You, Me, & DLC. Part four: Whose Game Is it Anyway?

Critical Gamer's Luke K writes: As Mass Effect fans hold their collective breath waiting for BioWare’s extended Mass Effect 3 endings (many doubtless sharpening their knives as they watch the horizon), the issue of who has a right to what in videogames remains an issue for many. It’s an important topic that reaches far beyond one game or series, and one that will become more important and contentious still as time goes on. In the case of Mass Effect 3, a tidal wave of fans – rightly or wrongly – took to the internet to demand that the developers change the game’s endings because they, the fans, didn’t like what came on the disc. While this high-profile protest could prove to be the first of many, the winds of change are bringing a new issue thundering to the forefront of the industry; when you pay for a game, does that mean you actually own a copy of it?