Downloadable content, or DLC, is a fine development that expands the scope of gaming. It lets publishers feed us more of the games we love, and it allows dev teams to fix mistakes in their games, like the incredibly ruinous ending of Mass Effect 3 that should see the head writer, Marc Walters, bounced out of the game industry. The key point of DLC is the downloadable part, though. A recent trend has DLC already on the media you purchased, taking up space, enlongening your downloads, but locked out until you buy in for a second time. On-disc DLC has gamers talking, and what they’re saying isn’t good. Check it out. Nerd Reactor has the story.
Consider a car, where the backseat and trunk don’t open unless you shell out for the “option package,” but you still have to buy the gas to haul around all that weight and space. Imagine a house where two bedrooms stay locked unless you buy special keys, but your property taxes are still on the full square footage. Think about ordering a pizza that comes without toppings unless you drop in an extra few dollars, but they still make you wait on the delivery until they’re done cooking all those pepperoni and ham slices you might not want.
Oh, and the part where you already paid for the damn thing. That’s on-disc DLC.