Why won’t this show up?

I covered this in an earlier post, but I’m still pretty angry about it, so I’ll give it another go. You are killing the video game industry as we know it. Stop it.

DLC
Never, EVER buy DLC add-ons to console games. Many times, the DLC you’re buying is actually just a key that unlocks content on the disc you’ve already paid for. Other times, the DLC you’re buying was completed at the same time as the normal game. The developers CHOSE to leave those parts out of the game so that they could sell them to you later. By the time you get the game, most development studios have already moved on to new projects. In the rare case that the DLC is actually developed after the game is released, half the time the DLC was done by some unrelated developer, and what you’ve got is a haphazardly thrown together expansion. Any way you look at it, it’s bullshit. You’ve already bought the game, and upon doing so you should be entitled to experience everything the game has to offer. Video games are already too expensive, but if you buy a sixty dollar game and a ten dollar expansion the developer has already milked seventy dollars out of you. Buying DLC lets developers know that it’s okay to charge for it. Even if it’s just a five dollar little pack. You’re setting precedent. You’re giving them incentive to leave things out of the game intentionally so that they can sell them to you later. You’re letting them know that they don’t have to put all their effort into a game to get you to buy it. There have even been rumors all around the industry about game endings being DLC. That is the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard. That’s like buying a DVD, watching it for an hour and a half, and having to pay again for the last half an hour. There’s no excuse for it. But you can bet it’s going to happen if you keep buying DLC. You’re encouraging these developers to put less and less on that disc you paid sixty dollars for, and more and more in little ten dollar packages for you to download. You can’t reinforce this kind of behavior. Game developers are like bratty children. These men are running a business. If DLC remains successful, it’s going to grow and we’re going to suffer the consequences. If DLC fails, we’ll see less of it and benefit from that fact. Don’t confuse DLC with patches, though. Patches are good things, so long as they don’t charge for them. A patch can increase compatibility, correct technical errors, and add elements to games that the developer wanted to put in the first time, but screwed up in some way or another. Patches show that developers care about the experience you take away from a game. It shows they’re making an effort to correct their mistakes, which is a very good thing. And some DLC is free, which is great. They’re adding new content to the game at no charge to you, which is never a bad thing. Yakuza 3 gets free DLC updates every week. So if the Yakuza developers can give out DLC for free, why can’t other developers?

Company currency
Microsoft Points. Wii Points. You know the drill. By selling you these points, they’re hoping you’ll spend them more freely than you would actual money. It’s the same thing, but there’s a psychological barrier there. Would you rather spend 1000 Wii Points or ten dollars? A dollar is tangible. You can hold ten dollars in your hand. Wii Points are abstract. They’re little pieces of data. They’re easier to part with. Expanding further, it’s a lot harder to spend just the amount you want. You can only buy MS Points or Wii Points in predetermined values, so you’re fucked if you want a 600 point game. You’ve got to buy 1000 points, and you’re stuck with 400 left over. Except you can’t buy anything with that; you need at least 500. But you can’t buy 100 points at a time, can you? So it’s another five dollars, just to get 900 points. Which still doesn’t divide evenly. You can only buy points in increments of five dollars, but most games aren’t priced in said increments. So you’re going to end up paying more than they’re charging, or buying games you didn’t really want to get rid of all your points. If you’re going to buy something on Marketplace or Wii Shop Channel, make sure you’re going to spend all of your points. I’m not saying to avoid these things altogether; just be aware of what’s going on.

Digital distribution
This is related to the two above points, and both will only become more of an issue as digital distribution becomes the mainstream. When you pay to download a game, you don’t own that game. You can only do with it what the license allows you to do. Want to take it to your friend’s house? Too damned bad. Want to use it as a frisbee? Eat shit. You can’t sell your games. This circumvents the used game markets, so be prepared to pay full price for three year old games. That’s totally ridiculous. You bought the game, and you have the right to do what you want with it. And you also have the right to buy the game from someone else, if they feel like selling it for less than the store does. Should you avoid all downloadable games? No, because some are only available via digital distribution. And in some cases, digital distribution is the only way a developer can afford to put their games on the market. But there will soon come a time when games are available in both download form and physical form (read: Warhawk). In such cases, ALWAYS buy the physical copy. When this happens, it’ll be because developers are testing us. They’re trying to see whether or not they can get away with releasing games ONLY over the Internet to cut down on manufacturing costs. So, stop and think. What are the disadvantages of download-only, aside from not being able to take the games with you, not being able to sell your games, and not being able to buy used games? What if the company you bought it from goes out of business, and your console breaks down? How do you get your game back? If you own a game via Steam and they go bankrupt, where are your games? If you buy a shitty game, you’re stuck with it. No seven day Gamestop refunds if you don’t like it. No pawning it off on your little brother as a gift. It just sits on your hard drive, taking up space. Which is another problem. The size of your library is limited by the size of your hard drive, so you can only have X amount of games. Sure, you could buy another hard drive. Or you could have your downloads tied to your account, ala Wii Shop Channel. But do you really want to have to re-download a game because you feel like playing it again, or switching between hard drives wondering which game file is on which drive? I sure don’t.

Special editions and games with peripherals
Don’t buy into this bullshit. Do you really think those pieces of plastic they give you with Rock Band jacks up their production costs threefold? Spare me. They sell you a game along with five dollars worth of plastic, and the game is now worth how much? 70, 90, 150 dollars? I’m not saying you shouldn’t buy games like Guitar Hero or Wii Fit. I’m saying you should buy the games and peripherals separately, and used if possible. The same thing goes for special editions. Special editions are market research. They’re seeing how much they can get away with charging for games. Do you think PS3 and Xbox 360 games would be sixty dollars this generation if nobody had bought Guitar Hero, Halo 2 Special Edition, Madden Special Edition, and Donkey Konga last time around? Hell no. If you dropped 90 dollars on Halo 3 Legendary, don’t be shocked at all if games are ten dollars more expensive next time around. It’s your fault.

Paying for online play
Let’s get this straight: PC online gaming is far superior to Xbox Live. So if (most) PC developers don’t charge for it, why does Microsoft get away with it? Sure, Xbox Live is superior to PSN and Nintendo WFC. But at what cost? Paying for online lets people know that it’s okay to charge for online. I can play Call of Duty World at War online for free on Wii, PC, and PS3. Why can’t it be free on Xbox 360? The answer is that people are willing to pay for it. So when Nintendo and Sony charge for their service next time around, don’t come crying to me. I fucking told you what would happen. There are alternatives to Xbox Live. Look into Xlink Kai. If your game is LAN compatible, you can play it online for free with people in your area over Xkink Kai.

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The video game industry is getting worse and worse, and it’s happening because of ignorant consumers. Video game companies are businesses, and they’re going to make good business decisions. Don’t hold it against them; just educate yourself and let them know that you won’t stand for it. Buy games with peripherals used. Don’t pay for DLC. Be weary of digital distribution, and NEVER pay for Xbox Live.