Downloadable content (DLC) has become more diverse than ever in gaming, with season passes giving players access to a bunch of DLC at a discount. While it's not a perfect system, DLC and season passes are here to stay and provide some good reasons for you to buy them.

So, why are DLC and season passes prevalent in gaming? And why should you buy them? Let's find out.

Why Are DLC and Season Passes So Common in Gaming?

To get everyone up to speed, DLC is either free or paid content you can download that adds something to your game, be it a map, outfit, weapon, level, etc. A season pass allows you to get a bunch of DLC at a discounted price than if you were to buy each piece of DLC included in a season pass separately.

Chances are that you've seen DLC and season passes everywhere in gaming, with games coming in multiple editions that offer different amounts of DLC, as well as a season pass to boot.

So, why do you see DLC and season passes everywhere?

Well, developing, publishing, and marketing games is an incredibly complex process, with many moving parts and factors outside the developer's control. Each year, the cost of making games increases, which is why we could see $70 games as the new normal. DLC and season passes give developers and publishers money to work on a game after its release to add new content for gamers.

Gamers are also looking for reasons to keep playing the game they love. DLC can dynamically add content which does just that. It also allows developers and publishers to release their game in a timely fashion, so players can enjoy the base game without waiting several years.

Are DLC and season passes a perfect system? No. There are countless examples of DLC and season passes failing to deliver on quality, being more of a cash-grab than a meaningful addition to a game.

While there are reasons you shouldn't buy DLC and season passes, there's no denying that they're here to stay: developers and publishers make money from them, and gamers are happy to buy them.

You Should Buy DLC and Season Passes if You Want To…

Not every piece of DLC or season pass is worth it, but sometimes you should take the plunge and purchase a game's extra content.

Here are five key reasons you should buy DLC and season passes.

1. Increase the Longevity of a Game You Love

Though the quality of DLC can vary, it certainly helps if you're already invested in the game to begin with. DLC can add exciting, new moments to a game you love, giving you more reasons to keep on playing or dive back into it.

Whether it's something minor like an extra outfit, or perhaps a story DLC taking place in a new area, DLC can keep things from getting stale or too familiar. And, if you're loving a game and know you're going to buy most, if not all DLC for it, then it can't hurt to buy the season pass.

2. Support the Developers

As games are getting more expensive, there's mounting pressure on developers to make a financially successful game or risk getting shut down, even if it's not their fault.

And, as there are so many games all begging you to buy them, it's easy to overlook genuinely good games made by smaller, independent developers who lack the funds for a massive marketing campaign. Seriously, if you love survival horror games, check out Darkwood as an example.

There are many examples of good studios that got shut down, perhaps most notably Visceral Games, who created the outstanding Dead Space series (Dead Space 1 and 2 make up for the third instalment). There are also examples of excellent games that didn't get the recognition they deserved, such as Titanfall 2, and there's usually a news story of a developer getting screwed over by a publisher at any given point.

So, if there's a game made by a developer you're a fan of, you can support them by buying their DLC. And, though we all love buying games on sale, it makes that much more difference to the developers if we buy their games full-price or as close to it as we can.

Does this mean you should pre-order every game or buy most games at launch? No. But you should consider subsidising good, hard-working developers and buy their extra content.

3. Experience All a Game Offers

As DLC and season passes are here to stay, they're usually the only way you can fully experience everything a game has to offer. This can be both good and bad, because of the inconsistent nature of DLC and whether or not a game has locked base content behind a paywall.

When you play a game, the base content should be satisfactory, regardless of any DLC. But, if you can't get enough of what you're playing, then it might be worth your time to invest that game's DLC to get as much content as you can.

4. Experience New Content That's Dynamically Added

What's great about DLC is that it can appear in digital stores at any time, and you can download it whenever you like. There's not another physical disk to buy, and the DLC should seamlessly integrate itself into the game.

What's more is that developers can line up a series of small DLCs, either paid or free, to keep things interesting in the first few weeks or months following their game's launch. This can be DLC that's surprise content or content that the developers have announced.

DLC like this can be a pleasant way to add a bit more to your game, either for a small price or for free.

5. Get Content Outside a Game

One thing about DLC is that you aren't just limited to in-game content. DLC can exist outside a game as digital art books, comics, soundtracks, avatars, themes, and more.

This adds an extra level as you're still engaging with the game through another medium. Again, this kind of DLC always works best when you're invested in a game to begin with, and is a cool way to support the developers of a game you love.

DLC and Season Passes Are Going Nowhere

DLC and season passes are here to stay. And, while you shouldn't buy every DLC that's around, there are certainly some good reasons you should buy consider specific season passes or DLC packs.

And, while you consider which DLC or season pass you should buy, ask yourself if you want to play it on your past-gen console, or if you'll wait just a bit longer for all the benefits that current-generation consoles bring.