Video Game Features: DLC the Bane of Gaming

Published January 1, 2017

Back Then

I have been a gamer as long as I can remember, and I have been through all the phases. From starting out in my local cafe pumping old silver 20 cent pieces into that arcade machine to overclocking my CPU just to play a game. Eventually landing back in the console form with the choice of preference being Sony’s offering. PS2 was straight forward, buy a disc, put it in and play. You grind till your thumbs fall off and maybe, just maybe you can unlock that awesome new skin for your hero.

Recently when I looked, you can unlock any character in almost any game for the low low price of the developers’ morals. DLC’s are supposed to add value to a game not be a money grabbing ploy but suits. It is becoming increasingly frustrating.

Mobile Games are to blame in my opinion. Their Free-to-Play medium; while clever; is killing what gaming is really meant to be. Ask any Gamer, any real Gamer, it’s not if you unlock it all, it’s HOW you unlock it. Pushing your limits till 3 am just to unlock that new rifle. But these days all you need is a big wallet. Buy enough credit and you will climb that leader board fast.

In-game Credits

In-game credits… where you trade real world money for in-game money. Whose idea was this? Its brilliant from a business perspective but I honestly cant believe gamers have been suckered into this.

Season Passes

Don’t get me started on Season Passes. Let me get this straight, I must buy the disc, then pay a monthly fee to XBox or Sony for online access, this 2 I don’t mind as the disc gives me a game I can replay a few times and online access comes with free games every month. But then you get the season pass, a pass you need to pay for, in order to play a game you already bought online, using a service you have already paid for. (Still think you’re not getting screwed?)

Let’s face it, the prices of games aren’t getting any cheaper, and I am a realist, I understand the economics. I also understand that additional content requires additional resources. But when you offer a “different” batmobile that is essentially a skin and slap a 10 dollar price tag on it, then frankly Mr Developer you’re taking a piss at me.

Now it is not all gloom and doom, there are games that offer free DLC and games that offer a DLC that is well packaged and fairly priced. They are trying to find the balance between satisfying the gamer’s needs and making more money. And for the effort, I salute them.

A New Hope

Street Fighter 5 is one good example, you have a choice, you take the blue pill, you take your wallet out and pay to unlock BUT you take the red pill and see how far the rabbit hole really goes. I urge you to take the red pill with me and I will show you how that expensive next gen game quickly becomes value for money as you are spending hours on it for weeks.

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Entertainment / Gaming Author at Geek Node

The possible result of lab experiment gone horribly wrong, a real life Anti-Hero with all of the sarcasm/attitude and non-of-the superpowers. Still tears up each time he sees Arnie lowered into the molten metal. Thinks he is super funny… others beg to differ. Was going to live his life ¼ mile at a time until he converted it to the metric system… and would choose the red pill every time. Driven by Dreams and Fuelled by Passion.