Why does dlc exist

Some believe that gamers are being taken for a ride. But because of the increased interest and passion for gaming, they do not seem to care. Microtransaction, in itself, is ethical.

However, the constant need to download new features and pay for them has become unethical. Some game developers are misusing it these days. As mentioned earlier, the first game to have DLC is Total Annihilation in , and this opened up the use of DLC and made it more popular amongst top game developers. DLC in itself is a fantastic idea. One can use it for good as well as to exploit gamers. But the concept in itself is not wrong, but its application is what determines if it is good for the gamers or bad for them.

Games like Fallout were credited for being good as far as DLC is concerned because the DLC offered hours of additional gameplay and gave the game a new, upgraded look. Whilst some other games had a lousy DLC because it did not change much and gamers paid for those little almost unnoticeable changes.

The answer is yes, DLC is not going anywhere anytime soon. And also some companies are building their whole philosophy around DLC, further proving that it has come to stay. Downloadable Content or DLC has indeed brought a lot of changes about gaming. And it has made a whole lot of things possible. It has rendered some games endless and given developers the flexibility to strip their games bare and build something more exciting.

It is undoubtedly here to stay even amid its critics and misuse. Top 11 Professional Female Gamers, Ranked. How Much Do Streamers Make? Build a PC. Know How. How to Use Discord Overlay Features?

Pro Tips and More. An expansion pack is basically just sequel bait for a slightly expanded version of the original game, especially looking at the Street Fighter series or most fighting games in general. The way that publishers have innovated DLC has also boosted the job market. Folks get to keep their jobs, back in the day game companies often hired developers to do a very specific task, such as creating certain models or levels, etc.

Once those parts of the game were created then the developer would have no relevance in the company or the project. DLC allows developers to continue working on the game even after their section is finished with. DLC allows this content to be finished the day after the cutting point so rather than wasting game content, publishers can now just add it into the game as a patch or small free DLC later. Does this mean you should pre-order every game or buy most games at launch?

But you should consider subsidising good, hard-working developers and buy their extra content. As DLC and season passes are here to stay, they're usually the only way you can fully experience everything a game has to offer.

This can be both good and bad, because of the inconsistent nature of DLC and whether or not a game has locked base content behind a paywall. When you play a game, the base content should be satisfactory, regardless of any DLC. But, if you can't get enough of what you're playing, then it might be worth your time to invest that game's DLC to get as much content as you can. What's great about DLC is that it can appear in digital stores at any time, and you can download it whenever you like.

There's not another physical disk to buy, and the DLC should seamlessly integrate itself into the game. What's more is that developers can line up a series of small DLCs, either paid or free, to keep things interesting in the first few weeks or months following their game's launch.

This can be DLC that's surprise content or content that the developers have announced. DLC like this can be a pleasant way to add a bit more to your game, either for a small price or for free. One thing about DLC is that you aren't just limited to in-game content. DLC can exist outside a game as digital art books, comics, soundtracks, avatars, themes, and more. This adds an extra level as you're still engaging with the game through another medium. Enter Nuka World. All these things you've wrought, you can destroy.

Becoming the Overboss of Nuka World is a final push against the waning attention span of a player who has spent too much time with Fallout 4 , too much time with crafting and customization.

If Fallout 4 had done a better job of world-building, I think it would've been harder to lay it all to ruin. I felt nothing but relief at the arrival of what amounts to an endgame for Fallout 4. I'd helped everyone there was to help. All that's left is to gun them all down and uninstall the game.

The similarities between this and FarmVille seem obvious. There's a habit within the game development community that attempts to expand, as much as possible, the lifetime of a game. Skyrim was released in Skyrim Special Edition was released in October That's three different platforms in two years, across multiple updated game versions, and just this month an update introduced a new game mode.

Despite being released four years ago, it's still one of the most-played games on the market. Once a DLC is released, it doesn't just lie in wait. Just as the gaming community has changed, so has gaming journalism. Whole businesses base their livelihoods off gaming news, and the new advent of DLCs -- while considered by some gaming columnists as cash grabs and fixes to incomplete games -- not only offers constant new developments but constant game coverage and opinion pieces as well.

Since DLC is released in a drip-drip fashion, except for when they're genuine expansions, this means sites can cover games online for years after they're released. That also means incomplete games or games in their Early Access stages can receive even more media coverage -- meaning more advertisement and revenue opportunities -- than complete game releases.

Keep in mind: while media coverage is not wholly incidental, not every patch update or DLC release is meant to feed the media spin cycle. Nevertheless, they do. Given the modern gaming environment, developers have the genuine opportunity to create a better overall game through DLC.

They should jump on every opportunity they can to create an amazing product. Incidentally or purposely, however, extra downloadable content has become a major journalistic endeavor to cover. Take the YouTube channel Trainer Tips for example. What I got from Trainer Tips is that, and a lot more. Hundreds of thousands of views, based largely around updates.

Mobile app updates -- a sort of micro-DLC -- aren't solely opportunities to add content. They're also major marketing tools, allowing attention blips in the community radar.

In a sense, most games played today are also in a constant state of development by necessity. No matter the intent of the developer, releasing DLC often becomes a chance to invite consumers into the folds.

Considering we've entered a new age in gaming -- the age of widespread game digitization -- wherein consumers are also reviewers, advertisers, streamers, personalities , and more, it's hard to ignore the real-world implications of DLC. Yes, they're a method by which developers can grant users more content. Overall, however, the relationship is symbiotic if not bordering on usury in some instances. I don't want to portray all DLC as bad. There's some DLC which has contributed greatly to the overall enjoyment of games.

Having spent years as a part of the gaming community, however, I know when a trend is being abused. DLC isn't a money squeeze , just as micro-transactions are anything but micro.

We're talking millions of dollars in revenue over relatively short periods of time. That's a money flood. And the practice of paid DLC -- which find their inception in casual and mobile gaming -- have all but solidified their place within gaming culture. There are two cardinal sins, in my opinion, which DLC is directly responsible for: they allow developers to release unfinished games, and capitalize on the user's want to play a game in its entirety.

These two aspects work in tandem.