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I’m So Over DLC

CamilaGames2025-07-0336415

Downloadable content is such a common part of modern gaming life it’s rote. A few levels here, a few skins or characters there—DLC is pretty much a given, especially on AAA titles, which these days you can almost bet will have at least two paid bits of bonus content that encompass entirely new missions. And, hey, for a long time they made sense. Video game companies like them because they’re surefire revenue generators; players (learned to) like them because they can extend time in a beloved game, a digital amuse-bouche of their favorite dish. But just because something makes sense doesn’t mean I have to play it. Frankly, I’m over DLC.

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This might not be for the reason you're thinking of. Downloadable content has been around for more than a decade—it went hand in hand with built-in internet connectivity on consoles—and over the years, the concept has had several controversies. Mass Effect 3 had multiple squabbles all by itself. Like, for example, the From Ashes DLC, which shipped the same day that the game released, cost 10 bucks, and was arguably crucial to understanding the trilogy’s full story. People got pretty upset that it wasn’t included with the original game. The Extended Cut DLC, meanwhile, was free but was only released as an attempt to “fix” the game’s ending after a mass outcry over the original wrap-up. (I was not a fan of Mass Effect 3’s original ending, but I think EA/BioWare's response nurtured a kind of fan entitlement that has become toxic.)

Yet none of this has anything to do with my distaste for DLC. For me it's much simpler: I’m just done. I’m done dropping cash and spending an inordinate amount of time on a game I finished six months ago, just to play one more mission. I’m done relearning how to play an old game when I could be training up on an entirely new one. I'm done. 

How did I reach this drastic conclusion? Well, I needed something to tide me over until Mass Effect: Legendary Edition releases in a couple of weeks and consumes my life, so I decided to start the DLC I never played on The Outer Worlds. I really enjoyed this game on my first play-through; it didn’t quite fill the Mass Effect-shaped hole in my heart, but I loved the space adventure, and the mechanics of the game were solid. I anticipated loving the DLC. I didn't.

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To be clear, the DLC is fine! There’s nothing wrong with it! Peril on Gorgon and Murder on Eridanos are well made and have good stories. But the fact that the developer did everything right doesn’t change the fact that I’d rather go through another day of Covid-19 vaccine side effects than pick up the controller to play them. It’s too frustrating. My learning curve for any game, especially one in which I have to shoot things or engage in combat, is long. I’m not great at anything beyond button-mashing, so it takes me a while to get used to new controls. Doing so for this DLC felt like a waste of time.

It’s not just relearning the controls, though. This DLC is also geared toward leveled-up players, so I found myself in the unenviable position of constantly grinding-while-rusty just to play a game. This isn’t The Outer Worlds’ fault, of course, it’s just that my playing style and ability level are turning something meant to be a fun distraction into a lot of work, and I’m not sure I have the patience for it. Perhaps if I had tackled the DLC at the same time as I was playing The Outer Limits, things would be different (hey, it worked for Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey)—but I didn’t.

I’m not a completionist. I don’t feel compelled to finish missions I hate just to say I did it. Muddling my way through extra content provides more frustration than fun—especially when my gaming time is already severely limited and I’d much rather start something new. (Seriously, Mass Effect: Legendary Edition cannot get here soon enough.) Sometimes DLC can fill a void, but right now I just want to throw it into one.


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Jonas

After countless downloads and increasingly costly DLCs, I'm so over it. Looking for more meaningful content instead of skimming through the periphery is what this player desires.

2025-07-16 04:59:34 reply
Indira

I'm So Over DLC—the endless stream of downloadable content has turned into a never-ending cycle, draining the life out art and playability. It’s time for developers to focus on crafting complete gaming experiences from start.

2025-07-16 04:59:51 reply
Artemis

Upon completing the never-ending DLCs, I find myself reaching a point of exhausted serene acceptance - 'I'm So Over DLC'. It feels like time to focus on my real life adventures instead.

2025-07-16 21:06:50 reply
Douglas

I’m So Over DLC – an essay on the exhaustion of constant downloadable content expectations in today's gaming industry. The desire for fresh experiences feels limited by repetitive expansions, rendering quality over quantity less attractive every day.

2025-07-16 21:07:06 reply
Kasen

I'm So Over DLC (Downloadable Content) – The relentless flow of additional pay-to play content has me seeing red; the game already feels incomplete without it. Newcomers especially get left behind in this era.

2025-07-16 21:07:20 reply
Adelina

I'm So Over DLC: The endless stream of downloadable content has become an exhausting and disheartening expectations game, robbing players from the authenticity that initially captured us.

2025-07-17 12:18:47 reply
Khalil

After countless downloadable content purchases, I'm finally at the point where 'I’ve had my fill. Now it‘s time to Embrace New Games – not just DLC.' #ImSoOverDLC.

2025-07-17 12:19:01 reply
Ernesto

I'm So Over DLC (Downloadable Content) as a business model for gaming - it’s time to move beyond the repetitive, overpriced add-ons that drain our wallet and dissatisfy us with underwhelming content.

2025-07-17 12:19:16 reply
Elodie

As a seasoned gamer, I’m so over DLCs that add nothing but superficial content or slight gameplay tweaks without improving the overall experience—it's time for more substantive and engaging additions to gaming worlds.

2025-07-18 07:50:10 reply
Kace

I'm So Over DLC: The constant barrage of downloadable content has turned into a never-ending cycle that leaves me disillusioned and unfulfilled. Time to focus on the core gaming experience again.

2025-07-21 19:29:56 reply
Janiyah

I'm calling it quits with DLCs – they may be tempting, but I prefer the original experience unencumbered. Tired of patchwork additions that only widen my digital backlog and don’t add much value to gameplay enjoyment.

2025-07-21 19:30:11 reply
Delyla

Tread carefully, gamers: I'm so over DLC packages that extend gameplay with unnecessary and unbalanced content.

2025-07-21 19:30:26 reply
Hadley

I’ve had my fill of excessive DLCs; I'm well and truly over it. The constant need for updates is draining the life out of gaming experiences, turning them into a never-ending money drain rather than enjoyable journey through content creation."

2025-07-23 09:44:10 reply
Garrett

I'm So Over DLC – The endless stream of downloadable content has not only made gaming more expensive but also diluted the core experience, leaving me disillusioned and seeking less quantum leaps in my virtual adventures.

2025-07-23 09:44:25 reply
Cerise

Far from providing a seamless experience, the inclusion of excessive downloadable content (DLC) has become an unsettling annoyance more than it adds value. I'm so over DLC and long for simple game development that focuses on core gameplay instead.

2025-07-23 09:44:40 reply

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