In the end, a frequent release of new content by DLC or major patch for a 4X or grand strategy game is the same tactic as live service games or MMORPGs: Game companies want you to adopt their games as a lifestyle choice, because they want you to give them money over and over. But I am far from sure that I want that. Not again. I played World of Warcraft for 10,000+ hours, and other MMORPGs for thousands of hours, so I have lived this "game as a lifestyle choice" already. I don't necessarily regret that choice, but do I want to do that again?

The fundamental problem of playing the same game (well, same plus added content) over and over is the opportunity cost. The kid who received Super Mario Bros. in 1985 for his Nintendo Entertainment System probably only had a handful of cartridges for his NES, no other console, and no access to dad's PC. He played the game for months, simply because he wouldn't get a new game before his next birthday or Christmas. But we don't live in that world anymore. Even kids have a huge number of choices for games to play, and several devices to play them on. As an adult, and thus larger financial means, my choice of games is even more huge. Steam alone added 14,351 games in 2023, and the projection for 2024 is higher than that. Epic wants to give me a free game or two every week, and there are plenty of new releases on the Game Pass for PC. I can play games also on my phone or tablet, and I do own a Nintendo Switch console.

I did buy the second expansion pass for Age of Wonders 4. The AoW4 DLCs tend to be exactly what I want: More options to create a distinctly new leader and race, to play another game with different troops, different spells, and different tactics. But I have already played this game for 400 hours, and I don't want it to become the only thing I play. I enjoy other genres of games as well, for example the RPG Drova that I am currently playing.

As a result, the flood of new DLCs and patches for games I already played caused me more negative feelings than positive excitement this month. There are too many games to play, and not enough time. Turning games into a lifestyle and playing them over and over is just aggravating that situation.