If you’re into gaming then you might be aware that there a lot of trends and business practices in the games industry these days, many of which have left me disappointed on many occasions. However, there is one thing that remains as good if not better than it used to be, and that is modding.
If you aren’t very familiar then it’s quite simple really, mods are new content added to games by fans, for free. This could be anything with some games, there are examples of mods that practically make entire new games out of existing ones, and even further there are some insanely successful mods from the early days that have become the big budget most popular games of today. Modding is, in my eyes, perhaps the last innocent corner of gaming. The one little community island created by hobbyists in an industry ocean driven by greed, conflict of interest, risk aversion and opportunity cost. The one environment where creativity is not stifled and that allows niches to be filled regardless of their commercial viability. The one area of gaming that people treat as a hobby instead of a job. Modding has been something that exists outside of market forces, and that is what has made it so valuable over the years.
Clearly the modding scene in some games has become valuable enough that companies such as Valve saw a great deal of money to be made, who last year in 2015 attempted to introduce a paid modding service integrated with steam for Skyrim. I wont get into the problems this caused, but it could have been far worse if they didn’t cancel their plans after a few days of internet backlash. Thankfully there has been no news of this being attempted again yet, but I’m sure someone will give it a shot, there’s just too much potential for money to be made. I hope modding stays as it is for as long as possible, it has been increasingly successful being driven by creative individuals and groups, and supported by a generous community. Big companies and big money would just make a mess of things. Continue reading “Mods: The Best Thing in Gaming” →