The Enduring Legacy of PC Gaming Excellence

While consoles produce occasional standout hits, PC gaming demonstrates sustained quality and unmatched volume. PC games demonstrate sustained excellence, while console games include some standout titles

MakeoverMonday
Data Visualization
R Programming
2025
Analysis of Metacritic’s best-rated games data showing PC gaming’s dominance in both quantity and sustained quality across three decades compared to console platforms.
Author

Steven Ponce

Published

May 19, 2025

Original

The original visualization Best Games of All Time comes from Metacritic

Original visualization

Makeover

Figure 1: This data visualization compares top-rated games across platforms. Left panel shows a treemap where PC dominates with 212 games versus various console platforms (PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo). Right panel displays a scatter plot of Metacritic scores (90-100) from 1990s-2025, showing PC games (blue dots) consistently achieving high ratings across decades, with several standout titles above 97 points, while console games (gray dots) have occasional high-performers but less consistent excellence.

Steps to Create this Graphic

1. Load Packages & Setup

Show code 
```{r}
#| label: load
#| warning: false
#| message: false
#| results: "hide"

## 1. LOAD PACKAGES & SETUP ----
suppressPackageStartupMessages({
  if (!require("pacman")) install.packages("pacman")
  pacman::p_load(
    tidyverse,      # Easily Install and Load the 'Tidyverse'
    ggtext,         # Improved Text Rendering Support for 'ggplot2'
    showtext,       # Using Fonts More Easily in R Graphs
    scales,         # Scale Functions for Visualization
    glue,           # Interpreted String Literals
    here,           # A Simpler Way to Find Your Files
    lubridate,      # Make Dealing with Dates a Little Easier
    ggrepel,        # Automatically Position Non-Overlapping Text Labels with ggplot2
    treemapify,     # Draw Treemaps in 'ggplot2'
    marquee,        # Markdown Parser and Renderer for R Graphic
    patchwork       # The Composer of Plots
  )
})

### |- figure size ----
camcorder::gg_record(
    dir    = here::here("temp_plots"),
    device = "png",
    width  =  12,
    height =  8,
    units  = "in",
    dpi    = 320
)

# Source utility functions
suppressMessages(source(here::here("R/utils/fonts.R")))
source(here::here("R/utils/social_icons.R"))
source(here::here("R/utils/image_utils.R"))
source(here::here("R/themes/base_theme.R"))
```

2. Read in the Data

Show code 
```{r}
#| label: read
#| include: true
#| eval: true
#| warning: false

## Original Chart
# Metacritic Best Games of All Time
# https://data.world/makeovermonday/2025w21-metacritic-best-games-of-all-time

## Article
# Metacritic Best Games of All Time
# https://www.metacritic.com/browse/game/

metacritic_top_games_raw <- read_csv(
  here::here('data/MakeoverMonday/2025/metacritic_top_games.csv')) |> 
  janitor::clean_names()
```

3. Examine the Data

Show code 
```{r}
#| label: examine
#| include: true
#| eval: true
#| results: 'hide'
#| warning: false

glimpse(metacritic_top_games_raw)
skimr::skim(metacritic_top_games_raw)
```

