PC gaming used to be defined by the hardest of the hardcore, people who built their own systems to play the latest, most advanced games. These people would regularly upgrade their PCs as needed (or desired) and would swear by their mouse-and-keyboard controls. This market is still there... but the numbers are not what they once were.
In an article we recently published, we went into all of the reasons that core PC gaming retail sales are not what they once were. While the money spent on "traditional" PC gaming might be shrinking, money spent on the PC gaming sector overall is huge. PC gaming isn't necessarily about getting the most eyeball-bleeding fast graphics card or packaged goods anymore... it's evolved into new areas. The following is a list of ways that PC gaming has risen from the ashes of retail sales.