<s>
Mac	B-Application
gaming	I-Application
refers	O
to	O
the	O
use	O
of	O
video	O
games	O
on	O
Macintosh	B-Device
personal	O
computers	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
the	O
1990s	O
,	O
Apple	O
computers	O
did	O
not	O
attract	O
the	O
same	O
level	O
of	O
video	O
game	O
development	O
as	O
Microsoft	B-Application
Windows	I-Application
computers	O
due	O
to	O
the	O
high	O
popularity	O
of	O
Microsoft	B-Application
Windows	I-Application
and	O
,	O
for	O
3D	O
gaming	O
,	O
Microsoft	O
's	O
DirectX	B-Application
technology	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
recent	O
years	O
,	O
the	O
introduction	O
of	O
Mac	B-Operating_System
OS	I-Operating_System
X	I-Operating_System
and	O
support	O
for	O
Intel	O
processors	O
has	O
eased	O
porting	O
of	O
many	O
games	O
,	O
including	O
3D	O
games	O
through	O
use	O
of	O
OpenGL	B-Application
and	O
more	O
recently	O
Apple	O
's	O
own	O
Metal	B-Library
API	I-Library
.	O
</s>
<s>
Virtualization	B-General_Concept
technology	I-General_Concept
and	O
Boot	B-Application
Camp	I-Application
also	O
permit	O
the	O
use	O
of	O
Windows	B-Application
and	O
its	O
games	O
on	O
Macintosh	B-Device
computers	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Today	O
,	O
a	O
growing	O
number	O
of	O
popular	O
games	O
run	O
natively	O
on	O
macOS	B-Operating_System
,	O
though	O
as	O
of	O
early	O
2019	O
,	O
a	O
majority	O
still	O
require	O
the	O
use	O
of	O
Microsoft	B-Application
Windows	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
macOS	B-Device
Catalina	I-Device
(	O
and	O
later	O
)	O
eliminated	O
support	O
for	O
32-bit	O
games	O
,	O
including	O
those	O
compatible	O
with	O
older	O
versions	O
of	O
macOS	B-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
Prior	O
to	O
the	O
release	O
of	O
the	O
Macintosh	B-Device
128K	I-Device
,	O
the	O
first	O
Macintosh	B-Device
computer	O
,	O
marketing	O
executives	O
at	O
Apple	O
feared	O
that	O
including	O
a	O
game	O
in	O
the	O
finished	O
operating	B-General_Concept
system	I-General_Concept
would	O
aggravate	O
the	O
impression	O
that	O
the	O
graphical	B-Application
user	I-Application
interface	I-Application
made	O
the	O
Mac	O
toy-like	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
More	O
critically	O
,	O
the	O
limited	O
amount	O
of	O
RAM	B-Architecture
in	O
the	O
original	O
Macintosh	B-Device
meant	O
that	O
fitting	O
a	O
game	O
into	O
the	O
operating	B-General_Concept
system	I-General_Concept
would	O
be	O
very	O
difficult	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Eventually	O
,	O
Andy	O
Hertzfeld	O
created	O
a	O
Desk	B-Application
Accessory	I-Application
called	O
Puzzle	O
that	O
occupied	O
only	O
600	O
bytes	B-Application
of	O
memory	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
was	O
deemed	O
small	O
enough	O
to	O
be	O
safely	O
included	O
in	O
the	O
operating	B-General_Concept
system	I-General_Concept
,	O
and	O
it	O
shipped	O
with	O
the	O
Mac	O
when	O
released	O
in	O
1984	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
With	O
Puzzle	O
—	O
the	O
first	O
computer	O
game	O
specifically	O
for	O
a	O
mouse	O
—	O
the	O
Macintosh	B-Device
became	O
the	O
first	O
computer	O
with	O
a	O
game	O
in	O
its	O
ROM	B-Device
,	O
and	O
it	O
would	O
remain	O
a	O
part	O
of	O
the	O
Mac	O
OS	O
for	O
the	O
next	O
ten	O
years	O
,	O
until	O
being	O
replaced	O
in	O
1994	O
with	O
Jigsaw	O
,	O
a	O
jigsaw	B-Application
puzzle	I-Application
game	O
included	O
as	O
part	O
of	O
System	B-Operating_System
7.5	I-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
During	O
the	O
development	O
of	O
the	O
Mac	O
,	O
a	O
chess	O
game	O
similar	O
to	O
Archon	B-Application
based	O
on	O
Alice	B-Application
in	I-Application
Wonderland	I-Application
