good practising what I preach and getting involved, if only by using it, reporting bugs and talking about it.

Linux also gives me an excellent dev environment, but if it was only about that I'd probably just have a Mac.

I did wrong.

Lemme put it more clear.
I game on Linux because Linux is my OS and I think we should all follow healthy trends which helps all marked.
Why did I pick Linux and why IMO it's healthier to everybody it's on my last post :D

I game on Linux, because I prefer that (productivity) software on which I rely is open source and thus has very likely no backdoors and a much lower risk of the system getting compromised. Why would I risk vendor lock-in if there's a viable alternative?

Additionally I like to be able to contribute and make changes to the software I use daily.

Although I am a gamer, the things I work on, enjoy and learn on GNU/Linux are more important to me. So I'm only a gamer as long as games are made available on the OS I've chosen to use.

I got sick of Windows, tried Linux for a while with dual boot.
Linux was always faster, and the only reason I still had Windows was because of games.
The pain of Windows was even worth the pain of lack of games, and ditched it.
The only reason I still use or run Windows is for work, if a paying customer "forces" me to use Windows.

Disclaimer: this was back when Windows XP was standard, or even earlier, don't recall :)
Windows 7 would have offended me far less.

I first switched from Mac to PC with Linux because I grew frustrated of :
- Having a limited *NIX environment. OS X made me discover the power of command line combined with a strong OS but didn't offer me the possibility to dig deeper.
- Their shift in target market. I had the feeling that they were no longer targeting users like myself.
- FOSS projects of course. I realised that I used a lot of FOSS software but that there were not enough on this OS.

Then, why gaming on Linux? Because it is my OS of choice. I don't see myself going back to Apple ever, and they proved me right with their increasing closure, limiting users' power over their hardware and software. I also went Microsoft several times and always hated it. That's just the way I feel it.

So yes, I have no technical reasons to explain why Linux more than anything else, it's just that it's the OS that feels the most comfortable to me. It suits my needs. The two other major OS don't.

Freedom! :D plus it's fun and sexy to use and it's very secure.
dual booted for years with windows for gaming and ever since Feral Interactive (XCOM) and Aspyr (Civ5) have started giving us awesome AAA ports I'm 100% Linux now. plus D3 and Hearthstone run great on wine... so I'm good for awhile.

Like most other people are saying, I game on Linux because I prefer Linux over Windows or Mac.

Of all these operating systems, Linux is the only one that seems to understand there is more than one definition of "user friendliness"
The alternatives seem to think the only definition of it is from the perspective of people who have no clue what they are doing, and everything is designed around that.

Linux lets me do things in much more efficient ways, and in the exact ways that I want them to be done, it lets me have better control over the system as a whole, and its approach toward installing software is very logical and clean (i.e. use a package manager to find everything from a trusted source, rather than having to just google for random websites to give you the software you want and just crossing your fingers it isn't malware)

Linux displays the quality difference that you often see when comparing something created purely for money, and something created as a labor of love.

Well, since I don't have twitter, I can answer on here.

My initial reasons for using Linux were mostly political since I am very politically minded. I didn’t like the idea of one company (Microsoft) having a monopoly over something as important as computer operating systems and on top of that, do a terrible, terrible job of it. Most people at this point may switch to Apple, but honestly if I had to choose between the two, I would choose Microsoft over a company which uses fashion and planned obsolescence to exploit human vanity and stupidity creating a buy and throw away culture where today's shiny new product (made in a Chinese gulag) is tomorrow's landfill. So Linux seemed like the logical choice, and it also intrigued me a lot.

Probably after the first two months of using Linux (circa 2008), I stopped dual booting Windows completely and have never used it since. I love gaming, but at this point also started to enjoy tinkering with Linux and had fun getting games to work through wine, encountering issues, resolving them. Also trying out open source games and stuff like SCUMMVM.

I guess after a while, I got bored of that and just wanted stuff to work, but luckily Humble Bundle and Steam came along so I could play lots of games natively without having to wrestle with Wine and often fail.

The reality is, I would never go back to Windows. I have tried using Windows 8 and just get angry and how rubbish it is, and don't get me started on OSX. I even installed Linux on the office computer I used a few years ago because I didn't want to use Windows even in a work environment. I guess it is kind of a fanboyish commitment to something (even though I don't like to admit it), but only to a limited degree since the reality is that it is better and we should all be using Linux (or at least open OSs) - I'm not saying Linux would solve world hunger, but the world would be a better place even if only state sectors used it. Beyond that, although I do believe in Intellectual Property (more so for games than films and music), I think that it would benefit everyone more if the tools used to create that IP were free and open.

What it comes down to is that I love Linux and I love gaming. I buy WAY more games now that there are native Linux games than I used to on Windows or consoles, simply because at the moment I still can't get over the fact that all this stuff is on Linux - it's like getting a game, but also getting to support something you believe in and give a thank you to companies who respect that. Now that Steam is on Linux, I will never buy a console again, and I guess even if the games went away, I would still use Linux and continue to find workarounds like before.

Thanks for XCOM!!

