Chapter 7. Gaming with Linux
IN THIS CHAPTER
Gaming in Linux
Playing open source games
Running commercial Linux games
Playing Windows games in Linux
Every type of PC gaming is available now with Linux. Whether you are looking for a solitaire game to fill time or a full-blown online 3D gaming experience, you will have dozens (or hundreds) of choices on the Linux desktop.
Although some companies, such as ID Software (Quake) and Epic Games (Unreal Tournament) have done work to port their games to Linux, others have used third-party developers (such as RuneSoft) to port commercial games to Linux. Independent games developers, such as Frictional Games (http://frictionalgames.com) and Introversion Software (www.introversion.co.uk) are now producing high-quality gaming experiences in Linux. Linux clients for commercial online gaming, such as EVE Online (www.eve-online.com), are also available.
This chapter provides an overview of the state of Linux gaming today. It describes games that were created specifically to run in Linux, and explains how to find commercial games that run in Linux (either with a Linux version or running a Windows version along with Windows compatibility software, such as Cedega).
Jumping into Linux Gaming
If you have a Linux system running and want to get started playing a game right now, here are some suggestions:
Check the Games menu — Most Linux desktop systems come with a bunch of games already installed. If you are running either a GNOME or KDE desktop in Linux, select ...
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