Mac Gaming Poll Offers Mixed Results

In a recent poll conducted by Macworld UK, 32% of respondents said they preferred to play Mac OS X native games, while 21% said they never play games on their Macs. Among those who like other avenues for their gaming, 16% preferred PlayStation 2, 9% cited Nintendo, 8% said Xbox, 7% offered up PC games on a Mac via Boot Camp, 6% said PC, and 1% noted something else. 2,432 readers participated in the poll.

Explaining why consoles hold allure, one reader said: "Gaming is a living room thing, on the Xbox, Dreamcast or Nintendo DS." Those who donit game on their Macs mostly cited a lack of time as the main reason why.

Among those who prefer a Windows machine for their gaming, on reader observed: "The games market often greatly influences a personis choice of computer and shouldnit be dismissed. I think itis one of the main reasons why PCs are preferred to Macs inside most peoples homes."

Some readers suggested that Apple get more involved in gaming, perhaps creating its own videogame console or offering a game development engine in its Xcode programming environment.