On the Wrong Side of the War

The release of bioshock theme and pictures on marketplace, has highlighted an issue that has been boiling over recently.  It seems Xbox Live users in general have been ripe pissed about the pricing and sale of certain recent content, including song packs for Guitar Hero II, Video Guides to locate COG tags in gears of war, and of course the bioshock adver-icons.

I don’t know that I can really be upset at anyone for being upset.  On one hand, some of these things are ridiculous, incredulous attempts to make a buck in an almost obscene grab for cash.  Posting videos that are available for free on youtube is wild, for example.  But maybe I’ve just got a free-market libertarian streak when it comes to marketplace.  If you can get COG tag videos on youtube for free, then you should.  If you buy them off marketplace, well then, you’re wasting your money, and that’s nobody’s fault but your own.  Stores are filled with garbage, tv is littered with ads for things nobody needs.

The question is, why should marketplace be any different.  It’s in everyone’s best interest that Microsoft sign off on as much content as possible.  We already have issues with them choking back content, and pushing developers to charge for content.  We know they’re at least a little skittish on the idea of user generated content, so asking them to further regulate paid content to make sure it’s limited to items a majority of people will want, and nobody will be personally offended by, means that the offerings will get pretty slim.  There are some people who though the map pack for Rainbow Six was an overpriced outrage, but many of us who play that game addictively bought it, and loved it.  As for paying for pic packs, MS has figured out how to let you put any picture you want on your gamertag with your live vision camera.  Granted, only those on your friends list get to see your unadulterated (or adult) pic, but it still gives you the opportunity to express yourself in any way you like, without paying for a single pic.  It’s not a perfect system, but it is an available alternative to paying for the content that hurts you personally.   There are also free themes and gamerpics, like for the movie “Pathfinder,” but it’s really up to the owner of the IP, and whether or not it makes sense to charge for them.

The point is, I would definitely never even dream of buying some of the stuff on marketplace, but I also would never buy a replacement plan from best buy or circuit city, a strategy guide from EB Games, or a Sauna Belt.  That doesn’t mean I think they should be banned.  Content and competition, even the bad content, helps make marketplace a robust experience for paid and free content alike.  As long as people vote with where they put their MS points, prices will continue to be adjusted, and content that is actually attractive to Live members will continue to be developed.   And that’s why I feel like I’m on the wrong side of the war.