was	O
shown	O
to	O
the	O
development	O
team	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
was	O
written	O
by	O
Steve	O
Capps	O
for	O
the	O
Apple	B-Device
Lisa	I-Device
computer	O
,	O
but	O
could	O
be	O
easily	O
ported	O
to	O
the	O
Macintosh	B-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
completed	O
game	O
was	O
shown	O
at	O
the	O
Mac	O
's	O
launch	O
and	O
released	O
a	O
few	O
months	O
later	O
under	O
the	O
title	O
Through	B-Application
the	I-Application
Looking	I-Application
Glass	I-Application
,	O
but	O
Apple	O
failed	O
to	O
put	O
much	O
marketing	O
effort	O
into	O
ensuring	O
its	O
success	O
and	O
the	O
game	O
was	O
not	O
a	O
top	O
seller	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
1990	O
the	O
company	O
reportedly	O
refused	O
to	O
support	O
joysticks	O
on	O
its	O
low-cost	O
Macintosh	B-Device
LC	I-Device
and	O
IIsi	B-Device
computers	O
to	O
prevent	O
customers	O
from	O
considering	O
them	O
as	O
"	O
game	O
machine	O
"	O
s	O
.	O
Apart	O
from	O
a	O
developer	B-Application
discount	O
on	O
Apple	O
hardware	O
,	O
support	O
for	O
games	O
developers	B-Application
was	O
minimal	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Game	O
development	O
on	O
the	O
Macintosh	B-Device
nonetheless	O
continued	O
,	O
with	O
titles	O
such	O
as	O
Dark	B-Device
Castle	I-Device
(	O
1986	O
)	O
,	O
Microsoft	B-Operating_System
Flight	I-Operating_System
Simulator	I-Operating_System
(	O
1986	O
)	O
and	O
SimCity	B-Application
(	O
1989	O
)	O
,	O
though	O
mostly	O
games	O
for	O
the	O
Mac	O
were	O
developed	O
alongside	O
those	O
for	O
other	O
platforms	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Notable	O
exceptions	O
were	O
Myst	B-Application
(	O
1993	O
)	O
,	O
developed	O
on	O
the	O
Mac	O
(	O
in	O
part	O
using	O
HyperCard	B-Application
)	O
and	O
only	O
afterwards	O
ported	O
to	O
Windows	B-Application
,	O
Pathways	B-Operating_System
into	I-Operating_System
Darkness	I-Operating_System
,	O
which	O
spawned	O
the	O
Halo	O
franchise	O
,	O
The	B-Application
Journeyman	I-Application
Project	I-Application
,	O
Lunicus	B-Application
,	O
Spaceship	B-Application
Warlock	I-Application
,	O
and	O
Jump	B-Application
Raven	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
Apple	O
was	O
the	O
first	O
manufacturer	O
to	O
ship	O
CD-ROM	O
drives	O
as	O
standard	O
equipment	O
(	O
on	O
the	O
Macintosh	B-Device
IIvx	I-Device
and	O
later	O
Centris	O
models	O
)	O
,	O
many	O
of	O
the	O
early	O
CD-ROM	O
based	O
games	O
were	O
initially	O
developed	O
for	O
the	O
Mac	O
,	O
especially	O
in	O
an	O
era	O
of	O
often	O
confusing	O
Multimedia	B-Device
PC	I-Device
standards	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
1996	O
Next	O
Generation	O
reported	O
that	O
,	O
while	O
there	O
had	O
been	O
Mac-only	O
games	O
and	O
PC	O
ports	O
with	O
major	O
enhancements	O
on	O
Macintosh	B-Device
,	O
"	O
until	O
recently	O
,	O
most	O
games	O
available	O
for	O
the	O
Mac	O
were	O
more	O
or	O
less	O
identical	O
ports	O
of	O
PC	O
titles	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Apple	B-Device
Pippin	I-Device
(	O
also	O
known	O
as	O
the	O
Bandai	B-Device
Pippin	I-Device
)	O
was	O
a	O
multimedia	O
player	O
based	O
on	O
the	O
Power	B-Device
Mac	I-Device
that	O
ran	O
a	O
cut-down	O
version	O
of	O
the	O
Mac	O
OS	O
designed	O
,	O
among	O
other	O
things	O
,	O
to	O
play	O
games	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
1996	O
,	O
the	O
company	O
released	O
a	O
series	O
of	O
game-enabling	O
APIs	O
called	O
Game	B-Operating_System
Sprockets	I-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
April	O
1999	O
,	O
Jobs	O
gave	O
an	O
interview	O
with	O
the	O
UK-based	O
Arcade	O
magazine	O
to	O
promote	O
the	O
PowerPC	B-Architecture
G3-based	O
