MikeySheff

The greatest attribute that top games share is the ability for the user to customize their character or game world in some way. Immersion is one of the most integral principles regarding video games. The best way to immerse a player is to give them something to get emotionally attached to, i.e., the character or the hero’s journey.

In the early days of gaming, it was solely adventure/RPG games that allowed for customization of your character. In the mid to late 90’s is when you started to see a shift in the industry from dynamic environments with static characters, to more static environments with customizable characters. For example Mario, Sonic, and Lara are legends of the game world, but they look the same throughout, so the story and environments are what drive those games. Then you have MMO’s like WoW and Neverwinter that allow the user to not only use a class to their liking but further customize that character’s look. The same goes for games like Fallout.

Even shooter games are more than ever allowing customizable characters, and not just the look. Games like ‘The Division’, allow the player to obtain gear that is suited for their playstyle.

Writing is a skill, and like all skills it can definitely be taught. What can’t be taught is the creativity. The best writers, no matter the genre or type of writing, are the most creative in their specialty. That creativity is what separates bestsellers from the rest. Though you can’t, in my opinion, teach creativity, you can certainly teach how to appreciate it and what makes something creative.

There are a lot of excellent points you bring up, on both sides of the argument. The paragraph where you wrote about older games being stagnant due to the lack of additional content was most thought-provoking. It brought to light why having DLC is so important in games these days, for without it, most games, especially online multiplayers, would be played for a couple of months at most.

With that said, it is rather obvious that some companies are going overboard with the concept of DLC. I remember when games like Halo and Gears of War, would only charge for early access, first thirty days or so, then release the maps to the general public later. Someone mentioned in an earlier post how this segregates the community because only those with DLC have access to certain maps, areas, or items.

The price of games have already went up from $49.99 to $59.99, and DLC is following suit. First and second generation console games had DLC that was $20 most, and that covered everything. Now for some games, that covers the first DLC, while others have DLC for $50 and up. So now for a player to enjoy the full experience, they essentially have to buy the game twice.

One point to remember with all of this, is that a lot of this falls on the publisher. Games, especially good ones, cost a lot of money to make, and developers don’t see as much of the profit as you might think. Like all problems regarding what customers deem “too expensive” product, the companies need to do some serious introspection. I agree with DLC, but not on the current track it is on.