[PLUG] Linux Gaming

Greetings folks,

I’ve been lurking on this Linux e-mail list and others and others for a few months, and have decided to stand up, say hello, and have a conversation. Hopefully this is not a conversation this list is sick of talking about.

I have a serious illness – I love video games, especially the elaborate, commercially developed video games typically only released for Windows. I’ve experimented with gaming on Linux via Wine and/or Crossover with limited success, and often find myself “giving up” and pulling out the Windows CD so I can enjoy these games. I’ve attempted this challenge a few times off and on for the last couple years, and thinking about doing this again.

What I would like to ask the list is what is your experience with “Windows” games on Linux? I know I’m not alone with the frustration tied to Windows gaming, but I’m curious if anyone can share any success stories or their experience with the following.

WINE - (“Out of the Box”) ß Most frustrating for me

Codeweavers ß Helped “idiot proof” WINE for me, but has limited support for games

Cedega – (Apparently now, called “GameTree?” – Never tried first hand – List of supported games no more impressive than Codeweavers)

Virtual Machines (VirtualBox/VMWare) ß Is the performance on this any good? This my favored option for my next attempt.

I would very much enjoy ditching Windows for Linux full time. I use it on my home servers, firewall, and at work and love it. I would like nothing better than to demote windows to a VM running on top of Ubuntu just to play a video game or use a stubborn VPN Client/Office type application with no hope for linux support.

</The Point>

I use NVIDIA graphics (Lesson learned after the very first attempt) on a fairly new ASUS gaming laptop. No, I cannot shake my Windows Gaming addition for open source alternatives J Aside from Gaming, there is very little holding me back from using Linux as my primary O/S at home. I keep hearing that it is becoming more and more feasible over time… seeking updated news and advise.

Thanks in advance for reading – Looking forward to any advice, experiences, or articles anyone has to offer.

Regards!

--Keith