The DLC Debate: Part 1

Recently, I asked readers over at the Facebook page if they'd pay $70 dollars for a game that included Day-1 DLC, kind of like Game of the Year Editions. Out of 11 votes, no one answered yes. A lot of people purchase and enjoy downloadable content (DLC), and then some complain about it. The debate around DLC encompasses more than just pricing, however.

For certain games, like Call of Duty or Battlefield, preordering a game means gaining an edge over other players. This means guns or stats that other players will never be able to obtain. In competitive play, this is the difference between being on top and being average. There's quite a bit of outrage over preorder bonuses in general that offer advantages, simply because it makes the game less enjoyable for those who don't or can't preorder, and adds a whole class of "elite" players. But it all comes down to one thing.

"DLC is just another way for game companies to make more cash." Well, you can't argue there. When Borderlands 2 was released, it offered Day-1 DLC, another 10 bucks for Gearbox Software and 2k Games. And then, magically, all other kinds of DLC were "leaked" or announced. Next Tuesday marks the arrival of even more DLC, and since most range from $10 up, that's somewhere near $30 or $40 dollars over a base price of $60, for a whopping $90/$100! And it's pretty unlikely that developers just pulled these out of their ovens. It's quite probable that this DLC has been ready to go since the game came out, which means most of this content could have easily been included at initial release.

So my question, then, is why won't we pay $70 or so dollars for a game plus all current DLC from the day its released? Well, since there's no intrinsic value for games, we can't say $60 is too high or too low--just the minimum amount most gamers are ready to pay. It all comes down to the psychology behind 3 x $10 over a small span of time and $70 dollars right then and there. One looks like it'll burn a hole in your pocket.

Of course, this isn't to say that DLC is bad. It can expand the longevity of a game, refreshing it's replay-ability and making it more current over a span of time. If you release all the DLC within the first two months of a game coming out, what good does that do for replay-ability? And since most of this content is available at the time of release, why NOT bundle it? Even if it costs a bit more? The gaming industry has already been pushing the boundaries of customers--what will they pay,what will they not--with collector's editions and GOTY editions and rereleases and super secret give-us-more-money editions.

What do you think about DLC?

Read more »

Posted in: borderlands 2,DLC,gamers,games,gaming,money

Political Games: A Gift and a Curse

The gaming world has often tried to keep its wires from getting tangled up in politics, but since 2004, political video games have begun to surface. According the Entertainment Software Association, the amount of political games has tripled since then. Some liberal, other conservative, political video games aim to entertain and educate at the same time.

Strategery 2012 is one such game, where you can play as Romney's election team during the primaries and then as Obama's team during the general election. It follows the format of Nintendo's popular military turn-based strategy games, the Advance Wars series. As the player, you go up against several opponents as volunteers, press secretaries, and fundraisers, each with a minimum "credibility" score. It's a funny, quirky game that gets across the amount of thought, dedication, and work that can go into an election.

While many are slightly biased and contain the opinions of their developers, as well as cracking jokes about candidates, some of these games try to teach political fundamentals. Gerrymandering is a huge issue in the United States, mostly because no one knows about it. But the good folks at the USC Game Innovation lab created The Redistricting Game, focusing on teaching players the basics of redistricting. Even though it didn't catch the media's eye, it's one of the best examples of gaming that promotes civic action.

Yes, it is.

Besides actually making these types of games, some companies are promoting the current election. Even though most politicians aren't much into the world of button mashing, Obama included, Microsoft got in the game. During the Presidential Debates, Xbox promoted "Election 2012" on Xbox Live, offering, for those who watch three of the four debates, free Halo armor...in gold! During the debates themselves, Microsoft also polled viewers, and, no surprise, lots of democratic and male voters.

Gamers also find themselves rooted in politics, especially those who are already involved in it. The U.S. Libyan diplomat, Sean Smith, who recently died during an attack on the American Embassy in Libya, was a huge member of the Eve Online community, a sci-fi based MMORPG. In fact, after his death, tributes were made in his name, "Vile Rat," as players, friend and enemy alike, renamed their space stations in his honor.  In game, he was as hard a diplomat as he was in real life. One of his friends online, Alex Gianturco, who he also met in real life, said "If you play this stupid game, you may not realize it, but you play in a galaxy created in large part by Vile Rat's talent as a diplomat. No one focused as relentlessly on using diplomacy as a strategic tool as VR."

Lachowicz's WoW
Character, Santiaga

But not all politically oriented people are praised for their hard work in the gaming community. One World of Warcraft player was "deemed unfit for office" based on her involvement with the popular MMORPG. Colleen Lachowicz, democrat and level 85 Orc rogue, was the subject of a smear campaign by the Republican Party of Maine, who claim she's unfit for office due to her "double life" and violent comments online. Lachowicz hit back:

I think it's weird that I'm being targeted for playing online games. Apparently I'm in good company since there are 183 million other Americans who also enjoy online games. What's next? Will I be ostracized for playing Angry Birds or Words with Friends? If so, guilty as charged!

What's really weird is that the Republicans are going after my hobbies instead of talking about their record while they've been running Augusta for the last two years. Instead of talking about what they're doing for Maine people, they're making fun of me for playing video games. Did you know that more people over the age of 50 play video games than under the age of 18? As a gamer, I'm in good company with folks like Jodie Foster, Vin Diesel, Mike Myers, and Robin Williams. Maybe it's the Republican Party that is out of touch.

Ouch.

