With this new generation of game consoles, Downloadable Content (DLC) has become popular and is now a viable way to extend the life of games, on both entertainment and financial values.
Usually, DLC comes out months after the original game and adds content to the game. However, there are a handful of game developers that abuse the system by charging people for content that is actually on the disc they purchased those months ago. Usually, these are 108 KB keys that claim to be content but the file is so small that it’s physically impossible. Many gamers, including myself, find this practice abhorrent.
The complaint stems from the idea of ownership I touched on in the DRM post. When I spend $60 on a game, I feel that I just funded the development of all the content on the disc. Then when “extra” content comes out that is obviously on the disc, it creates the impression that I bought an incomplete package previously.
This outrage has such an easy fix. Don’t put it on the disc first. That’s all developers have to do to not create the impression of being ripped off. Whether it was done before the game launched or not, keep the content off the disc so when you download it, you get the impression that it’s brand new content.
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