computers	O
Apple	O
were	O
selling	O
with	O
then	O
new	O
ATI	O
Rage	O
128	O
graphics	O
cards	O
,	O
and	O
describing	O
how	O
Apple	O
was	O
"	O
trying	O
to	O
build	O
the	O
best	O
gaming	O
platform	O
in	O
the	O
world	O
so	O
developers	B-Application
are	O
attracted	O
to	O
write	O
for	O
it	O
"	O
and	O
"	O
trying	O
to	O
leapfrog	O
the	O
PC	O
industry	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
2007	O
interview	O
with	O
Valve	O
's	O
Gabe	O
Newell	O
included	O
the	O
question	O
of	O
why	O
his	O
company	O
was	O
keeping	O
their	O
games	O
and	O
gaming	O
technology	O
"	O
a	O
strictly	O
Windows	B-Application
project	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2015	O
,	O
Apple	O
brought	O
to	O
the	O
Mac	O
its	O
low-level	O
graphics	O
API	O
Metal	B-Library
,	O
which	O
was	O
introduced	O
a	O
year	O
earlier	O
for	O
iOS	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Metal	B-Library
is	O
supposed	O
to	O
succeed	O
OpenGL	B-Application
on	O
the	O
Mac	O
platform	O
and	O
enable	O
game	O
performance	O
competitive	O
with	O
Vulkan	B-Application
or	O
Direct3D	O
12	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Although	O
currently	O
most	O
big-name	O
Mac	B-Operating_System
games	I-Operating_System
are	O
ports	O
,	O
this	O
has	O
not	O
always	O
been	O
the	O
case	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Perhaps	O
the	O
most	O
popular	O
game	O
which	O
was	O
originally	O
developed	O
for	O
the	O
Macintosh	B-Device
was	O
1993	O
's	O
Myst	B-Application
,	O
by	O
Cyan	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
ported	O
to	O
Windows	B-Application
the	O
next	O
year	O
,	O
and	O
Cyan	O
's	O
later	O
games	O
were	O
released	O
simultaneously	O
for	O
both	O
platforms	O
with	O
the	O
exception	O
of	O
Uru	B-Application
:	I-Application
Ages	I-Application
Beyond	I-Application
Myst	I-Application
,	O
which	O
was	O
Windows-only	O
until	O
a	O
Mac-compatible	O
re-release	O
(	O
currently	O
in	O
beta	O
)	O
by	O
GameTap	B-Operating_System
in	O
2007	O
,	O
with	O
the	O
help	O
of	O
TransGaming	O
's	O
Cider	O
virtualization	B-General_Concept
software	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
From	O
the	O
1980s	O
an	O
atmospheric	O
air	O
hockey	O
game	O
Shufflepuck	B-Device
Café	I-Device
(	O
Brøderbund	O
,	O
1989	O
)	O
and	O
a	O
graphical	O
adventure	O
game	O
Shadowgate	B-Device
(	O
Mindscape	O
,	O
1987	O
)	O
were	O
among	O
the	O
most	O
prominent	O
games	O
developed	O
first	O
for	O
Macintosh	B-Device
and	O
later	O
ported	O
for	O
other	O
platforms	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Another	O
popular	O
Mac	B-Application
game	I-Application
in	O
the	O
mid	O
1990s	O
was	O
Marathon	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
released	O
in	O
the	O
wake	O
of	O
DOOM	B-Application
,	O
which	O
defined	O
the	O
first-person	O
shooter	O
genre	O
,	O
but	O
gained	O
notoriety	O
by	O
appearing	O
on	O
the	O
Mac	O
before	O
the	O
official	O
port	O
of	O
DOOM	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Bungie	O
would	O
port	O
the	O
second	O
in	O
the	O
series	O
,	O
Marathon	B-Application
2	I-Application
:	I-Application
Durandal	I-Application
,	O
to	O
the	O
Windows	B-Application
platform	O
,	O
where	O
it	O
met	O
with	O
some	O
success	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
They	O
also	O
ported	O
their	O
post-Marathon	O
games	O
Myth	B-Application
and	O
Oni	B-Application
to	O
Windows	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Other	O
Macintosh	B-Device
focused	O
developers	B-Application
have	O
included	O
Casady	O
&	O
Greene	O
,	O
Storm	O
Impact	O
,	O
Ambrosia	O
Software	O
,	O
Pangea	O
Software	O
,	O
Freeverse	O
Software	O
,	O
Koingo	O
Software	O
,	O
Delta	B-Application
Tao	I-Application
