We've touched on the matter of overcharging for DLC, now I want to take the matter a little further. Should we be charged for DLC at all? It's a sticky question. Most developers would say yes, pay per download content is perfectly reasonable while most consumers would say DLC should be free. Strictly speaking from an economic standpoint, free would be nice for us, but the video game industry can't run on donations alone.
I don't think all DLC should be free. I'm fine with paying for something here and there but I don't think most of the DLC out there is worth the price tag put on it. I'll pay 30 bucks for a whole expansion a la Shivering Isles, but paying even 10 for what for most games amounts to two or three rehashed maps from the last game in the series, or a couple new skins or items to play with is unacceptable..
Let's face it, the DLC for most games is abysmal. Even major releases fall seriously short of decent content. The map pack for World at War added more content for the Nazi zombie mode, which was nice, but the majority of the maps were just night versions of maps included in the retail version.
We all should know when we're paying too much for something. Unfortunately, as paid DLC is still a relatively new thing, most people aren't sure where to draw the line.
I'm curious about your thoughts on the matter. What are you willing to pay for content? Should there be a charge at all? What's the most overpriced content you've ever come across? I'll be interested to hear what you think.