4. Tidy Data

Show code 
```{r}
#| label: tidy
#| warning: false

### |-  tidy data ----
# Split the platforms into separate rows
games_platforms <- metacritic_top_games_raw |>
  separate_rows(platforms, sep = ", ") |>
  mutate(
    platform_type = case_when(
      platforms %in% c("PC") ~ "PC",
      platforms %in% c("iOS (iPhone/iPad)") ~ "Mobile",
      TRUE ~ "Console"
    ),
    release_year = year(release_date),
    decade = paste0(floor(release_year / 10) * 10, "s"),
    publisher_group = ifelse(publisher %in% c("Nintendo", "Rockstar Games"), publisher, "Other")
  )

# Comprehensive tidy dataset
games_tidy <- metacritic_top_games_raw |>
  mutate(
    release_year = year(release_date),
    decade = paste0(floor(release_year / 10) * 10, "s"),
    genre_primary = case_when(
      str_detect(genre, "Action") ~ "Action",
      str_detect(genre, "Shooter") ~ "Shooter",
      str_detect(genre, "Platform") ~ "Platformer",
      str_detect(genre, "Sports") ~ "Sports",
      str_detect(genre, "Fighting") ~ "Fighting",
      TRUE ~ genre
    ),
    # Short title for visualization
    short_title = case_when(
      str_length(title) > 20 ~ paste0(str_sub(title, 1, 17), "..."),
      TRUE ~ title
    )
  )

# P1. treemap data----
treemap_data <- games_platforms |>
  count(platforms) |>
  mutate(
    platform_group = case_when(
      platforms == "PC" ~ "PC",
      TRUE ~ "Console"
    ),
    platform_label = paste0(platforms, "\n(", n, ")")
  )

# P2. dot plot data -----
dotplot_data <- games_tidy |>
  mutate(
    platform_group = case_when(
      str_detect(platforms, "PC") ~ "PC",
      TRUE ~ "Console"
    ),
    is_top_game = metascore >= 97,
    should_label = case_when(
      # Only label the very top PC games
      (platform_group == "PC" & metascore >= 97) ~ TRUE,
      # Only label the very top Console games
      (platform_group == "Console" & metascore >= 98) ~ TRUE,
      TRUE ~ FALSE
    )
  )
```

5. Visualization Parameters

Show code 
```{r}
#| label: params
#| include: true
#| warning: false

### |-  plot aesthetics ----
# Get base colors with custom palette
colors <- get_theme_colors(palette = c(
  "PC" = "#1F77B4",     
  "Console" = "#A9A9A9"
))
  
### |-  titles and caption ----
title_text <- str_glue("The Enduring Legacy of PC Gaming Excellence")
subtitle_text <- "While consoles produce occasional standout hits, PC gaming demonstrates sustained quality and unmatched volume\n
{#1F77B4 **_PC games_**} demonstrate sustained excellence, while {#A9A9A **_console games_**} include some standout titles"

# Create caption
caption_text <- create_mm_caption(
    mm_year = 2025,
    mm_week = 21,
    source_text = "Metacritic"
)

### |-  fonts ----
setup_fonts()
fonts <- get_font_families()

### |-  plot theme ----

# Start with base theme
base_theme <- create_base_theme(colors)

# Add weekly-specific theme elements
weekly_theme <- extend_weekly_theme(
  base_theme,
  theme(

    # Legend formatting
    legend.position = "plot",
    legend.title = element_text(face = "bold"),

    axis.ticks.y = element_blank(),
    axis.ticks.x = element_line(color = "gray", linewidth = 0.5), 
    axis.ticks.length = unit(0.2, "cm"), 

    # Axis formatting
    axis.title.x = element_text(face = "bold", size = rel(0.85)),
    axis.title.y = element_text(face = "bold", size = rel(0.85)),
    axis.text.y = element_text(face = "bold", size = rel(0.85)),
    
    # Grid lines
    panel.grid.major.y = element_blank(),
    panel.grid.minor = element_blank(),

    # Margin
    plot.margin = margin(20, 20, 20, 20)
  )
)

# Set theme
theme_set(weekly_theme)
```

