10 More Things Today's Gamers Wouldn’t Understand

6. DLC Can Be A Waste Of Time For Developers And Consumers

Believe it or not, games used to be released without any additional content. Developers didn't obsess over releasing additional levels or alternate costumes. Players were grateful and satisfied by the singular product that was produced. Now don€™t get me wrong, the compulsion to say €œThat thing you gave me was awesome, and I want more!€ is perfectly logical, but the fact that game companies are now expected to release scores of supplemental content is a huge stigma for modern gaming.

A logical retort to this is, €œIf you don€™t like DLC, then don€™t buy it!€ and I would say, €œOkay then, I won€™t.€ But sometimes, and Capcom knows what€™s coming, the content that people are paying money for and €œdownloading€ is already on the disc itself. You€™re not actually receiving new content, but rather you€™re paying 20 bucks for a tiny little file that allows you access to data that is already stored within the base game that you've already bought. That€™s like spending $200,000 on a house, and then spending $100,000 on the keys to get in the door. It's a sinister way of squeezing money out of people that don't know better.

It's not the concept of DLC that I have a problem with, but rather the actual content that developers are charging money for. I have no problem buying some of the Borderlands 2 DLC, because I know I'm going to get some genuine enjoyment out of shooting up more Skags with my friends (who are sitting next to me on the couch and aren't racist teenagers. More on that later). But costume packs that just swap colors around? An alternate ending for Mass Effect 3 that you have to pay for because the default ending was terrible? Instead of releasing half a game and cramming it with goodies later, game companies should spend their time and money on releasing a solid product that doesn't need to be held up with downloadable crutches.