Why the Exploitation of Gamers is Our Own Damn Fault

Getting your game mentioned in a feature article on Forbes is usually a source of pride, but I’m not sure BioWare ever expected Mass Effect 3 and its controversial From Ashes DLC to be at the center of an editorial called “Why the Exploitation of Gamers is Our Own Damn Fault” on Forbes.com. In it, the author discusses the implications of such an add-on before pointing out that video games are just a money-making business like any other, and that we only have ourselves to blame for the existence of profitable DLC:

The most recent controversy in question that inspired this post is that of a piece of Mass Effect 3 DLC from Bioware/EA called (From Ashes) that gamers are deeming the (worst ever.) The reason being is that it’s (launch day) DLC, meaning that the extra campaign segment being offered in the collector’s edition ($20 extra) or sold separately ($10) was actually developed before the release of the game. Even though Bioware claims it was created in the (downtime) before launch, to gamers, this makes it look like the section has been cut out of the original title, and is being sold back to them for an additional payment. Compounding the issue further, the details of what’s in the pack have fans of the game tearing their hair out because when the alien race of the featured character was revealed, those familiar with the lore deemed it an absolutely essential part of the game, far from the superfluous content DLC usually offers.

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(But it didn’t used to be like this,) you say, as you point the retro fake-DLC picture I’ve seen above. That’s true, but again, that was an era before companies realized just how much people love their video games. The truth is, if items like map packs, DLC missions and pre-order bonuses didn’t sell, they wouldn’t exist. Plain and simple. With each new bold (affront) to gamers, these companies are testing the waters to see just how far they can go with an a-la-carte model. Do you think if no one had ever bought the first Call of Duty map pack, that they would have kept making more? Now the game sells $1B worth of $60 copies in two weeks, with every player knowing full well that twelve more maps will be coming in another three packs for an additional $45.

The same goes for this Mass Effect DLC. You might say that you wish the extra mission was in the game, thus saving you $10. But hell, I wish the game was $30, but that doesn’t meant I won’t buy it for $60. The question at hand is.how much do you love Mass Effect? You’ve shown you love it $60 worth for years, and now, they’re seeing if you love it $70 worth.