Software	I-Application
,	O
Silicon	O
Beach	O
Software	O
,	O
and	O
Spiderweb	O
Software	O
,	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
casual	O
game	O
producers	O
such	O
as	O
Strange	O
Flavour	O
,	O
Awem	O
Games	O
,	O
Big	O
Fish	O
Games	O
,	O
Sandlot	O
Games	O
and	O
Melsoft	O
Games	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
particular	O
problem	O
for	O
companies	O
attempting	O
to	O
port	O
Windows	B-Application
games	O
to	O
the	O
Macintosh	B-Device
is	O
licensing	O
middleware	B-General_Concept
.	O
</s>
<s>
Middleware	B-General_Concept
is	O
off-the-shelf	O
software	O
that	O
handles	O
certain	O
aspects	O
of	O
games	O
,	O
making	O
it	O
easier	O
for	O
game	O
creators	O
to	O
develop	O
games	O
in	O
return	O
for	O
paying	O
the	O
middleware	B-General_Concept
developer	B-Application
a	O
licensing	O
fee	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
However	O
,	O
since	O
the	O
license	O
the	O
Mac	O
porting	O
house	O
obtains	O
from	O
the	O
game	O
creator	O
does	O
not	O
normally	O
include	O
rights	O
to	O
use	O
the	O
middleware	B-General_Concept
as	O
well	O
,	O
the	O
Mac	O
porting	O
company	O
must	O
either	O
license	O
the	O
middleware	B-General_Concept
separately	O
or	O
attempt	O
to	O
find	O
an	O
alternative	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Examples	O
of	O
middleware	B-General_Concept
include	O
the	O
Havok	B-General_Concept
physics	I-General_Concept
engine	I-General_Concept
and	O
the	O
GameSpy	O
internet-based	B-Application
multiplayer	I-Application
gaming	I-Application
client	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Because	O
of	O
the	O
smaller	O
market	O
,	O
companies	O
developing	O
games	O
for	O
the	O
Mac	O
usually	O
seek	O
a	O
lower	O
licensing	O
fee	O
than	O
Windows	B-Application
developers	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
When	O
the	O
middleware	B-General_Concept
company	O
refuses	O
such	O
terms	O
porting	O
that	O
particular	O
Windows	B-Application
game	O
to	O
the	O
Mac	O
may	O
be	O
uneconomical	O
and	O
engineering	O
a	O
viable	O
alternative	O
within	O
the	O
available	O
budget	O
impossible	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
a	O
result	O
,	O
some	O
popular	O
games	O
which	O
use	O
the	O
Havok	B-General_Concept
engine	I-General_Concept
have	O
not	O
yet	O
been	O
ported	O
to	O
the	O
Macintosh	B-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
the	O
case	O
of	O
GameSpy	O
,	O
one	O
workaround	O
is	O
to	O
limit	O
Mac	O
gamers	O
to	O
play	O
against	O
each	O
other	O
but	O
not	O
with	O
users	O
playing	O
the	O
Windows	B-Application
version	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
However	O
,	O
in	O
some	O
cases	O
,	O
GameSpy	O
has	O
been	O
reverse-engineered	O
and	O
implemented	O
into	O
the	O
Mac	B-Application
game	I-Application
,	O
so	O
that	O
it	O
is	O
able	O
to	O
network	O
seamlessly	O
with	O
the	O
Windows	B-Application
version	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Only	O
a	O
few	O
companies	O
have	O
developed	O
or	O
continue	O
to	O
develop	O
games	O
for	O
both	O
the	O
Mac	O
and	O
Windows	B-Application
platforms	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Those	O
creating	O
the	O
Mac	O
version	O
have	O
direct	O
access	O
to	O
the	O
original	O
programmers	B-Application
in	O
case	O
any	O
questions	O
or	O
concerns	O
arise	O
about	O
the	O
source	O
code	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
increases	O
the	O
likelihood	O
that	O
the	O
Mac	O
and	O
Windows	B-Application
versions	O
of	O
a	O
game	O
will	O
launch	O
concurrently	O
or	O
nearly	O
so	O
,	O
as	O
many	O
obstacles	O
inherent	O
in	O
the	O
third-party	O
porting	O
process	O
are	O
avoided	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
