Poll: Extortion

[EeveeElectro]

if you don't have the money for it, then don't buy it! No one is forcing you to spend your money.

Have to agree with this. My boyfriend is awful for, "I have a £30 phone bill, but a £40 game is coming out, I'll get that instead."
Last time I suggested he pay the bills first we got into a massive argument =( so I keep it shut.

I think DLC is stupid. I preferred it when you got extra things when you completed the game.

 

[Penguinness]

Most DLC costs around £5 or more for such a little slice of content. I'd say just don't buy it. The game stands well on it's down. The only DLC I've bought was the maps for Halo 3, which I was pissed off about because you pretty much need them.

 

[EeveeElectro]

Holy fuck that's irresponsible as shit. Like, almost baby shaking irresponsible.

Yeah :/ and the fact we're moving into our own house on Friday doesn't help, he'll have to be better with his money. Last time I tried to help, all I got was, "I get lectured by my parents, I don't need to get lectured by someone I love!" so I just keep quiet when he gets in debt to avoid arguments.

 

[WhiteTigerShiro]

I don't think that word [http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/extort] means what you think it means. Last I checked, Bethesda didn't send their goons to my house for their "protection money" before I got my DLC. I wanted it, I paid for it, I was provided with it. If you don't want it, don't pay for it.

 

[EeveeElectro]

Holy fuck that's irresponsible as shit. Like, almost baby shaking irresponsible.

Yeah :/ and the fact we're moving into our own house on Friday doesn't help, he'll have to be better with his money. Last time I tried to help, all I got was, "I get lectured by my parents, I don't need to get lectured by someone I love!" so I just keep quiet when he gets in debt to avoid arguments.

: ( Does...does he at least have some other really, really redeeming qualities? Because if not...

Yeah, his stupidity with his money is his only downfall. Don't want to paint a bad picture of him again or he'll lock me in the cellar again ):

[sub]I joke of course[/sub]

 

[Arcane Azmadi]

I voted yes, however I don't think "extorted" is the expression you're looking for. That expression is "blatantly ripped-off". When developers complete content and then consciously choose to remove it from the game in order to make you pay extra for it later, you're being ripped off, no question of it.

 

[linwolf]

In most games no, the DLC gives new things and/or story to the game.
But there are some games were the DLC feels more like a part of the game have been chop off and sold separately.

 

[dragonslayer32]

No, they didn't fit everything in past games. Look it up. The difference is that with past games they couldn't release it as DLC and rarely had enough to make a sequel or expansion out of it so they just had to completely scrap it. OoT and WindWaker are FULL of shit like this for example. As are dozens of GBA and SNES games.

With that being said, it's your own choice to spend the money on DLC. The game works perfectly fine without it and you do get the full game, in most cases they are not cutting out massive segments of the game and holding it ransom (I won't deny this ever happens, but I will say it's in the minority) and it's entirely your own fault that you spent over a hundred dollars on shitty MS points and are now broke. Learn some fucking self restraint. For fucks sake, how do you see yourself getting extorted anyway? You are getting EXTRA material for your money, if you buy shitty deals that's your own problem, but it's not like every game says you can't play the single player campaign until you buy fifty bucks of DLC.

first of all, CALM THE FUCK DOWN, there is no need to get aggressive. this thread came mainly with the modern warefare 2 map pack release. if the last cod was anything to go by, they will be needed for online play, otherwise id have to skip every fucking game. i know i chose to buy those ms points, but the content is not value for money in my opinion; yet i feel obliged to buy it. at the end of the day, it is my choice, just as you said. i asked if YOU feel it is extortion, so if you aren't going to add anything to the discussion, don't post.

Despite my aggressive language and tone I actually am calm. Maybe I need to put a disclaimer in every post from now on. Read everything I type as if being said by a robot. BEEP BOOP, COMPASSION IS FOR SQUISHY MORTALS!
If you feel obliged to buy it that's your problem, if you don't think it's worth the money and you feel that the game forces or pressures you to get it, then get a different fucking game. There's really no excuse to spend that much money, willingly, then cry about being extorted. Microsoft did not hold a gun to your child's head and demand you spend the money. This is a hobby, you do not require it to live, you do not make a livelyhood playing games.

Also I did contribute my opinion to the topic, I clearly mentioned that yes in the past not every game could fit everything on one cart or disk and that no I don't think anyone is being extorted. You really can't just flail about deciding what counts as contribution to a topic or not just because you don't like someone.

yes, your right, i did ask for your opinion, and recieved one. your right again, i dont like you; but your first post read like it was more of an attack than an opinion. it looked like after you were done calling me stupid, you just threw an answer in there.

 

[dragonslayer32]

hello fellow escapists. To be blunt, I'm broke; the reason for which, is I'man idiot. Yes, over the last 2 months, I have spent £160 on microsoft points so I can buy utter crap.

Corse theyre trying to squeeze every penny outta us. Theyre multi million/billion dollar companies, not our friends.

was there really any need?

 

[Gunner_Guardian]

There are 2 types of DLC, good DLC and BS DLC.

Good DLC are things like extra levels, maybe some character, you know something to extend the lifetime of a game a bit because you liked it that much. It's a win--win, the developer gets a bit more cash for small amounts of content and you get to extend your gaming experience a couple hours if you choose to pay.