6. Plot

Show code 
```{r}
#| label: plot
#| warning: false

# P1. Treemap ----
p1 <- ggplot(treemap_data, aes(area = n, fill = platform_group, label = platform_label)) +
  # Geoms
  geom_treemap(
    color = "white",
    size = 1.5
  ) +
  geom_treemap_text(
    aes(label = platforms),
    colour = "white",
    place = "centre",
    size = 11,
    fontface = "bold",
    padding.y = grid::unit(4, "mm")
  ) +
  geom_treemap_text(
    aes(label = paste0("n = ", n)),
    colour = "white",
    place = "bottom",
    size = 8,
    padding.y = grid::unit(4, "mm")
  ) +
  # Scales
  scale_fill_manual(values = colors$palette) +
  coord_equal() +
  # Labs
  labs(
    title = "PC: The Single Most Prolific Platform for Top-Rated Games",
  ) +
  # Theme
  theme(
    plot.title = element_text(
      size = rel(1),
      family = fonts$title,
      face = "bold",
      color = colors$title,
      lineheight = 1.1,
      margin = margin(t = 5, b = 15)
    )
  )

# P2. dot plot -----
p2 <- ggplot(dotplot_data, aes(x = release_date, y = metascore)) +
  # Geoms
  geom_hline(yintercept = c(90, 95), linetype = "dashed", color = "gray80", alpha = 0.7) +
  # Annotate
  annotate("rect",
    xmin = as.Date("1997-01-01"), xmax = as.Date("2000-01-01"),
    ymin = 89.5, ymax = 100, fill = "gray90", alpha = 0.5
  ) +
  annotate("rect",
    xmin = as.Date("2000-01-01"), xmax = as.Date("2010-01-01"),
    ymin = 89.5, ymax = 100, fill = "gray85", alpha = 0.5
  ) +
  annotate("rect",
    xmin = as.Date("2010-01-01"), xmax = as.Date("2021-01-01"),
    ymin = 89.5, ymax = 100, fill = "gray90", alpha = 0.5
  ) +
  annotate("text",
    x = as.Date("1998-07-01"), y = 90.5, label = "1990s",
    color = "gray50", size = 3, fontface = "bold", alpha = 0.7
  ) +
  annotate("text",
    x = as.Date("2005-01-01"), y = 90.5, label = "2000s",
    color = "gray50", size = 3, fontface = "bold", alpha = 0.7
  ) +
  annotate("text",
    x = as.Date("2015-01-01"), y = 90.5, label = "2010s",
    color = "gray50", size = 3, fontface = "bold", alpha = 0.7
  ) +

  # Geoms
  geom_point(
    aes(
      color = platform_group,
      alpha = if_else(platform_group == "PC", 0.9, 0.6)
    ),
    size = 3,
    stroke = 0.2
  ) +
  geom_text_repel(
    data = dotplot_data |> filter(should_label),
    aes(label = short_title, color = platform_group),
    size = 2.8,
    fontface = "bold",
    box.padding = 0.5,
    point.padding = 0.3,
    force = 2,
    segment.color = "gray60",
    segment.size = 0.2,
    segment.alpha = 0.8,
    max.overlaps = 15,
    seed = 42
  ) +
  # Scales
  scale_color_manual(values = colors$palette) +
  scale_alpha_identity() +
  scale_x_date(
    date_breaks = "5 years",
    date_labels = "%Y",
    expand = expansion(mult = c(0.02, 0.02))
  ) +
  scale_y_continuous(
    breaks = seq(90, 100, by = 2.5),
    limits = c(89.5, 100),
    labels = function(x) paste0(x)
  ) +
  # Labs
  labs(
    title = "PC Games Show Consistent Quality Across Three Decades",
    x = "Release Year",
    y = "Metascore"
  ) +
  # Theme
  theme(
    plot.title = element_text(
      size = rel(1),
      family = fonts$title,
      face = "bold",
      color = colors$title,
      lineheight = 1.1,
      margin = margin(t = 5, b = 15)
    )
  )

# Combined Plot ----
combined_plot <- (p1 | plot_spacer() | p2) +
  plot_layout(
    widths = c(1, 0.005, 1),
    guides = "collect"
  ) +
  plot_annotation(
    title = title_text,
    subtitle = subtitle_text,
    caption = caption_text,
    theme = theme(
      plot.title = element_markdown(
        size = rel(2.4),
        family = fonts$title,
        face = "bold",
        color = colors$title,
        lineheight = 1.1,
        margin = margin(t = 5, b = 5)
      ),
      plot.subtitle = element_marquee(
        size = rel(1),
        family = fonts$subtitle,
        color = alpha(colors$subtitle, 0.9),
        lineheight = 0.9,
        margin = margin(t = 5, b = 10)
      ),
      plot.caption = element_markdown(
        size = rel(0.6),
        family = fonts$caption,
        color = colors$caption,
        hjust = 0.5,
        margin = margin(t = 10)
      ),
    )
  )
```