If	O
carried	O
out	O
simultaneously	O
with	O
game	O
development	O
,	O
the	O
company	O
can	O
release	O
hybrid	B-Application
discs	I-Application
,	O
easing	O
game	O
distribution	O
and	O
largely	O
eliminating	O
the	O
shelf	O
space	O
problem	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Among	O
the	O
Mac	O
versions	O
of	O
popular	O
Windows	B-Application
games	O
that	O
were	O
developed	O
in-house	O
are	O
Diablo	B-Application
,	O
Microsoft	B-Operating_System
Flight	I-Operating_System
Simulator	I-Operating_System
,	O
Second	B-Application
Life	I-Application
,	O
Stubbs	B-Application
the	I-Application
Zombie	I-Application
,	O
Call	O
of	O
Duty	O
4	O
,	O
and	O
World	B-Protocol
of	I-Protocol
Warcraft	I-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
Most	O
high-budget	O
games	O
that	O
come	O
to	O
the	O
Macintosh	B-Device
are	O
originally	O
created	O
for	O
Microsoft	B-Application
Windows	I-Application
and	O
ported	O
to	O
the	O
Mac	O
operating	B-General_Concept
system	I-General_Concept
by	O
one	O
of	O
a	O
relatively	O
small	O
number	O
of	O
porting	O
houses	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
licensing	O
deal	O
between	O
the	O
original	O
game	O
developer	B-Application
and	O
the	O
porting	O
house	O
may	O
be	O
a	O
flat	O
one-time	O
payment	O
,	O
a	O
percentage	O
of	O
the	O
profits	O
from	O
the	O
Mac	B-Application
game	I-Application
's	O
sale	O
,	O
or	O
both	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
While	O
this	O
license	O
gives	O
the	O
porting	O
house	O
access	O
to	O
artwork	O
and	O
source	O
code	O
,	O
it	O
does	O
not	O
normally	O
cover	O
middleware	B-General_Concept
such	O
as	O
third-party	O
game	O
engines	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Modifying	O
the	O
source	O
code	O
to	O
the	O
Macintosh	B-Device
platform	O
may	O
be	O
difficult	O
as	O
code	O
for	O
games	O
is	O
often	O
highly	O
optimized	O
for	O
the	O
Windows	B-Application
operating	I-Application
system	I-Application
and	O
Intel-compatible	O
processors	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
latter	O
presented	O
an	O
obstacle	O
in	O
previous	O
years	O
when	O
the	O
Macintosh	B-Device
platform	O
utilized	O
PowerPC	B-Architecture
processors	I-Architecture
due	O
to	O
the	O
difference	O
in	O
endianness	O
between	O
the	O
two	O
types	O
of	O
processors	O
,	O
but	O
as	O
today	O
's	O
Macintosh	B-Device
computers	O
employ	O
Intel	O
processors	O
as	O
well	O
,	O
the	O
obstacle	O
has	O
been	O
mitigated	O
somewhat	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
One	O
example	O
of	O
common	O
work	O
for	O
a	O
porting	O
house	O
is	O
converting	O
graphics	O
instructions	O
targeted	O
for	O
Microsoft	O
's	O
DirectX	B-Application
graphics	O
library	B-Library
to	O
instructions	O
for	O
the	O
OpenGL	B-Application
library	B-Library
;	O
DirectX	B-Application
is	O
favored	O
by	O
most	O
Windows	B-Application
game	O
developers	B-Application
,	O
but	O
is	O
incompatible	O
with	O
the	O
Macintosh	B-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
Due	O
to	O
the	O
time	O
involved	O
in	O
licensing	O
and	O
porting	O
the	O
product	O
,	O
Macintosh	B-Device
versions	O
of	O
games	O
ported	O
by	O
third-party	O
companies	O
are	O
usually	O
released	O
anywhere	O
from	O
three	O
months	O
to	O
more	O
than	O
a	O
year	O
after	O
their	O
Windows-based	O
counterparts	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
For	O
example	O
,	O
the	O
Windows	B-Application
version	O
of	O
Civilization	B-Application
IV	I-Application
was	O
released	O
on	O
October	O
25	O
,	O
2005	O
,	O
but	O
Mac	O
gamers	O
had	O
to	O
wait	O
eight	O
months	O
until	O
June	O
30	O
,	O
2006	O
for	O
the	O
release	O
of	O
the	O
Mac	O
version	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