EDIT: I understated the reasons why I think it's a better OS (centralised package manager, speed, stability, choice, etc.) but plenty of others have done that, so I'll just second what they said.

Also, please port Bioshock Infinite, I will make you a cake if you do (learn how to bake first too).

Sort of new to the whole Linux gaming thing, I have been frustrated with Micro and wish Apple was a little more open with their hardware choices. That being said my main machine runs all 3 with the latest addition being Ubuntu w/ KDE or I guess KUBUNTU. I use a multi-monitor solution and the Unity Bar was driving me nuts in the middle although there were several things I liked about Unity that I think does better than KDE.

As far as gaming on Linux. I wanted to see if I could game for a year (minus my MMOs since I didn't really want to go down the Wine Road) without too much trouble. It's been a fun experiment going on about 4 months now or so. I find that I flip to either OSX or Win7 less and less. With my last reboot was only to patch and play a little LOTRO, before that it had been over a month ago.
There were many things that sparked this idea, but one of them was SteamOS and the idea of gaming without DX (which I know Micro will require everyone to update to 9 comes to have access to DX12.) OpenGL has made some great strides over the last few years and wanted to see how it was progressing hands on compared to DX11. Now I have had to jump through a few hoops to get some things to work, but it's been fun and relearning computing has been exciting since I have haven't really had to do any of that since my Amiga days. I know that is isn't for everyone, but since I'm an IT Professional by trade it's been exciting to get through those hoops. Now I'm even considering trying out Wine to see what else I can get to work ;-)

Sorry little lengthy...sum up
1. Frustrated with Micro and their lack of PC Game Support (The Company not Windows although frustrated with Windows too for other reasons ex. Win8).
2. Wanted to try more Open Source Stuff.
3. Have enjoyed my experimenting and continue to do so.
4. Linux is Solid and open hardware...no BSDs.

Guys, I love GamingOnLinux.

I Never had a desire to create an account, but today that changed.

I am writing not only for Feral Interactive, but for all companies that insist on not see Linux as a operating system viable for game development and programs.

I play games on Linux for several reassons:

1. My favorite OS. Use since 2008. After I discovered Linux distributions, it became difficult to use another operating system (especially Microsoft Windows).

2. I hardly find some problem, everything works perfectly.

3. safe, fast and stable.

4. Great diversity of graphical interfaces (KDE, Gnome, Unity, LXDE …)

5. Distributions for all tastes.

6. Open source development. I like it and believe it.

7. I can install it on as many machines as I want and repeatedly. Goodbye problems with licenses!

8. Free (a great thing, who doesn't like that? But I usually make donations for my distribution).

9. I'm a game developer. Linux is where I program, have fun and I am happy!

I am very much someone who feels I own my computer. A Microsoft or Apple OS would feel like they own my machine.

I had a virus on Windows XP back in 2011. A real baddie, the type where my hosting company informed me that my machine was attacking them.
Luckily my AV had informed me about it a day earlier and I was proud to tell the hoster that I had wiped my hard drive and installed Linux on it. (That's what you're supposed to do with a virus; not delete the thing and think you're good. Wipe the whole system, it's compromised.)

I kept dual-booting to a fresh XP install for gaming.
Log out, dis-connect ethernet, log in to XP, game.
That routine didn't cut it for long and I found myself gaming less and less frequently.
That until Desura, HB, and Steam showed up.
Windows was banned on my computer for good and I can't imagine any scenario where that will change.

My reason is straightforward, I avoid closed source OSes, and Linux has the best support for gaming amongst the open ones.

Worms, viruses, and trojans ate my last Windows computer, so I couldn't play games anymore. I had all the top firewalls, virus-scans, etc. updated and working, all for nothing because the malware was in a part of Windows that not even the Windows repair techs could access, and you could never ever see even at the highest level of administration permissions (a sort of Nevernever land). Programs claimed to be able to remove it for a high price, but it never really worked, broke everything, and sometimes even added more malware (to support their own business). There were also numerous hack attempts. Windows by itself cost a fortune, cost a fortune to maintain, cost a fortune to repair, cost a fortune to add any useful programs (Powerpoint Pro), and the security was equivalent to keeping out a T-Rex with a paper door, constantly patched up crappily, and with even mouse-holes you could never find. The Windows computer slows down over time each day, and you have to reinstall Windows pretty often because it slows down with overall use (likely memory leaks and loading up with junk somewhere). Random crashes that provide almost no info as to what's wrong get more frequent over time.

I was forced to switch to Linux. I've forgotten to put a firewall and check for malware on Linux at times, and everything went fine. No problems. Of course I try to not forget those things nowadays. Everything runs smoothly and consistently. No slow-downs, even after leaving the computer on for days. I might miss out on many games, but they're getting worse and worse anyway, and it's not like I could play them on Windows anyway. I know much more about what's going on, and there's plenty of documentation and support, as well as many program alternatives, often open-source, all free. It's so free, it makes me want to pay! I have access to all parts of my computer and I know what's going on. There are no significant memory leaks (I don't have to clear any cache or RAM, unlike on Windows), no random unexplained crashes (except in Wine and badly-programmed games).

Why in seven hells would anybody choose windows now that we can play on linux?