I've been playing video games for at least 20 years now. Over that time I've played so many different games and had so much fun playing them with friends. One could say that I was a little obsessed when I was younger, but I'd say it was a healthy obsession. As ridiculous as it may sound, they really did have a big impact on my life. My first console was the Nintendo Entertainment System, and ever since then I was hooked. My dream since then was to make video games, and it is still something that I aspire to. I have nothing but good memories from what I consider the golden age of gaming. I guess that's what drove me to look into a career in video games, but over the past couple years my interest in certain aspects of gaming has started to wane.

Sure it is due, in part, to me just getting older and having less free time and more of a social life. Those are just unavoidable. I will admit I had a strong bias for Nintendo products, but not without reason. They had consistently provided me with great entertainment and value. I didn't really have a reason to take my business elsewhere. As I got older and had the means with which to indulge in other forms of gaming, I started to open my mind a bit. Today I try to be more open about all kinds of video games, but I still have a strong liking for Nintendo and will probably always have a slight predilection for them.

So that's where I'm coming from. But I've noticed lately that some gaming companies have been seemingly taking advantage of their customers, which is something I consider to be a poor business practice. I'm talking about Downloadable Content (DLC). At first the idea seemed great to a lot of people, and I believe it started out as a good thing. What gamer doesn't want to see new content added to their favorite game after they've played through it multiple times? I would have loved to see the roster of Marvel vs. Capcom 2 expand even with it's already huge cast of characters. And new maps for First Person Shooters (FPS) can breathe new life into those games. Yeah, for a while DLC seemed like it could really benefit the gaming community. But lately, for some companies, I believe that has changed into an easy way for them to cash in on their loyal customers.

...to be continued shortly