Pay to Play
Ever since Microsoft made the decision of allowing the distibution of game add ons via their online service for the exchange of spacebucks (microsoft points), with all the other consoles following suit, it appears that some gamers want the new content but do not want to pay for it.
The usual comments or arguments that are brought up by the hardcore are:
"Why should I pay for something a few months after release that could have easily been included on the disc at launch?"
"The developers have been planing to have paid content from the begin so why are they charging extra for it"
My favourite though is this one:
"The developers have been offering free content in a game for a year now, why should I pay for something extra now?"
I do not understand these people. Granted, downlaodable content is a great way for developers to extend the life of their product but at the same time the gamers that are actively enjoying their product can continue to do so doing so whilst supporting the developer. It is, at least on paper, a symbiotic relationship.
Furthermore everyone has a choice. If you dont like the fact that you have to pay a relatively small fee to access content in a game that you are actually enjoying then don't.
I understand that the pricing is very important to the consumer. However the fact that this is a new distribution system (Burnout Paradise, and EA in general, have been trying all sorts of things) means that everyone is trying to figure out the best way and at what price point to deliver the content.
There has been an occasion when levels of a game where not ready for the launch so they were going to get canned. But instead of doing so the developers decided to keep working on those levels and release them as paid downlaodable content to ensure that they see the light. People still complained. I am hoping it's because they are ignorant.
While I am a firm believer that everyone is entitled to their own opinion, when it comes to downloadable content my opinion is that parasitic opinions are unjust.
In the words of Kurt Cobain we must all "Pay to Play".
Re: Pay to Play
I tootally agree with you.
The fact that any DLC costs some or a lot of money to make, the developer has every right to charge for it. It's not right to accuse a developer of charging for a DLC since you have the option to buy it or not.
What i don't like though, is the fact that some DLC is overpriced and just like i wouldn't buy a game that costs 150 Euros, i wouldn't also buy a DLC that only lasts 1 hour and costs 800MS points = 8 Euros, no matter how great it is. As i would wait for a game to get cheaper, i would also wait for the DLC to get cheaper and become worthy of purchase. The plethora of great games out there and the great prices of the online retailers add to this factor. An example is the DLC of tomb Raider: Underworld. The Lara's Shadow DLC lasts 1 hour and costs 8 Euros. I consider it expensive at this time. On the other hand, the DLC of The Maw costs 1 Euro and includes 1 stage that lasts 35 minutes which in my opininon is worth it.
Consumers always look and will look for value for money.
Another factor that causes all these complaints is the DLC's value appreciation being time sensitive. DLC usually arrives at the end of the product circle to rejuvenate the original product and record even more sales. The problem is that by the time the DLC arrives, the original full length game already can be bought online for less than 20 Euros brand new, making the DLC (in the case of TR:U) look very expensive.
The genre of a game plays an important role is shapping up the value of a DLC. For example in the case of Halo 3 and COD games, the DLC are usually extra maps for the MP. Fans of these games will definitely buy these maps that usually cost on average 2 Euros each since they will actually spend days playing on those maps so their value for money is great.
What a hate about the DLC is the fact that some items that are released for Europe are "location locked". Examples are Doom, Duke Nuken and the new map pack of COD:WAW. I hate the fact that i really get excited about a DLC or XBLA game that is being released in Europe, only to get frustrated when i receive the system message "This item is not available from your currect location" when i go to download it.
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