2011 was an amazing comeback year for PC gaming

When having a computer at home became commonplace in the 1990s, an entire generation of kids immediately smuggled games onto them. "Look, this box can help do the taxes!" "Sure, dad, but it can also run Quest for Glory 2: Trial By Fire." Games in genres that were perfect for a mouse-and-keyboard setup, like point-and-click adventures, flight sims, first-person shooters, strategy games, and—when CD-ROMs became a thing—FMV games all thrived.

In the 2000s, things changed. PC gaming spent a...