What is a DLC in Video Games?
By Timothy Tibbetts |
The majority of video games offer DLC's in-game. This tutorial explains what DLC's are and why they exist.
DLC is short for Downloadable Content. DLC's can add additional content to an existing game. DLC's can include new characters, skins, maps, and even an entirely new realm for your favorite video games. DLC's can show up with different names, including in-app purchases, season passes, microtransactions, and more, which we will discuss shortly.
Go back ten years ago, and computers would change immensely with new technology, primarily video cards, processors, memory, and SSD hard drives. While the technology still evolves, game manufacturers would release a new game every year or two that could take advantage of the latest technology back in the day.
Today, you could have a 5-year old computer and still play the same games, with the same gaming engine, and purchase DLC's to keep the game interesting. Much like Windows, today's games continually evolve. Some DLC's are offered for free, and some can be as expensive as the original game, and let's not forget microtransactions. Microtransactions are small things you can purchase that can cost a dollar here or 5 dollars there. At one point, microtransactions were also called "Pay to Win" because some of these transactions gave players an edge because they threw money at the game. Most gamers now avoid games that let you win because you paid, and developers have noticed, rarely offer DLC that gives you an edge.
Another way of monetizing a game is to offer a "Season Pass." Often you pay for a Season Pass in advance, which has turned off gamers because they don't know what they paid for until it's released.
One of the most famous and best examples of DLC's is World of Warcraft, which had 46 million players and over 100 million registered accounts in 2017, and at the time of this article, still retains about 26 million players. The game was released in 2014 and has had eight expansion packs which cost as much as the game, plus your monthly fee. You can also purchase DLCs in-game, but most are skins, pets, mounts, and other addons that don't give you an edge but are usually very unique and for a limited time.
World of Warcraft has a huge customer base in the real world also. There are trading cards (some with redeemable codes for DLCs), action figures, costumes, and more. You can buy trading cards on eBay for as little as a few dollars, or you could spend five or ten thousand dollars. Many items only available at the nerdfest known as BlizzCon can be worth a small fortune. A good example is the Spectral Tiger which can sell for $5,000 - $15,000.
Another good example is Star Citizen, an ambitious multiplayer space trading and combat simulation game that has been in beta for many years, with some speculating it will never officially be released. While the game is free to play, it's almost useless unless you purchase a $45 ship. You can also buy numerous ships that run between $100 and $300.
Most mobile devices (Android, iOS) also offer DLC's. An app will often warn you that it offers in-app purchases before you download it.
In our opinion, DLC's are nothing more than the modern version of shareware. You try out an app with shareware and then pay to purchase the app if you like it. With DLC's, a company can claim their game is "free" while still offering DLC's to enjoy their app fully.
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DLC is short for Downloadable Content. DLC's can add additional content to an existing game. DLC's can include new characters, skins, maps, and even an entirely new realm for your favorite video games. DLC's can show up with different names, including in-app purchases, season passes, microtransactions, and more, which we will discuss shortly.
Go back ten years ago, and computers would change immensely with new technology, primarily video cards, processors, memory, and SSD hard drives. While the technology still evolves, game manufacturers would release a new game every year or two that could take advantage of the latest technology back in the day.
Today, you could have a 5-year old computer and still play the same games, with the same gaming engine, and purchase DLC's to keep the game interesting. Much like Windows, today's games continually evolve. Some DLC's are offered for free, and some can be as expensive as the original game, and let's not forget microtransactions. Microtransactions are small things you can purchase that can cost a dollar here or 5 dollars there. At one point, microtransactions were also called "Pay to Win" because some of these transactions gave players an edge because they threw money at the game. Most gamers now avoid games that let you win because you paid, and developers have noticed, rarely offer DLC that gives you an edge.
Another way of monetizing a game is to offer a "Season Pass." Often you pay for a Season Pass in advance, which has turned off gamers because they don't know what they paid for until it's released.
One of the most famous and best examples of DLC's is World of Warcraft, which had 46 million players and over 100 million registered accounts in 2017, and at the time of this article, still retains about 26 million players. The game was released in 2014 and has had eight expansion packs which cost as much as the game, plus your monthly fee. You can also purchase DLCs in-game, but most are skins, pets, mounts, and other addons that don't give you an edge but are usually very unique and for a limited time.
World of Warcraft has a huge customer base in the real world also. There are trading cards (some with redeemable codes for DLCs), action figures, costumes, and more. You can buy trading cards on eBay for as little as a few dollars, or you could spend five or ten thousand dollars. Many items only available at the nerdfest known as BlizzCon can be worth a small fortune. A good example is the Spectral Tiger which can sell for $5,000 - $15,000.
Another good example is Star Citizen, an ambitious multiplayer space trading and combat simulation game that has been in beta for many years, with some speculating it will never officially be released. While the game is free to play, it's almost useless unless you purchase a $45 ship. You can also buy numerous ships that run between $100 and $300.
Most mobile devices (Android, iOS) also offer DLC's. An app will often warn you that it offers in-app purchases before you download it.
In our opinion, DLC's are nothing more than the modern version of shareware. You try out an app with shareware and then pay to purchase the app if you like it. With DLC's, a company can claim their game is "free" while still offering DLC's to enjoy their app fully.
Similar:
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