Game Over

I grew up with video games, as many kids my age did. It could take months to beat a video game and sometimes they were almost impossible to beat. Nowadays though, games have gotten too easy. I can't generalize an entire industry with a wide range of genres, but most games are being dished out as fast as Little Caesars Hot N' Ready pizza.

Things were simpler, even just a few years ago. The experience of playing a game was actually an experience, by that I mean, there was an entire story and world that could leave you couch-locked for days on end. No matter who made the game, or the type of game, there was a ton of playability (even re-playability) and you'd be rewarded for doing so. Again, this isn't the case for all games, but now it seems like role-playing games are the only game type capable of keeping players in their seats.

I believe the rise of downloadable content, also known as DLC, is one of the culprits responsible for bringing less to the table, despite the illusion to add more to the game. DLC is supposed to bring more content, more playability, and it does but at a price. The brand new $60 game you just bought is almost certain to have a $20-$40 "season pass" that is supposed to bring you more gaming throughout the year after the game's release. So now if you want to experience the game in it's entirety you have to cough up some extra cash, or as I would imagine, younger gamers have to ask their parents for more money for a game they just bought for them. Oddly enough, after a game and all the DLC has been released, in about a years time, the game is generally bundled with the DLC for $60.

The trend to include DLC for games stems from the PC gaming world, where "expansion packs" were first created. However, expansion packs were often developed after the game had already been released and the goal was to re-spark interest in the game by creating all-new modes, characters, and stories. The DLC for console games seems to leave me scratching my head and asking the question, shouldn't this content have been shipped with the game?