April	O
2006	O
Apple	O
released	O
a	O
beta	O
version	O
of	O
Boot	B-Application
Camp	I-Application
,	O
a	O
product	O
which	O
allows	O
Intel-based	O
Macintoshes	B-Device
to	O
boot	B-Operating_System
directly	O
into	O
Windows	B-Application
XP	I-Application
or	O
Windows	B-Application
Vista	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
reaction	O
from	O
Mac	B-Application
game	I-Application
developers	B-Application
and	O
software	O
journalists	O
to	O
the	O
introduction	O
of	O
Boot	B-Application
Camp	I-Application
has	O
been	O
mixed	O
,	O
ranging	O
from	O
assuming	O
the	O
Mac	O
will	O
be	O
dead	O
as	O
a	O
platform	O
for	O
game	O
development	O
to	O
cautious	O
optimism	O
that	O
Mac	O
owners	O
will	O
continue	O
to	O
play	O
games	O
within	O
Mac	O
OS	O
rather	O
than	O
by	O
rebooting	O
to	O
Windows	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
number	O
of	O
Mac	O
ports	O
of	O
Windows	B-Application
games	O
released	O
in	O
2006	O
was	O
never	O
likely	O
to	O
be	O
very	O
great	O
,	O
despite	O
the	O
steadily	O
increasing	O
number	O
of	O
Mac	O
users	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Boot	B-Application
Camp	I-Application
is	O
no	O
longer	O
an	O
option	O
for	O
new	O
Apple	O
computers	O
powered	O
by	O
Apple	B-Device
silicon	I-Device
M-series	O
chips	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Over	O
the	O
years	O
there	O
have	O
been	O
a	O
number	O
of	O
emulators	B-Application
for	O
the	O
Macintosh	B-Device
that	O
allowed	O
it	O
to	O
run	O
MS-DOS	B-Application
or	O
Windows	B-Application
software	O
,	O
most	O
notably	O
RealPC	B-Device
,	O
SoftPC	B-Device
,	O
SoftWindows	B-Device
,	O
and	O
Virtual	B-Application
PC	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Although	O
more	O
or	O
less	O
adequate	O
for	O
business	O
applications	O
,	O
these	O
programs	O
have	O
tended	O
to	O
deliver	O
poor	O
performance	O
when	O
used	O
for	O
running	O
games	O
,	O
particularly	O
where	O
high-end	O
technologies	O
like	O
DirectX	B-Application
were	O
involved	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Since	O
the	O
introduction	O
of	O
the	O
Intel	O
processor	O
into	O
the	O
Macintosh	B-Device
platform	O
,	O
Windows	B-Application
virtualization	B-General_Concept
software	O
such	O
as	O
Parallels	B-Language
Desktop	I-Language
for	I-Language
Mac	I-Language
and	O
VMware	B-Operating_System
Fusion	I-Operating_System
have	O
been	O
seen	O
as	O
more	O
promising	O
solutions	O
for	O
running	O
Windows	B-Application
software	O
on	O
the	O
Mac	O
operating	O
system.In	O
some	O
ways	O
they	O
are	O
better	O
solutions	O
than	O
Boot	B-Application
Camp	I-Application
,	O
as	O
they	O
do	O
not	O
require	O
rebooting	O
the	O
machine	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
VMware	B-Operating_System
Fusion	I-Operating_System
's	O
public	O
beta	O
2	O
supports	O
hardware-accelerated	O
3D	O
graphics	O
which	O
utilize	O
the	O
DirectX	B-Application
library	B-Library
up	O
to	O
version	O
9	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Parallels	B-Language
Desktop	I-Language
for	I-Language
Mac	I-Language
version	O
3.0	O
introduced	O
support	O
for	O
GPU	O
acceleration	O
,	O
allowing	O
Mac	O
users	O
to	O
play	O
Windows-based	O
games	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Parallels	B-Language
Desktop	I-Language
15	O
introduced	O
support	O
for	O
DirectX	B-Application
11	O
,	O
allowing	O
for	O
more	O
modern	O
3D	O
titles	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
is	O
rumored	O
that	O
a	O
future	O
version	O
of	O
Parallels	B-Language
Desktop	I-Language
will	O
include	O
support	O
for	O
DirectX	B-Application
12	O
thanks	O
to	O
new	O
features	O
included	O
in	O
Apple	O
's	O
Metal	B-Library
