I am completely new to the Linux scene, but am interested in the possibility of installing it on a new PC I just built. I only have 2 major hang ups with just jumping in...

1. I love games.. and I hear the game market for Linux is somewhat bleak. Any clarification or denial of that rumor would be appreciated.

2. I have no idea which version of Linux would be best for a gaming environment, or is one as good as the next. I am not worried about difficulty of install or anything like that.. I just want the best I can get. Which version would be the way for me to go?

1. If you love games you can have a dual boot setup with windows. Becuase most games in windows are also not supported in linux.

2. I would go with mandrake 8 if your a newbie. I heard its a pretty good distro. I also heard good things about slackware 8.

I hope i was of some help..
-mikez

1. There is also always WINE. You can use it to load Windows programs within Linux. Its getting more stable too, so there aren't many problems with it as there use to be.

2. Yeah, new to Linux, I would go with Mandrake. Its more like a desktop type Linux. And to answer your question, most distro's would all do the same on job performance most likely if your gonna play games.