DLC VS the World

Regardless of whether you love or hate it, could DLC define the future of gaming?

Downloadable content has certainly come a long way since it’s humble beginnings upon the Dreamcast a number of years ago, but it still manages to garner an amazing amount of criticism from a lot of angles despite this. Does it deserve all of that negative attention? Going by price, one could certainly assume so.

Over the Odds

In the case of the much anticipated Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 map-pack set, for example, players were tasked with paying well over the odds for five new multiplayer arenas - two of which proved to be re-incarnations of older maps - and many understandably complained due to the hefty price tag attached to this project. Then there’s the small matter of the actual content itself; in many cases, these expensive demands can hit all the harder due to the often limited substance within a release (many coming in at only a few hours half-hearted play), not to mention the bitter fact that a great deal already lurks upon the disc, squirreled away until you pull out the wallet and pay for it.

The big question is, why are developers pushing so hard? Well, due to their well-known - not to mention fierce - dislike of a booming pre-owned market who’s massive profits largely pass them by, it’s not surprising that companies within the gaming industry are using DLC to expand the life of their product and to discourage the second-hand market (an internal study by Microsoft in 2008 discovered that titles held a better price if they were supported after release by downloadable content). This seems even more likely considering the fact that many are starting to - or are at least considering - charging used game owners for content that is free when the product happens to be bought new. If you’re unfamiliar with the concept, see the likes of Mass Effect 2’s ‘Cerberus Network’, the swathes of free content exclusively available with new releases or EA’s mooted plan for paid access to multiplayer if you buy pre-owned. Worst of all, though, is that everyone seems to be at it - earlier this year, Activision was supposedly considering a fee-based system for top-sellers Call of Duty and Guitar Hero after seeing the popularity of MMO giant World of Warcraft.

Out on a Limb

Aside from keeping punters interested, this would also be a sure bet for spinning as much money as possible from a title instead of embarking on a brand-new multi-million dollar project that may not even be successful. In a difficult period where studios are crumbling, developers are closing up shop and jobs are being cut, this approach would certainly make sense instead of going out on a limb - especially since it already seems to be paying dividends.

But the thing is - and as greedy as they now appear to be - would developers take such action if customers were unwilling to buy in the first place? COD’S DLC sales were pushed to ludicrous heights not simply because of the game’s already obscene popularity or potential gluttony from publisher Activision’s part, but because they knew that players would fork up. Although it’s true that some developers do cross a line, it’s difficult to complain too much when we insist on paying through the teeth to get our hands on our latest fix.

Jump Start

Anyway, doesn’t every industry go through a ‘teething’ period where it will test the water and thereby discover its strengths? In some cases we’ve already seen the benefit of this approach with titles such as Fallout 3 or Grand Theft Auto (throwing out a whole load of quality for a fair amount of cash), and these are perfect specimens to demonstrate how the gaming world is now combating a previous, invasive issue of gaming’s bite-sized nature or the problem of limited replay value in a product. Who knows where it could go within a few years notice? Some full-retail products are now releasing via the internet (see Wipeout HD, Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light and Fable 3), and because of their intense popularity this would suggest that it might be a way forward, especially with the development of Cloud-based online methods that could streamline a console's manufacture costs entirely by streaming content live from the web. In a decade or so we may even have eradicated gaming discs entirely, be it DVD, Blu Ray or some other design, and the instigation of DLC could indeed be the catalyst that jump-starts gaming into the next generation, allowing a new wave of mind-blowing technology to develop.

Regardless of where you stand, however, it’s most definitely something that we’ll all have to get used to in the immediate future due to current, frantic uptake and the flexibility of modern online systems; where we’ll go from there, on the other hand, is another matter entirely. Let’s just hope the developers don’t abuse such a golden opportunity.