Digital Content in Online Games

Digital content has proliferated a lot. Earlier, we used to have single game releases and possible a few next instlments. Today, games have a life cycle with frequent updates, patches, maintenance, and quality fixes. It feels less like setting the course of a narrative and more like subscribing to a virtual world that keeps evolving.

All of this can sometimes make games confusing. In this guide, we’re going to summarize all the various forms of digital content in online games.

Downloadable Content (DLC)

DLC is the most popular form of additional content for video games, often offering new maps, territories, and character possibilities. There’s no set definition of a DLC. Game developers see what the community needs and package a bunch of stuff in a DLC, which is essentially a form of digital products.

It’s also not rare for DLCs to focus on new gameplay mechanics that are not accessible to those who don’t have the DLC. A famous example will be Elder Scrolls Online, where different DLCs like Necrom allow players to visit different areas and access new character types.

Mini-Games

Games also launch mini-games from time to time. These are games within the game. To make sure these smaller games don’t eat up a lot of the player’s times (because some are frankly too good), they are often timed. Discover here for more information about mini-games.

These limited-time mini-games can focus on a very small part of the larger game world and are often free for all players who own the game. Games can recycle older mini-games every year, such as a Christmas or Halloween-themed mini-game that comes every winter.

Expansion Packs

Expansion packs are quite similar to DLCs. They often open new maps and mechanics. But these are more often free for all playrs. An expansion pack that comes with a price tag better offer something really good, like a side story that’s almost as good as the main story, otherwise players don’t like this tactic.

By their very definition, these expansion packs expand the main game (called the base game now). They can introduce new content such as new weapons, new bosses, new dungeons, or new maps entirely.

Seasonal Quests

A lot of games have started offering seasonal quests to reach larger markets. On average, there is a new season every 6-12 months. The season is typically free but a lot of games have two tiers, with one being paid. The paid tier simply gives you better rewards for doing the same stuff.

During the season quest, the protagonist often follows a new line of narrative. These are not as vast or detailed as the main story quest or even expansion packs. Seasonal quests are often built around a level-based reward system. The further you go doing seasonal quest tasks, the more rewards you will get.

Conclusion

Games have evolved to become quite complex over time. With constant matchmaking and balance updates, annual spring cleaning updates, a bunch of microtransactions, and non-stop quality of life improvements, there are so many updates to keep track of.

The reason behind all this is simple. Games have to compete with others and offer a better experience than before to retain their users. This competition ends up helping the player greatly, whereas at some times, the price tags make these feel more like a cash grab than a genuine upgrade.