I have used, with some success Windows of various kinds all my life when dealing with computers. I was recently curious and am considering utilizing Knoppix and exploring what the big fuss is about. My question is simple, apparently too simple as all of the forums I have explored are thus far too technical to be of use in this aspect. I realize that posting this in a Linux support site will return me a biased answer, but if it's not too much trouble, refrain from bashing 'windoze' and 'M$'.

1) Basically, what are the benefits and drawbacks of switching from windows to a Knoppix, or other Linux based operating system?

Keep in mainly in the range of performance and privacy, because my computer use is strictly for gaming, yet i'm paranoid enough to be bothered with Windows increasing security measures. Will my games run faster in linux? Will I even be able to game in Linux? I've used windows thus far for it's amazing simplicity in general, and from what i've gathered there is a bit of coding involved in linux. So, in conclusion, is the switch really worth the effort?