When Downloadable Content was introduced to the industry, it was pretty exciting. Games received extra maps, glitches and bugs were fixed even after its release, and extra content was available to the players. The problem started when publishers started charging players for DLCs. This erupted into many ways publishers had developers release their game contents and how games were distributed.
Source: Youtube Channel
MachinimaTrailer
(^Extra characters for BlazBlue cost $8 each)
-Incomplete games are distributed in order to have earlier release dates while fixing problems by having players run into them and having their consoles send the error reports back to the developers to fix (Microsoft is infamous for this whenever they release a new operating system).
-Extra contents are set at high prices knowing that there will be consumers who would buy them anyways. This cuts off a lot of players who bought them and those who have not in multiplayer based DLCs.
-Publishers holds off on certain aspects and contents of a game such as aesthetics (character outfits), content (weapons, vehicles, equipment), or even entire sections of the game (game modes, maps, extra stories) and then sells them separately from the game. And don't even argue that it's optional "extra" contents when some DLCs are released on the same day as the release date of a game.
-Digital distribution became prominent and charges players a lot of small digitally downloaded games. Sometimes this is okay, but other times the games can be short or poorly developed.
-The Music Rhythm games have players pay per song or song pack and can accumulate a price higher than the game itself.
-Many First-Person Shooters have a lot of problems with lag, glitches and bugs in multiplayer and have players go through it before eventually patching it (if ever). They also hold out on a lot of maps, game modes, and weapons and sell them for $10-$15 each when released.
-Fighting games have DLCs for extra characters and are charged for EACH character (not a pack, each) which cost anything from $5-$10 with alternative outfits costing $1 each (add that up with 30+ characters each game). Sometimes they get huge patches and additional contents. Super Street Fighter IV will be receiving one which will cost $15.
The list goes on and on. I fear that the condition of our economy with the consistent drawback of incomplete games will affect games in the industry entirely until games can no longer withstand regular releases where we'll one day have to pay for every piece of a game in order to have the entirety of what we once paid one regular price for in the past for a complete game. I hope that this trend eventually dies out and the industry can go back to making complete, fulfilling games or have a better method of DLCs and distribution come out.
