Beta Gaming

Beta gaming and early access play have become a mainstream ploy within the video games industry that is used to generate publicity and garner public opinion before a game is 'fully released'. However, as recently exampled by the Anthem debacle beta gaming and early access play present a host of problems for games designers and indeed the gaming public. These issues are heightened and compounded by marketing campaigns that present early access video games as a mostly finished product and foster an expectation that early access offers an advantage over other players who opt to purchase after the official release date. This article examines why beta gaming has become prevalent in modern gaming and why the abuse of DLC has led to some games being released that otherwise would be considered incomplete.