Do songs in games like Rock Band/Guitar Hero count as Microtransactions?

[Shiken]

Ka-pi96 said:

Yes, definitely. It's no different from if Pokemon games started selling Pokemon one by one, those would be microtransactions too.

I'd also say there's no line between microtransactions and DLC. All microtransactions are DLC, just smaller/cheaper stuff (unless bought in bulk, obviously).

I do not really look at expansion packs and micro transactions in the same light TBH.  In the case of Skyrim and Fallout, these are bulky additions to the game made AFTER the release of the project to prolong the life of said title.  In most cases, they can be seen as their own game.  This is why a lot of DLC expansion packs these days get their own separate release without the need of the base game, such as Xenoblade Torna and Uncharted Lost Legacy.  Now it is possible for expansion packs to be abused as well, in the form of cut content being sold after the fact...but that is another topic entirely.

Micro transactions are often cheap cash grabs, often things thay used to be unlockables.  Things like skins, voices, boosters, etc fall under this category.  Some are harmless to the game itself, but addictive to certain players.  Others are toxic and can affect how the game is designed, such as boosters where the player is made to feel like they need them to lessen a grind.

To me proper DLC packs are far more forgiving than micro transactions in general.  They take a lot more work and offer mucb more meaningful content in most cases.  In regards to they topic however, yes they are micro transactions...but the acceptable kind.  Songs in Rockband or Guitar Hero are often tied to extra licensing that is beyond the developer's control.  If you buy these, it can be viewed as no different than buying songs from your favorite artists and downloading them.  Or packs of songs would be no different than buying a CD except you are using them in a video game rather than just putting it into a CD player.