BS DLC is crap like different character colors, icons, maybe multiplayer maps and sometimes other modes that were held out of the final product. These DLC packs are just tacked on just to suck money out of idiots that spend too much money on Microsoft points. They're overpriced and pretty much a part of every console game now-a-days. Most of this stuff might have been free if they didn't sell laughably well.

If you really really hate DLC, don't buy the crappy DLC packs if developers see that the crappy $15 multiplayer map packs aren't selling, they won't make any and on the other hand if you buy that well made expansion level pack for that single player game, you'll get more of that. Your cash if your vote for what developers do.

Keep in mind too that games are expensive to make as well and making a couple new levels for an old game is a lot cheaper then starting to make a whole new game.

Then again I'm spoiled by valve and get most of my DLC for free so

 

[SextusMaximus]

No one's threatening us or making us buy this, so no.

 

[wordsmith]

I voted yes, however I don't think "extorted" is the expression you're looking for. That expression is "blatantly ripped-off". When developers complete content and then consciously choose to remove it from the game in order to make you pay extra for it later, you're being ripped off, no question of it.

Not really, it's the same with burger joints lately. If you buy a burger, you buy a burger. Cheese will cost extra, sauce will cost extra, onions cost extra. Why isn't that "ripped off"? Because you are buying the burger, everything else is optional. If you think the extra money is worth the content, go for it. If not, the game doesn't require the DLC to run, so what's the issue?

 

[Rewold]

I'm lucky because after I beat the single player I have no interest to play the game anymore. Hence, no money used on DLC. For example, played AC2 and thought it was one of the greatest games of all time but I have yet to touch the DLC.

But yea, some don't even try to hide it they want to make more money with DLC. "We didn't have enough time to make it in the game." Then give it free!

 

[crudus]

Why can't the game developers just fit everything in the game? They managed with past consoles. Even if it will not all fit, why can't they just make a sequal?

So what do you think? Are we being extorted or am I just tight?

I have spent £160 on microsoft points so I can buy DLC.

It is nice to see people being able to answer their own questions.

my question was what do you think, some people may not think that £80 a month is much.

I answered the question just subtly. It is simple supply and demand. Demand for DLC is high. Thus the price can be set rather high. If you voluntarily buy it then it isn't extortion.

 

[Yeager942]

Extortion is such an ugly word...I prefer blackmail.

Futurama jokes aside, yes, I think we are getting extorted by game companies. What's worse is that some executives *cough* Bobby Kodick *cough* are pushing for more subscription based services.

(Yes, I know that the Futurama joke is reversed).

 

[Kajin]

No, I don't think we're being extorted. It's all to do with how DLC is made.

Basically, once devs have finished making a game, they have nothing to do for months. The game is in testing, and then it's in marketing. The guys who developed the game have the game engine, but they can't do anything with it because the other guys are using it.

In the past, this was wasted time, but then they figured out that they could design little bite size chunks of content during the time they had off. Thus, DLC. I don't even mind on the disc DLC. If you don't like it, don't pay for it. Sure, you might get the odd swindler, but DLC itself isn't extortive in itself. It's just extra content. Only when devs actively withhold content that should have been in the game, i.e. things that were in the game from the beginning, does it become a problem.

Don't even bother, dude. People like this will never listen because the only thing they ever do is look for excuses to hate something. If it wasn't DLC it'd be something else entirely. Doesn't matter how good your points are or how true everything you said is, they'll never listen. Most people probably took one look at your post, found out you were in support of it, and skipped everything else you said entirely so the logic wouldn't burn a hole in their weak minds.

 

[MisterShine]

I'm totally fine with DLC. I've never seen any evidence that a developer has ever removed completed content from a game to be sold later as DLC, and even if I did that would not change my opinion of DLC overall, just my opinion of that company.

I even like the "frivolous" DLC that people oft complain about, like horse armor and new costumes for people, as I actually enjoy seeing my favorite characters in new styles, especially if I only have to pay a buck for it, and I get to choose which is changed and when. Though of course I also love meaty dlc packs like the newly released Overlord for ME2, or Kasumi from the same game. Pretty awesome, IMO.

So I guess what I'm trying to say is drop the sense of entitlement you feel to anything that isn't your parents love and the rights guaranteed to you by your government; the world will make a lot more sense that way.

 

[Eclectic Dreck]

No - there is no threat of retribution of any sort and as such this activity is not extortion. Nor is it blackmail, bribery or any of the rest. It is simply a business strategy that, if you disagree with, you should stop supporting it.

When a person complains and then spends around 300 USD supporting the very act they complain about, the only part of the message the publisher and developer recieve is "They ARE willing to buy this!"

 

[Arcane Azmadi]

I voted yes, however I don't think "extorted" is the expression you're looking for. That expression is "blatantly ripped-off". When developers complete content and then consciously choose to remove it from the game in order to make you pay extra for it later, you're being ripped off, no question of it.

Not really, it's the same with burger joints lately. If you buy a burger, you buy a burger. Cheese will cost extra, sauce will cost extra, onions cost extra. Why isn't that "ripped off"? Because you are buying the burger, everything else is optional. If you think the extra money is worth the content, go for it. If not, the game doesn't require the DLC to run, so what's the issue?

This metaphor fails on so many levels...

 

[Hiphophippo]

It's a fine line really. In some cases I believe we are, but if after a game goes gold any DLC they release is fair game.