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this post was submitted on 09 Oct 2023
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Here is my attempt to answer this genuinely and in detail. To game on Linux, I think you should be able to, or willing to learn how to:
Install operating systems on your computer. There are folks that genuinely can't handle this; they use the OS installed on their computer and if it breaks they either buy a new computer, or it's a trip to the geek squad or the genius bar or their brother that "works in computers." Installing Linux on a PC is practically the same skill as installing Windows on a PC; it asks you things like how you want to partition the drives and such, you have to deal with the BIOS at least a little bit. The main difference is Linux is installed by default on comparably few computers, and even then if you buy a System76, you're going to get Pop!_OS, if you want Mint, you're going to do it yourself. So.
Learn a bit about how to day-to-day administer a Linux system. How to update the system, how to install new software, how to uninstall software. Learn how the Linux file system works and how drives are mounted onto it, things like that. It is done differently than in Windows; some of the concepts transfer over, some don't.
Not completely freak out when you encounter the terminal. I have seen people pitch a complete bitch fit at the very notion that us Linux users do occasionally use the terminal for things. Here's one thing that the terminal is really great for: Your sound isn't working, you ask about this on a forum. Would you rather have someone say "Oh yeah right click the Start button and click Preferences, go to the Devices tab, scroll down and click More Information then a window will pop up, scroll down until you see Sound Card, expand this, then for each entry in there right click, click Properties, go to the Status tab, and then type what it says in there" or "Open a terminal, type
lshw | grep -i audioand copy-paste what it spits out." The terminal is just your computer, you run programs by typing their name instead of clicking on an icon, that's all. Don't have a cow, man. Unless it's cowsay.Play the right games. I have long attributed my success with gaming on Linux in large part to my tastes happening to align with game availability on the platform. I like small studio/indie projects, I like nerdy creative/problem solving/building games, so I play stuff like Zachtronics games and Factorio, and wouldn't you know it those folks tend to release Linux native builds, or their Windows-only games run great in Proton. I play practically no "AAA" games, I haven't bought an EA game since the SNES, and I have never owned a Bethesda game.
When you first install and log into Steam, go to Steam > Settings > Compatibility and turn on the option "Enable Steam Play for all other titles."
I wished more people phrased it this way, or acknowledged that some peoples' tastes in games aren't going to change to fit a new platform.
Conversely, I have seen people say things like "Linux isn't at 150% feature parity with Windows games exist that don't run perfectly yet and it doesn't support DLSS RTX It's just not viable as a platform for anyone."
There are folks Linux has been ready for for awhile now, some that could pretty recently adopt, some who may want to dual boot, and some who are still better off waiting. I think the Steam Deck offers a glance into the near future though.
Thanks for dumbing it down for me. I just built a computer so I'm not a complete bust on knowing or figuring this stuff out, but I don't want an OS where customizing and making sense of it becomes a second job, you know? I'm just a blue collar guy that likes gaming. Think it's worth getting another hard drive and having a dual boot just so I could practice with Linux before going all in? Or is that a stupid idea because I don't know what I'm talking about?
Having built your own computer says to me you've got the smarts, interest and patience to learn about your computer. The hardest part for building my computer was finding all the parts that would fit together, this CPU is compatible with this motherboard and this RAM, etc. Plus, building a computer yourself means you've done #1, you've installed an OS on it. You're no stranger to the BIOS, partitioning a drive, etc.
I can really get wanting an OS that doesn't take all your time tweaking. This is why I use Linux Mint; it comes pretty complete and usable out of the box. The "customizing" I've done to my Mint system included changing the wallpaper, installing a new theme from gnomelook.org, dragging a few things around, and such. What I've found over the time I've used Mint, it doesn't change so drastically with each release the way Windows does, so I don't have to spend time re-learning where they've hidden the Save button this time. I can learn new things.
I do strongly recommend keeping a Windows machine around while you learn and transition to Linux. I started using Linux on a Raspberry Pi back in 2014 or so because I was tinkering with electronics and ham radio, and wanted a little computer to attach to my radio to run FLDIGI that wasn't my big expensive laptop. Then that laptop died, and I bought a new one that came with Windows 8.1, and I hated it, so I tried desktop Linux. That laptop still has Windows 8.1 on it to this day. That machine only had one hard drive bay so I was able to dual boot by partitioning the drive. If you have room in your case for a separate drive, I would recommend doing that, and keeping Linux on a separate drive to Windows. If you have an old computer you're not using lying around, like your old machine or something, it can be worth using that to tinker with. Try out several versions of Linux on hardware you "don't care" about. It can be freeing to not have to worry about borking your Windows install. Using a separate drive is a great idea and you definitely know what you're talking about.
I really appreciate you making it sound so much more manageable than my first impression led me to believe. You've got me looking forward to trying Linux rather than just being full of trepidation about it since programming and the technical stuff isn't my wheelhouse, so thanks for that!
Tell you a really easy way to get your feet wet in Linux, download a Linux ISO or two, and try them out in VirtualBox. Right from the comfort of your Windows machine without doing anything to your hardware you can try it out, see if you like the feel, follow some tutorials and learn some stuff, see if it's a place you want to go.