There’s Nothing Wrong with Pre-Planned DLC
At some point gamers decided that anything developers accomplish between when they announce a game and when it ships is their property. ‘Oh, you built a break-front in your spare time, Bungie employee? Sorry, that’s ours now. What? Halo 3 hasn’t shipped yet!’
The community is constantly outraged by DLC that they believe is ‘on the disc’ at the time of release. They are even upset about DLC whose development begins before the game with which it’s associated is released.
My question is: why? Developers have no obligation to give you all their work for $60. They create a product at a certain price point and you either buy it or you don’t.
You get what you pay for
When Apple is developing the new iPhone, you don’t expect to get their new Mac as well when you buy it, do you? Why not? Mac engineers probably contributed work towards both of them. Maybe it’s because you understand companies create different products that are related.
It’s the same thing with games. Developers are constantly working on product and features to include in that product. They have a target game in mind, and that package comes at a price (usually $60). As a consumer, you have to analyze the components of that package and choose whether or not you want to own it. Is it worth that $60 to you? If you believe it is, and purchase it, then that’s all you get, don’t complain!
The ultimate money hole. Just insert your wallet into the optical drive
If you are under the impression that somehow you’re purchasing ‘everything branded with Assassins Creed 2’ when you purchase the game, then you’re sorely mistaken. When you buy a Wii, you don’t get Wii Motion Plus when it comes out. You have to purchase additional content, and if you think it’s not worth it, nobody’s forcing you.
You’re not entitled to anything
Gamers act as if developers planning additional content before they release a game is somehow deceptive. Game development teams are large, and towards the tail end there is a huge proportion that isn’t doing anything. While the QA teams are fixing bugs and polishing everything up, the creative forces and level designers aren’t doing anything. Well, to be fair, they’re probably creating DLC.
If developers promise something on the box, and then force you to pay extra for it, that’s grounds for complaint. If you merely want more for your money, however, tough luck. You shouldn’t have purchased the product in the first place if you were only buying it contingent on extra free stuff later on.
Hand me $5. In return, I will hand you the most valuable thing in the world. What is it, you ask? Well, let me describe a scenario: your horse is horribly stabbed to death in his naked flanks ... are you with me?
Games are becoming more difficult and expensive to produce. The price of games and gaming hardware on an inflation adjusted basis has actually fallen slightly over time despite the massively increased development effort. DLC is a happy compromise between developers and consumers wherein gamers who want further experience in a game world can pay for it, while those who just wanted the core game aren’t burdened with the additional cost.
Arguing for a different payment structure in the industry in a sensible matter is one thing. Immaturely whining for more product for free is essentially saying you’re entitled to the efforts of the developers. It creates a hostile environment between developers and the community when we should be cooperating to ensure we get the experience we want at a price that is palatable to all parties.