(	O
API	O
)	O
version	O
3	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Cider	O
's	O
engine	O
enables	O
publishers	O
and	O
developers	B-Application
to	O
target	O
Mac	B-Operating_System
OS	I-Operating_System
X	I-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
shares	O
much	O
of	O
the	O
same	O
core	O
technology	O
as	O
TransGaming	O
's	O
Linux	O
Portability	O
Engine	O
,	O
Cedega	B-General_Concept
.	O
</s>
<s>
Both	O
Cider	O
and	O
Cedega	B-General_Concept
are	O
based	O
on	O
Wine	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Electronic	O
Arts	O
announced	O
their	O
return	O
to	O
the	O
Mac	O
,	O
publishing	O
various	O
titles	O
simultaneously	O
on	O
both	O
Windows	B-Application
and	O
Mac	O
,	O
using	O
Cider	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
An	O
open	B-License
source	I-License
Wine-based	O
project	O
called	O
Wineskin	O
allows	O
anyone	O
to	O
attempt	O
to	O
port	O
games	O
to	O
Mac	B-Operating_System
OS	I-Operating_System
X	I-Operating_System
since	O
2010	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
uses	O
all	O
open	B-License
source	I-License
components	O
and	O
is	O
open	B-License
source	I-License
itself	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
CodeWeavers	O
 '	O
CrossOver	B-Operating_System
products	O
use	O
a	O
compatibility	O
layer	O
to	O
translate	O
Windows	B-Application
 '	O
application	O
instructions	O
to	O
the	O
native	O
Macintosh	B-Device
operating	B-General_Concept
system	I-General_Concept
,	O
without	O
the	O
need	O
to	O
run	O
Windows	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
CrossOver	B-Operating_System
is	O
built	O
from	O
the	O
Wine	O
project	O
and	O
adds	O
a	O
graphical	O
frontend	O
to	O
the	O
process	O
of	O
installing	O
and	O
running	O
the	O
Windows	B-Application
applications	I-Application
through	O
Wine	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
PlayOnMac	B-Language
is	O
a	O
free	O
version	O
of	O
the	O
same	O
technology	O
,	O
also	O
based	O
on	O
Wine	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
list	O
of	O
Wine-compatible	O
Windows	B-Application
software	O
,	O
including	O
over	O
5,000	O
games	O
and	O
how	O
well	O
each	O
individual	O
game	O
works	O
with	O
Wine	O
can	O
be	O
found	O
at	O
appdb.winehq.org	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Since	O
the	O
mid-2000s	O
Mac	B-Application
gaming	I-Application
became	O
more	O
intertwined	O
with	O
that	O
of	O
another	O
Unix-like	B-Operating_System
platform	O
:	O
Linux	B-Application
gaming	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
trend	O
began	O
when	O
Linux	O
gained	O
Mac-style	O
porting	O
houses	O
,	O
the	O
first	O
of	O
which	O
was	O
Loki	O
Software	O
and	O
later	O
Linux	B-Application
Game	I-Application
Publishing	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
includes	O
game	O
porters	O
like	O
Ryan	O
C	O
.	O
Gordon	O
,	O
who	O
brought	O
Unreal	B-Application
Tournament	I-Application
2003	I-Application
and	O
2004	B-Application
to	O
Linux	O
and	O
Mac	O
,	O
and	O
companies	O
like	O
Hyperion	B-Operating_System
Entertainment	I-Operating_System
,	O
who	O
primarily	O
supported	O
AmigaOS	B-Application
as	O
well	O
as	O
Mac	O
and	O
Linux	O
,	O
or	O
RuneSoft	O
,	O
a	O
German	O
publisher	O
that	O
has	O
done	O
ports	O
for	O
Linux	B-Application
Game	I-Application
Publishing	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Mac-focused	O
porter	O
Aspyr	O
also	O
started	O
releasing	O
titles	O
for	O
Linux	O
following	O
the	O
release	O
of	O
Steam	B-Application
for	O
that	O
system	O
in	O
2012	O
,	O
starting	O
with	O
Civilization	B-Application
V	I-Application
.	O
Feral	O
Interactive	O
also	O
released	O
XCOM	B-Application
:	I-Application
Enemy	I-Application
