The Video Game Industry – A Love Hate Relationship

The video game industry is filled with its pros and cons, but there are just some aspects that make you want to either tear your hair out or buy the next big thing. From DLC packages to newest technology, I’m in a love-hate relationship with the beloved video game industry

Why I Just Hate DLCs

A major part of the video game industry that I’m not really fond of is the way DLCs have been so broadly used within these new-age games. When I grew up playing video games on my PC or N64, there weren’t things such as DLCs that we have today. In my day they were refered to as “Expansion Packs” such that you would find in the original Sims game. You didn’t have to worry about being tempted to purchase the newest character clothing or map sets that the gamers are pressured into buying today.

I feel as though these new DLCs like within Sid Meier’s Civilization V, they’re more of a way to soak the money out of the gamers. I prefer the idea of making a new game versus adding onto the one they currently have. Like with Ocarina of Time, you didn’t have a DLC that made it possible to enter into Termina Field, they made Majora’s Mask instead, using the same character artwork.

What I absolutely Love – Gaming Technology

 I have to admit that I am completely fascinated with the gaming technology that has risen in the past decade. Never could I have imagined when I was a child that I would be able to play with a wireless controller like used within the Wii. Not only has motion sensitive technology gone a long way, but we also have the Nintendo 3DS that has changed the way we look at 3D. I remember long ago using those old red and blue flimsy glasses to see movies in 3D (which was a bit buggy for the time), and now I can just play the 3DS system without any needed accessories.

This kind of technology boom has also been seen with the recent Xbox Kinect, using a camera to see if a person is playing the game correctly. Featured in games such as Just Dance or Dance Central, this makes it feel as though you’re not playing a game at all, but just having fun. It brings a sense of movement to video games, which gives video games a better name than couch potato.

Although we have this amazing motion sensitivity and 3D technology, the video game industry is taking it a step further with the way video games are played by coming up with the Oculus Rift, which uses motion sensitivity and the field of vision to bring the gamer into the video game that they are playing. We’ve seen things like this in our old favorite 80s movies, but never physically been able to own this until a recent technology boom.
I can’t wait to see the new things that are developed in the future, as it can only get better with time.

On this wonderful Valentine’s Day, it’s great to not only look at those around you with admiration, but to also look at the things you enjoy doing in life, which is largely video game playing for me. I look to the video game industry with both grief and love for what they’ve brought to our generation.