Till Death to DLC
An Ode to gaming
The first game I played was Tetris. The alignment of odd-shaped blocks cascading down to fit (or force fit) into the space created. For hours, I’d push my face into my mother’s phone until she confiscated it. When my mother couldn’t afford daycare, I played my GameCube in the back of Footlocker. When I got bored, I walked the mall until I found my haven– GameStop. The endless rows of multicolored cases and figurines fascinated me. Goku, Naruto, Ichigo. Solid Snake, Mario, Pikachu. My love for gaming spread to franchises like Pokémon, Crash Bandicoot, Call of Duty, God of War, Need for Speed and so many others. As I grew older, technology advanced. New gaming consoles emerged along with storage changes and upgraded graphic cards. I wasn’t fully sure where things were going but I kept playing.
The PS2. The Xbox 360. The Nintendo Switch.
With every new generation of gaming, things got weirder but one thing became the industry’s obsession: DLC (Downloadable Content). The focus shifted from the experience during the game to what came after you beat story mode (if there’s even one). I don’t buy games unless I feel like it’s worth the inflation. As I sit in my bed scrolling through games on Xbox Live, I wonder when the fun of gaming will return. Considering the dichotomy between Freemium games and $100 disks, I’m starting to think the one thing I used to enjoy will one day become a void filled with empty stories and recycled imagery. Maybe I’ll get the next console to be released. Maybe not. I’ll resort to the classics till further notice.
Side note: Def Jam Fight For New York needs to be remastered. There are a few artists that would be perfect on the roster.