Unknown	I-Application
and	O
Middle-earth	B-Application
:	I-Application
Shadow	I-Application
of	I-Application
Mordor	I-Application
for	O
Linux	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Indie	O
game	O
development	O
and	O
digital	O
distribution	O
have	O
also	O
been	O
conducive	O
to	O
intertwining	O
,	O
starting	O
with	O
developers	B-Application
like	O
Wolfire	O
Games	O
(	O
Lugaru	B-Application
,	O
Overgrowth	B-Application
)	O
,	O
Frictional	O
Games	O
(	O
Penumbra	O
,	O
Amnesia	B-Application
)	O
,	O
2D	B-Application
Boy	I-Application
(	O
World	B-Application
of	I-Application
Goo	I-Application
)	O
,	O
Sillysoft	O
Games	O
(	O
Lux	B-Operating_System
)	O
,	O
Kot-in-Action	O
Creative	O
Artel	O
(	O
Steel	B-Application
Storm	I-Application
)	O
,	O
Gaslamp	O
Games	O
(	O
Dungeons	B-Application
of	I-Application
Dredmor	I-Application
)	O
,	O
Double	O
Fine	O
(	O
Psychonauts	B-Application
,	O
Brutal	B-Application
Legend	I-Application
)	O
,	O
Klei	O
Entertainment	O
(	O
Shank	B-Application
,	O
Mark	B-Application
of	I-Application
the	I-Application
Ninja	I-Application
)	O
,	O
and	O
Basilisk	O
Games	O
(	O
Eschalon	B-Application
)	O
supplying	O
multiple	O
native	O
versions	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
id	O
Software	O
was	O
also	O
a	O
pioneer	O
in	O
both	O
Mac	O
and	O
Linux	B-Application
gaming	I-Application
,	O
with	O
ports	O
of	O
their	O
games	O
once	O
done	O
by	O
Timothee	O
Besset	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Multi-platform	O
games	O
are	O
now	O
often	O
found	O
on	O
Steam	B-Application
,	O
GOG.com	O
and	O
itch.io	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Open	B-Application
source	I-Application
video	I-Application
games	I-Application
have	O
also	O
proved	O
modestly	O
popular	O
on	O
the	O
Mac	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Due	O
to	O
the	O
free	B-Application
software	I-Application
nature	O
of	O
the	O
system	O
,	O
development	O
of	O
such	O
titles	O
mostly	O
begins	O
on	O
Linux	O
;	O
afterwards	O
,	O
major	O
games	O
are	O
typically	O
ported	O
to	O
Mac	O
and	O
Microsoft	B-Application
Windows	I-Application
thanks	O
to	O
using	O
cross-platform	O
libraries	O
like	O
SDL	B-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
Mac	O
has	O
less	O
mainstream	O
games	O
than	O
Windows	B-Application
and	O
as	O
a	O
result	O
,	O
free	B-Application
games	I-Application
have	O
had	O
more	O
of	O
an	O
impact	O
on	O
the	O
platform	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Notable	O
free	B-Application
games	I-Application
popular	O
on	O
the	O
Mac	O
include	O
The	B-Application
Battle	I-Application
for	I-Application
Wesnoth	I-Application
,	O
Nexuiz	B-Application
,	O
OpenArena	B-Application
,	O
X-Moto	B-Language
,	O
0	B-Application
A.D.	I-Application
,	O
various	O
games	O
featuring	O
Tux	B-Application
,	O
and	O
more	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
March	O
8	O
,	O
2010	O
,	O
Valve	O
stated	O
that	O
they	O
would	O
be	O
porting	O
their	O
entire	O
library	B-Library
of	O
games	O
over	O
to	O
Mac	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
They	O
decided	O
on	O
native	O
versions	O
of	O
their	O
games	O
,	O
rather	O
than	O
emulations	B-Application
,	O
and	O
that	O
any	O
games	O
purchased	O
over	O
Steam	B-Application
for	O
computers	O
running	O
Windows	B-Application
would	O
be	O
available	O
for	O
free	O
download	O
to	O
computers	O
running	O
Mac	B-Operating_System
OS	I-Operating_System
X	I-Operating_System
,	O
and	O
vice	O
versa	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
first	O
game	O
to	O
be	O
released	O
simultaneously	O
for	O
Mac	O
and	O
Windows	B-Application
by	O
Valve	O
was	O
Portal	B-Application
2	I-Application
in	O
April	O
2011	O
.	O
</s>
