At one time, gaming was both simple and limited. You would buy a game, load it into your console (or home computer when they emerged) and play it – either on your own or with friends and family using controllers attached to the same device. If you liked a title and you were lucky, there might be a sequel at some unspecified point further down the line.
These days, gamers are a little more demanding and publishers and game designers are happy to give them the content they crave. As well as actual sequels that often turn into huge franchises, standalone game expansions gave way to a steady stream of downloadable content (DLC) and frequent updates. Online gaming communities will often create and contribute their own content, whether it is user-generated content (UGC) related to gameplay, streams, videos, or other types of content. Another huge area at the moment is in daily and weekly tasks, especially in massively multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPGs).
Updates and DLC
Sega’s Dreamcast was the first console to feature online support as standard, but it was really the advent of Microsoft’s Xbox and the Xbox Live service that kickstarted the popularity of DLC. Nowadays, DLC of all kinds is readily available through digital storefronts such as Microsoft Store, Nintendo eShop, PlayStation Store, and Steam.
At this point, DLC and microtransactions represent a huge part of the gaming industry’s income, with PC Gamer reporting that these elements had tripled the value of the industry as a whole. Loot boxes might have created a controversy, but it seems that the microtransaction model is here to stay.
It is not just the big video game titles that offer a steady stream of fresh content either and in many cases the extra content is free. So-called casual games that tend to be played on smartphones or tablets offer regular updates, as do casino sites like the best NJ Online Casino. You can find literally hundreds of slots, poker, and table games with regular additions, a daily $3m free spin, and offers such as loyalty multipliers on featured games.
Regular tasks in ongoing games
Many games, especially but not exclusively MMORPGs, now also provide daily or weekly tasks and content to keep players interested. In some cases, this can be a bit basic and repetitive, but some games get more creative with their regular tasks and quests. Marvel: Contest of Champions, for example, ties its daily events and monthly quests to the overarching metagame in a way that keeps players coming back every day.
User-generated content (UGC)
Another interesting development is the huge growth in user-generated content or UGC. Gaming communities will commonly stream gameplay and events and create audio-visual content of various kinds. The popularity of unofficial modding, in which players modify games to various degrees, has led many titles to embrace and encourage modding, or add features that allow players to easily make levels and other types of gameplay content.
