Today, I'm gonna be talking about DLC in video games, and why I think it's an outdated concept.
DLC is fairly common in the gaming world, especially with games such as The Sims, or Cities: Skylines. They're a good way for developers to add content to a game- it provides them a bit of extra money, and it allows the player to pick and choose what they want, rather than paying for a bunch of content they don't need. There's also the added bonus that developers can release content after releasing the game, since it requires the player to buy another disc anyways.
There are a lot of problems with this, though.
Firstly, and most obviously- it's expensive. To use The Sims as an example again- I've found multiple sources saying the game costs around $450 (USD, presumably) to buy The Sims 3 with all of the DLC. That's not counting the in-game store purchases either- someone claimed it would be around $75000 to buy all of that- but technically those are a different form of DLC from what I'm talking about.
Secondly- people don't really use discs any more. If a game has an update, you just download it via Steam, or Origin, or worst case, through the game itself (for something like League of Legends or Minecraft that's more standalone). This means it's easier to distribute updates, and there's no need for the player to pay for a physical copy. (you could argue that the ease of updating is also responsible for the early access epidemic, and you wouldn't be wrong, but it's a trade-off really.)
Thirdly- large companies (like EA, if we continue with The Sims as an example) are no longer the only people who know how to use computers. Nowadays, with so much access to computers, computer science/engineering courses, programming software and guides, anyone can learn to code from the comfort of their own home. While the average person probably couldn't make a game from scratch, a lot of people would have no trouble adding, say, pets to The Sims. Having things like the Steam Workshop makes it very easy to share and download mods, and dedicated fans of games are more than willing to make them. To use Cities: Skylines as an example, a DLC like After Dark, which only adds a few actual game mechanics, wouldn't seem out of place being a community-made mod.
Personally, I believe the era of paid DLC in games like these is coming to an end. Although mods don't directly generate money for the company that makes the games, they can increase interest in the game, both through people using them and people making them, and they allow for a much wider variety in terms of content. For instance- Mount & Blade Warband is set in the Middle Ages, with one multiplayer only DLC which takes place in Napoleon's time and one singleplayer DLC which takes place in the time of Vikings. Player-made mods, on the other hand, take place anywhere from Ancient Rome to Star Wars, and some honestly have more interesting gameplay mechanics than the official DLCs.
Anyways, that's gonna be it for today. Hopefully you enjoyed this post! If you have any thoughts or opinions on the matter, let me know- I'd be interested to hear if people agree or disagree..
