Thinking It Through: Day One DLC

     Hello, everyone. Welcome to the new blog. I'm going to kick things right off with a section called Think It Through, which is just that: me thinking through topics that are a bit controversial and maybe a bit misunderstood.    

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     Today's the day: release day. You drive to the store to pick up that game you've had pre-ordered for months, plop your sixty bucks down on the counter, grab the game and leave the store smiling. Driving home quickly, the anticipation builds inside you like a Lego set. Clink! goes the disk drive as you hastily insert the disc to its rightful place. Your heart begins to race as the disc picks up speed. The game fades in and politely asks you to press the start button. You gladly oblige and read the main menu: new game, settings, the usual. Your eyes glance at the bottom of the screen as some letters scroll by slowly, menacingly. Your heart sinks. "Downloadable content available now!" Day One DLC. How could they? You just gave them sixty of your hard-earned dollars for this game and before you even get the chance to play it, they're already asking for more! It may be a bitter pill to swallow, but this is a trend that will probably continue for a long while. 

     A major misconception about video games is that they're worked on until the very last minute the game goes on the shelf. In actuality, games have to go through a rigorous certification process by the the console companies (Sony, Microsoft, Nintendo, etc.) before the game can be greenlit for production. Even after that, it can take quite a while for games that have "gone gold" (production of discs has begun) to reach the hands of the consumers.  As all this is happening, teams from the developer can start making more content for the game. Though it may seem like it sometimes, most companies are not trying to sell you content they had ready when the game was sent for certification, but content made afterwards while waiting for the game to hit store shelves. Dragon Age: Origins did this very well with Warden's Keep; it was a small piece of content made after the game was finished that gave whoever wanted it a few added quests, items, and a handy item chest. The game was in no way incomplete without it.

     Why do they have to sell it on release day, though? You bought the game, right? They should let you have that moment without sticking their grubby mitts back in your face, begging you for more cash. 

     While this is an argument I can completely understand and respect, I also understand the other side of the argument. Announcing or releasing DLC on day one lets gamers know that additional content will be released for the game. Not only does this give the game a little bit more longevity in the gamer's eye, it may also keep the gamer from trading that copy of the game in so soon. Mass Effect 2's Cerberus Network DLC, for example, gave customers the promise of free DLC later on and even some instantly. Hanging on to that copy for a little while longer meant getting to go back to the game later and having some extra quests waiting for you. This allowed them to convince consumers to keep their games until they could prepare more content, resulting in longer than usual support for paid DLC with Arrival coming out over a year after the game's initial launch.

     When you think about it, day one DLC  isn't as evil as it may seem. With the used market being such a huge percentage of the video game industry, game companies are having to come up with more and more unique ways to get people to keep their games instead of selling or trading them in. When it all comes down to it, dealing with DLC on day one is a price I'm more than willing to pay in order to keep the industry healthy.