Politics and video games may not always get along, but the truth sits in an industry with unlimited potential for educating and informing the public. Last year, the gaming market was worth $56 billion dollars, "more than twice of the recorded-music industry, nearly a quarter more than the magazine business and about three-fifths the size of the film industry." And it's only expected to rise from there. Australia and the UK have seen the potential and already offered tax incentives for video games. It shouldn't be long before the U.S. is on board. Video games are the future of civic engagement, and though some may disagree with much of the medium, it's long-reaching, powerful, and most importantly, fun. 

Read more »

Posted in: community,democrats,election,eve online,game,gamers,games,MMORPG,politics,republicans,statistics,video games,world of warcraft

The God Mode: In Defense of Cheat Codes

Infinite lives. No gravity. Endless ammo. Playing as Spiderman in a dress.

These are all things you can have with cheat codes. Cheating in video games is almost as old as the industry itself. The first cheat codes were completely accidental, left in by game designers after testing and later revealed to the public. The idea caught on quick and Nintendo's popular subscription magazine, Nintendo Power, cashed in on the craze. They turned cheating into a market, branching out from cheat codes to hints and walk-throughs.

Players made cheating popular because it was fun! Now, new generation video games feature fewer and fewer cheat codes and more and more boring perks, like the ability to regenerate life whenever you want or spawn a random car. Gone are the days of big headed characters, fun character skins, and extreme strength.

Big titles like Call of Duty and Little Big Planet either have no cheat codes or repetitive, dull ones that we've seen time and time again. It seems cheat codes have been written right out of games, but they used to be such an integral part of gaming. We need them back.

In no way do I advocate cheating in multi-player games. I'm not talking about hackers either. You guys do your thing; I just want mine back. Well, as long as your thing doesn't bother anyone else(that's another post).

Gameception

Some might say cheat codes disturb the integrity of a game, that it distorts reality, but what happens when you put in a cheat code is actually a moment of suspension. The game is put on pause and at that time, you're playing with a game, not in a game. It becomes a plaything then. You're invincible. The story doesn't matter. The new story is yours.

The famous Konami Code

A game, like life, has rules. For example, there's gravity. Physics. Life or death. Cheat codes let you create your own rules as you go along. This type of game-play is completely different from the story or plot line. Sometimes, content isn't what we're looking for. 

A few weeks back, I was frustrated. Just those normal average stresses that come with being a student. I slipped Infamous into my PS3, started a new file, so as not to disturb my morally good file, and prepared for world domination. What I got instead was more frustration, frustration with the fact that my powers at the beginning of the game were so weak, that beating up people on the street just wasn't fun. So I quit and thought about writing this post.

What happened to sandboxes? To unlimited power? Stress release is a good reason for playing a game, no?
And you know what justifies buying a sandbox?

Consumer Codes

Face it. Video games are expensive. There are times we shell out 60 bucks for 9 hours of disappointment(Prototype...). Wouldn't you, the consumer, like some guarantee that even if a game is terrible, it'll have some use to you in the future? Cheat codes, my friends, cheat codes.

But having the ability to enjoy the game outside of its story has other pros as well. A lot of these new, story intensive games don't have the highest replay value. After one run through, you've pretty much done it all. That's when your buck stops with a bang. The game sits on a shelf simply for the purpose of player proof*. Definitely, cheat codes can make an old dog new again. 

Still not convinced? Well, I love gaming. I love it so much, I want everyone to play video games. But I'll admit, picking up a controller nowadays isn't as easy as it once was. When I started playing, Nintendo controllers had three basic buttons: the directional pad, "B," and "A."

Hemingwayesque, isn't it?

Gradually, over time, the controls became more complicated, but we grew along with them. Somehow, three buttons turned into 16 buttons. I didn't even notice it was happening! Hell, if I didn't play video games now, just looking at a PS3 controller would send me running back to Monopoly. Not to mention each console has its own type of controller.

It's alive!

Between constantly losing health and looking at the buttons, life as a new gamer isn't easy. Games can be difficult, even hard to understand. A walkthrough can easily help a new player move past a frustrating section in the game instead of giving up. Come on, game designers! Cheat codes are in your favor!

Easy Clean-Up

Besides what I've already mentioned, cheat codes provide an outlet for creativity.  Minecraft, a modifiable block world, originally began as an indie sandbox game. As it grew in popularity, cheat codes appeared that allowed players to fly and easily build structures. It became so popular that Minecraft officially incorporated it as "Creative Mode." 

Will Wright, creator of SimCity and Spore, has this to say about creativity:

"It’s really been about trying to construct games around the user, making them the center of the universe. How can you give players more creative leverage and let them show off that creativity to other people?"

It's not difficult to see the potential in cheat codes for self-expression or creativity. Entire games are devoted to it. Professors encourage it. Filmmakers live in it--Why shouldn't video games?

As games advance, cheat codes devolve. We have more complicated plots, controls, and graphics but our cheat codes are limited to changing the colors of our shirts from white to grey. But let's not forget that games are also easier today than they were when they first came out. Some games like Contra required codes just to beat them. So games today are definitely not as challenging as they were before, what with save files and unlimited lives, short chapters and incredibly quick ammo spawn times, but you can always add to the fun, to the replay value, and the creativity of a game.

And...

Yo momma so fat, she has cheat codes for Wii Fit!

Ooh, what?! Ya'll been told.



*Player Proof: Games that sit on your shelf only to make you feel more cultured or experienced. 

Read more »

Posted in: 90s,cheat codes,cheating,contra,creativity,game design,gamers,konami code,sandbox,video games