DLC : Good or Bad? A Short History

It’s 2018 and by now we’re all very familiar with DLC (downloadable content). But DLC wasn’t always around; we didn’t always add “extra” content to our games after release. So, when did it start? How did we get to where we are today, and has it improved gaming or simply fooled us?

Let’s (try to) start at the beginning. DLC can arguably be traced back for decades, but for this purpose, we’ll go back to the early 1980s with Dunjonquest: Upper Reaches of Apshai. This game was a series of single player fantasy computer role-playing games by automated simulations. The game was played with pen & paper RPG style rules, and Upper Reaches of Apshai was the most successful ported game in the series. This addition included four dungeons to explore, offering an “innkeeper” program where you could create a character and sell and buy equipment. Floppy disk versions of the game allowed for saves in between dungeons.

Now fast forward to the mid 90s where we started seeing expansion packs popping up — this is what will pave the way for DLC as we know it today. In the days when consoles had no internet (what a different time) there were never any changes to games. PCs on the other hand, offered expansion packs, updates, and patches. It wasn’t as easy as opening a marketplace and downloading it, you had to actually take a trip over to the store and purchase a disc to download your new content. One of the most popular games to do this was World of Warcraft in 1996 with their Warcraft 2: Beyond the Dark Portal expansion; which was reviewed and received very well. Games like Diablo would follow suit, with their first expansion Hellfire - which was actually sourced through a third party, Synergistic Software.

I remember playing through The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion and convincing myself “I don’t need that extra content” — maybe because I just didn’t want to ask my mom for more money. So your 80-hour RPG game just got a new area and a handful of new quests for $20.00 — sounds great, you were just getting bored anyways.

But should that content be purposefully withheld from a game?

The first time I can personally recall this happening was with Gears of War 2. Epic Games had stated before release that they already had DLC scheduled for release 4 months after launch. They had stated that they actually removed some multiplayer maps from the initial release to use as DLC, which immediately raised the question: “Are we paying the same price for games, and getting less content now?”

The answer to that question, I believe, is yes. And also no. In 2011, Rockstar Games released a “Rockstar Pass” for L.A Noire. This pass will go on to be recognized as the first Season Pass released for a video game. It included all of the DLC that would be released for the game and they even broke down the pricing for you, letting you know you’d save “approximately $8”.

So I guess it gets tricky again because… season passes changed DLC and DLC changed games, but we’re still trying to figure out when it’s extra content, or withheld content. We’ve seen some really cool season passes that were totally worth the extra money, and single player games having a season pass lets you know that by the time you’re done with the game, you will definitely be getting more content to play. With games like Call of Duty, you’re ensured the new map packs upon release and usually some sort of weapon skin or in-game download.

I ran a Twitter poll asking people if/when they purchase DLC, and most voted on it depending what the DLC was. Which makes me believe season passes are only popular when they advertise exactly what will be released. At the end of the day, DLC is both loved and hated. I believe it’s done more good than bad, but I can’t help but ask myself, “What if there was DLC released for Ocarina of Time or Spyro?”

I’m just not sure if it’s something that was needed, or even wanted at the time. I want to know what you all think: is DLC good or bad? How often do you buy it and which ones specifically have stood out to you (for good or bad reasons)?

Sound off in the comments on Facebook, replies on Twitter, or email playundergroundmag@gmail.com if you have some thoughts about the impact of DLC!