Age of the Geek

Day One Drama

     It's time to talk about video games again and this time we're back to that age old debate about downloadable content, or DLC for short.

     First, a recap.

     Once upon a time, when a game was done, it was done. End of story. If there was a graphics glitch, you had to live with it. If the developer couldn't finish that extra level or work the bugs out of that new game mode, tough luck. Save it for the sequel. Whatever was coded onto that cartridge or disk was what you got, forever.

     Then came the Internet.

     Today it's not uncommon to put your brand-spanking new video game into your console only to watch it download an update from the developer. Now they can fix those bugs and finish those extra levels or features even after you've started playing the game.

     Games today are no longer "finished," you just play the most recent version. This distinction is a problem because customers still rightly expect to get a complete product when they slap down $60 on a new title.

     The debate about what constitutes a "complete product" is a continuing point of contention between game developers and their customers. The ability to continually patch and update games has many benefits to both developers and gamers, but it's not a power that is always used responsibly. Particularly when it comes to the phenomenon known as "Day One DLC," which is, as its name implies, additional content that you can get for your new game on the day of its release.

     Sometimes "Day One DLC" is innocent enough. There are generally a few months between a game being "finished" and it hitting the shelves. This DLC gives developers something to work on during that time. In a lot of cases, the DLC is even free, used as either a pre-order bonus or a general promotional tool.

     On the other hand, more than a couple times developers have been caught selling DLC that amounts to nothing more than a code that unlocks content already present on the game disk. Imagine if you bought a CD, but then had to pay extra to listen to the last three songs on the album. Or imagine buying a movie on DVD, but having to pay an additional charge to turn on the subtitles.

     These are the kinds of shenanigans that have been a problem in the gaming industry.

     Thankfully, it seems that an equilibrium is starting to form. Various game developers have tested the waters and discovered what their customers will and won't tolerate.

     Capcom, one of the biggest proponents of asking you to pay for things you already bought, received enough negative feedback after a 2012 controversy that they were forced to "re-evaluate how additional game content is delivered." Other developers have opted to forgo some DLC entirely just to avoid the negative perception.

     The market has spoken and they don't appreciate developers lowering the value of their products in order to squeeze out a few extra bucks.

     Surprisingly, it's Nintendo that has been serving as a model of DLC done right. Ironic, considering that the company is notoriously behind the times in virtually every other aspect of their online business. Yet for as much flack as I've been giving them (and will probably continue to do so), they've done DLC the right way.

     Rather than cut out features, only to sell them separately on launch day, Nintendo is scheduling their DLC out to periodically renew interest in their games. It's a model very similar to the PC standard, where games continually get rejuvenated with expansions.

     "Mario Kart 8," released last May, has DLC updates scheduled for November 2014 and May 2015. On its own, the game already has  the 32 tracks that is standard for a Mario Kart title. There's no question that it's a complete game.

     However, each new DLC pack will contain a few new characters and eight new tracks, giving me a good reason to return to the game every six months.

     Likewise, my roommates and I are currently playing "Hyrule Warriors." We'll probably have the game completely finished in a week or two and we'll have gotten our money's worth out of it. However, the DLC content scheduled over the next year will keep us coming back, allowing us to get "the complete experience" multiple times over the course of a single title.

     In the end, like any business, it's all about the value proposition. When you offer more, you get more.

     Travis Fischer is a news writer for Mid-America Publishing and comes with all the extra features pre-installed.