I fancy myself a bit of a game historian, but even I have to admit that I sometimes have to drag myself to older PC titles. I definitely don't discard them out of hand, but I think many console gamers could stand to be a little more open-minded.
The strongest and most common argument for why many console gamers don't play PC games is because they don't own computers powerful enough to run newer titles. But that reason flies out the window in the case of old-school and low-end PC games. What's left standing are flimsy excuses that recent developments in PC gaming easily annihilate.
If someone wants to have a broad knowledge of gaming, I don't think they can afford to completely ignore the Windows platform. This is especially true now that so many of this generation's most popular franchises find their roots in PC gaming.
Everyone saw BioShock as such an eye-opening experience when it came to the Xbox 360 because they hadn't played System Shock 2. That game accomplished many of the same things -- if in a less refined way -- eight years earlier. PC gamers were getting experiences like 2K Boston's classic back when console gamers were still busy with PlayStation Final Fantasys and the original Medal of Honor.
The same could be said about many aspects of Fallout 3, Mass Effect, and Dragon Age: Origins, and I have a feeling that something similar might happen with Deus Ex: Human Revolution. Many console fans haven't played (and aren't willing to play) the original Deus Ex. That 2000 title allows for a variety of open-ended approaches that are unmatched by recent first-person efforts.
And it's not like these games are inaccessible because they run on an archaic platform like DOS. Games like the first two Fallout titles, the original Deus Ex, and Baldur's Gate are still great. They feature few compatibility problems with Windows Vista and 7, and people can acquire them easily.
The whole "PC gaming is too complicated" argument is also starting to lose its validity because of digital distribution. Putting a game in and immediately knowing it will run is the cornerstone of console gaming, but services like Steam and Good Old Games have streamlined the PC experience to almost the same level.
You get the Steam client -- which is no more difficult than installing iTunes -- and buy a game just like you would on Xbox Live. It downloads and installs automatically. The only step Good Old Games or Direct2Drive might add is double-clicking an executable, which you would do for any program you install.
Good Old Games is a sure bet for fantastic and historic gems that your low-end computer will run. Nothing on the site is more recent than the PlayStation 2 era.
I can see not wanting to play a game with old graphics. But if you're willing to play old-school console titles, you're really just making up excuses. If you're interested in increasing your knowledge of the medium, then the platform really shouldn't be an issue. Classic games are classic games.
The only argument I can think of that might be valid is that a someone raised on consoles might not like playing games with a mouse and keyboard. They also might not enjoy sitting in a chair close to a screen.
Unfortunately, a lot of the PC's classic games don't really work on a controller, no matter how hard you try. But hey, would you really want to contort the interface of something like Fallout 2? This is the same mentality that causes people to miss out on a lot of great portable experiences solely because they don't like that set up.
Honestly, if you have the means to experience a great game, you should at least investigate it. A lot of classics most gamers can run on their computers are out there...people just don't know it yet. Furthermore, many of them do things you don't see on consoles or, at the very least, were influential on the tropes people enjoy now.
Refusing to play a PC game just because it's a PC game is no better than console fanboyism. It's tantamount to willful ignorance.