7. Save

Show code 
```{r}
#| label: save
#| warning: false

### |-  plot image ----  
save_plot_patchwork(
  plot = combined_plot, 
  type = "makeovermonday", 
  year = 2025,
  week = 21,
  width = 12, 
  height = 8
  )
```

8. Session Info

R version 4.4.1 (2024-06-14 ucrt)
Platform: x86_64-w64-mingw32/x64
Running under: Windows 11 x64 (build 22631)

Matrix products: default


locale:
[1] LC_COLLATE=English_United States.utf8 
[2] LC_CTYPE=English_United States.utf8   
[3] LC_MONETARY=English_United States.utf8
[4] LC_NUMERIC=C                          
[5] LC_TIME=English_United States.utf8    

time zone: America/New_York
tzcode source: internal

attached base packages:
[1] stats     graphics  grDevices datasets  utils     methods   base     

other attached packages:
 [1] patchwork_1.3.0  marquee_0.1.0    treemapify_2.5.6 ggrepel_0.9.6   
 [5] here_1.0.1       glue_1.8.0       scales_1.3.0     showtext_0.9-7  
 [9] showtextdb_3.0   sysfonts_0.8.9   ggtext_0.1.2     lubridate_1.9.3 
[13] forcats_1.0.0    stringr_1.5.1    dplyr_1.1.4      purrr_1.0.2     
[17] readr_2.1.5      tidyr_1.3.1      tibble_3.2.1     ggplot2_3.5.1   
[21] tidyverse_2.0.0  pacman_0.5.1    

loaded via a namespace (and not attached):
 [1] ggfittext_0.10.2   gtable_0.3.6       xfun_0.49          htmlwidgets_1.6.4 
 [5] tzdb_0.5.0         yulab.utils_0.1.8  vctrs_0.6.5        tools_4.4.0       
 [9] generics_0.1.3     curl_6.0.0         parallel_4.4.0     gifski_1.32.0-1   
[13] fansi_1.0.6        pkgconfig_2.0.3    ggplotify_0.1.2    skimr_2.1.5       
[17] lifecycle_1.0.4    compiler_4.4.0     farver_2.1.2       textshaping_0.4.0 
[21] munsell_0.5.1      repr_1.1.7         janitor_2.2.0      codetools_0.2-20  
[25] snakecase_0.11.1   htmltools_0.5.8.1  yaml_2.3.10        crayon_1.5.3      
[29] pillar_1.9.0       camcorder_0.1.0    magick_2.8.5       commonmark_1.9.2  
[33] tidyselect_1.2.1   digest_0.6.37      stringi_1.8.4      rsvg_2.6.1        
[37] rprojroot_2.0.4    fastmap_1.2.0      grid_4.4.0         colorspace_2.1-1  
[41] cli_3.6.4          magrittr_2.0.3     base64enc_0.1-3    utf8_1.2.4        
[45] withr_3.0.2        bit64_4.5.2        timechange_0.3.0   rmarkdown_2.29    
[49] bit_4.5.0          hms_1.1.3          evaluate_1.0.1     knitr_1.49        
[53] markdown_1.13      gridGraphics_0.5-1 rlang_1.1.6        gridtext_0.1.5    
[57] Rcpp_1.0.13-1      xml2_1.3.6         renv_1.0.3         vroom_1.6.5       
[61] svglite_2.1.3      rstudioapi_0.17.1  jsonlite_1.8.9     R6_2.5.1          
[65] fs_1.6.5           systemfonts_1.1.0

9. GitHub Repository

The complete code for this analysis is available in mm_2025_21.qmd.

For the full repository, click here.

10. References

  1. Data:
  1. Article
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