Downloadable content has been a breath of fresh air for gamers since the first major addition came to “Halo 2” on the Xbox. Adding new maps to play and extending the value of the game was a great addition.

Unfortunately, recent big-name titles and game developers have begun to abuse downloadable content, which is leading to a process that hurts gamers in their pockets and game experience.

Downloadable content are additions to already-existing games. For a single-player game, the addition could be new areas and levels to explore or more characters to play as or meet.

Unfortunately, there are problems with downloadable content.  

The first problem is game developers have begun to include content that is already on the disc.  An example of this is the first downloadable content that came out for “Gears of War 3,” which costs $15.

This new price upset gamers because the content packages that came out for “Gears of War 2” were all priced at $10.

It doesn’t make sense to have to pay more money for content that is already on the disc. 

Another problem is the price of downloadable content is beginning to become expensive.

“Gears of War” isn’t alone in this broken system. The popular “Call of Duty” franchise is also doing similar things.

There is a solution to this broken system. 

The first “Gears of War” game had a sponsor for the first content pack.  The show “Future Weapons” sponsored the pack making it free for all. Since then, no other game has ever had a sponsor for new content. I see no reason why developers can not institute this in all their games. If developers can pay to have commercials promoting their game on TV, why can’t it work for shows to do the same on video games?

Gamers can also choose to not pay for the content. I have done this with the last Call of Duty game “Modern Warfare 2.” Taking a stand and boycotting the content could send a strong message to developers.

I’m not saying gamers should begin to cause chaos online, but it’s important to get the point across: Make downloadable content worth it. Gamers should be rewarded for dedication rather than stuck with high costs to extend the enjoyment of a video game.

Nathan Mendelowitz can be reached at [email protected]