So, Bethesda (makers of Oblivion), have unveiled for-pay downloadable microcontent for the game. What's interesting is how it has played out: "Swell. Stupid Oblivion Horse Coming To PC" (Kotaku).

Basically, there's a ton of people out there who are very very angry that Bethesda would charge money for new content. Since, as we know, once you buy a piece of software, you are entitled to all follow-on work inspired by that software for ever and all time. This is why developers enjoy releasing software, by the way -- they enjoy entering that period of pure art for arts sake where they simply work on free, open-source versions of software that -- having been sold once -- can never be ethically sold again.

But I digress. What I think is weird about this uproar is that it's over a $2.50 (or $2, depending on if you are an XBox 360 or PC player of the game) piece of content that is essentially a bit of in-game bling. Something that's effectively no different then buying a face plate for your cell phone, or an action figure for a show you like. Or, maybe, a book based on your favorite Joss Whedon show. Did Joss screw you by releasing some content in a micropayable add-on optional form (eg, a comic book or book) when -- if he was a responsible content provider -- he would have just tossed that storyline into the show proper? I rend and gnash my teeth!

Sorry. This whole thing rubs me the wrong way. First off, it's $2. And, unless you're watching old John Cusack flicks, $2 is not something for one to get strung out over. Second off, it's actually a nice little add-on, if you're into dressing up your horsey, and since RPGs are ultimately about dressing things up and then setting them on fire (in whatever ratio you desire), it seems worth it. Should Bethesda have OMG finished the game and included the horse free of charge? To be honest, sometimes you have to stick a fork in it and ship the sucker. And I can't fault them for trying to think of clever little add-ons to try to jump-start this experiment in commerce. It's not like they haven't already completely opened up the mod architecture so that no end of people can make free add-ons of their own. Also, later promised add-ons look like they're even more interesting, and still the same price. And, you know what? I'd pay $5-$7 for actual story content -- I already pay that for story content in other media.

They just want their $2.