Can I Play Games on Linux?

Everyone Says Linux Can't Play Games

A common myth is that Linux and Mac cannot play games. This myth prevents some people from even trying out Ubuntu because they are avid gamers. There is some truth to this but it is not as bad as it sounds. Certain games are not playable on anything but Windows, even when using Wine. Even though there are a few that do not work, many games are able to played either natively or under Wine with a little tweaking nowadays. Along with those already released, more and more games are being released for linux distributions, especially on Steam.

Where Can I Download Games That Will Work On Ubuntu?

My favorite place to get games for my Ubuntu computer is Steam. Steam is an application that millions of people use to download, play, and manage their games. It pretty much gives your computer all the gaming features of an Xbox or Playstation. Steam will display whether or not your operating system can run a specific game in the description of the game before you download it. Even if the game cannot be run on Ubuntu, that does not mean you can't buy it and then run it on a Windows computer with the same steam account. 

In my experience, all the games that are compatible with Linux on Steam that I have played work flawlessly and I cannot tell a difference between gaming on Ubuntu, Windows, or OS X. The cool thing about steam is you can have a Ubuntu computer and a Windows computer with the same games on it and play as the same user with the same data on both computers without manually transferring any data.

If you do not know how to download Steam, you can simply enter this command into the Terminal,

sudo apt-get install steam

This installs Steam. You must agree to the license agreement when it shows up, then to run it you can either type steam into the same Terminal, or just go click Steam in the Unity Dash.

*When using Ubuntu 15.04, in my experience, Steam does not launch. I will update this article when I find a fix

Blog Status Update

What Has Been Going On?

I have been very busy with school and life and have not been able to give this blog anywhere near the attention I should have. Even so, there has still been new people visiting this website after all this time. This tells me I need to focus all of my attention on this blog from now on. Aiding people on the journey to Ubuntu and linux in general makes me feel much better inside than slaving away at school assignments.

What I am Going to Do

I have set a bare minimum of 5 posts a week. I am going to strive to write as many quality posts as possible. After I get everything running nicely and there are more views then I will invest in a domain name so this site can be accessed easier. I also want to help people with specific problems, so if you or someone you know are struggling with something then don't hesitate to message me or let me know in the comments and I will write a post for you.

After I get the site running smoothly and have a domain name in everything I will either design a new theme or buy one, but that is a long way off. Any suggestions are highly appreciated.

What I Want to Say to You

Thank you to those that are interested in my blog, you are the ones that I am writing for and to see people reading my articles, and hopefully learning from them, is absolutely amazing. I am going to continue writing posts geared towards Ubuntu basics, but I will also begin to include advanced topics. Again, suggestions are key so I know exactly what you all want to see.

Thanks Again,

   -Liam