Silent-Q.com

Quake was a game that more than raised the bar in FPS. Quake had the rather unique concept that the server software would be free and anyone could make content for Quake. It was what made internet FPS gaming what it is and it’s a model that still holds today. If you want to run a game server for just about any FPS game out there, you can generally download the server program and maps for free.

The current console generation is creating a new model as well. With all the major players now supporting digital content delivery, the future is bright for gamers, young and old, who can now spend a little and download their new game and be playing within minutes.

This has brought a new revenue stream with it as well: paid aftermarket content. This is a good idea because you can pay a little (provided you own the game) and add on new content. Guitar Hero and downloadable tracks are a prime example of how this model proves to be a winner for both game makers and players.

The problem is that there’s a giant grey area with regards to some content. Take the aforementioned FPS market. Their model pretty much mandates that most, if not all, aftermarket addons be free. If they’re not free there needs to be a sizable chunk of content to justify charging the players for it (HL2 Episode 1, for instance).

This really hits one player in the market the most: Microsoft. Microsoft opted for a rather good system of online play called XBox Live and they added the Arcade (XBLA) to do digital distribution after the 360 launch. But with this model comes control for Microsoft. There’s been rumblings that some manufacturers want to send some content for free but their XBLA agreements won’t let them do it and Microsoft wants to make some profit on any new content. This has another negative because with the 360 hardware failure rate and the way XBLA ties content to a specific XBox, if your XBox dies, you may have to pay for this content again.

Enter Valve and Orange Box. If you own the PC version, you get all new content for free. So you can enjoy Badlands (new map) right now. There’s always a delay in getting them out for consoles but many people are waiting with baited breath to see if MS and Sony will put it out for free as well or charge people for what PC owners get for free. If either one does, it may mean rough times ahead for FPS multiplayer games on the console. Worse, player made content may get shunned entirely which means that some of the greatest assets for FPS multiplayer may never be seen.

Hopefully, Sony and MS will make the right call.