There's no doubt that the proliferation of fast, reliable internet has changed the gaming industry in tremendous ways. Players are able to engage toe-to-toe with one another from across the globe in multiplayer, gamers can jump online and access in-depth stats on their and others' characters, and new content can be delivered cheaply and effectively to existing users. Despite the good, there are some clear drawbacks that have become more rampant over the last half-decade. Online connections have provided an avenue for dependency, allowing online-only DRM (Digital Rights Management, the ability to play a game only when an internet connection is available) for games that do not require internet for gameplay functions and bringing with it a reliance on the company maintaining effective server support. It also allowed for the infamous patch. A great tool for polishing a product post-release, which maintains the longevity of a video game, but also what seems to have become a crutch or excuse for some developers to release bugged content, arguably with a stronger focus on meeting deadlines than meeting quality standards. This thread is not for pointing fingers at developers, nor am I suggesting patches should never happen. Merely I am establishing an open dialogue with the community to discuss ways all parts of the gaming industry can discourage or reverse the increase in patch frequency that seems to be happening.