Modded Games FINISHED PRODUCT or DEVELOPMENT PLATFORM for modders

Channel:

Paradox Gaming Network

Subscribers:

15,700

Published on March 16, 2024 8:58:36 PM ● Video Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bLBJndfRR-0

Game:

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (2011)

Duration: 12:14

522 views

18

The start of today’s video is a question: Modded Games are they finished products or development platforms companies release and they rely on modders to finish? Or are they finished products made better by modders who are more in touch with the community and can give the player base exactly what they want?

This was an important question to me, because for a long time I thought mods were a bad thing and that it should be left up to the developer to fix their games and make them playable until I came across the article that said modders made over $1,000,000,000 in 2023 from releasing Mods. Several games (Roblox, Fortnite, Overwolf) are paying modders for their hard work. Paradox Interactive just contracted a modder for their hard work in one of the regions of Crusader Kings 3, another game made even better by mods. One article said that Ark Survival Ascended was only three months old with 1,000 mods in circulation and 60,000,000 downloads. That’s an insane amount of work put in by the community to make their favorite games better.

I mentioned in the video that the grand survival game Crusader Kings 3 has a Game of Throne Mod, a Lord of the Rings Mod, even a Warcraft mod. There’s also a Vampire the Masquerade Vampire vs Werewolves mod in there, as well as several other total conversions. Skyrim has a massive collection of mods, being the #1 game on The Gamer’s list of 24 PC Games with the Most Active Modding Communities.

Now a major talking point has to be, if games are having to be this modded, are they finished products? Did the developer do the diligence to release something good, or did they just release a development platform and leave it up to the modders to make it good. If you remember, so many things were broken in Starfield at launch that without the mods, many things were more difficult than they needed to me.

A big question on this topic is at what utilization point should a mod feature be added to the game. If 50% of all the players are using a mod, does that mean whatever the mod does is popular enough to be added into the game? What about 70% 90%

As already mentioned, many developers are willing to allow modders to mod their game, some going so far as to compensate them for their work. Nintendo still remains against the idea of modding, often issues cease-and-desist letters to modder who infringe on their IP.

Finally, add-ons. Add-ons are their own thing entirely and I didn’t want to detract from the discussion of modders, but I think they needed to be addressed so they weren’t neglected or forgotten.


Credits and Citations

To Mod or Not to Mod: Why the Future of Gaming is User Generated
https://www.gamedeveloper.com/programming/to-mod-or-not-to-mod-why-the-future-of-gaming-is-user-generated-

Modding is the gateway to a career in game development
https://blog.mod.io/modding-is-the-gateway-to-a-career-in-game-development-e77d7c4ed03d

Exploring the Similarities and Differences Between Mod Creators and Game Developers
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/exploring-similarities-differences-between-mod-game-bestard-d%C3%ADaz/

24 PC Games With The Most Active Modding Communities
https://www.thegamer.com/pc-games-active-modding-communities/

Are Gaming Companies Maddened by Mods or Embracing Them?
https://www.jdsupra.com/legalnews/are-gaming-companies-maddened-by-mods-51053/

Timestamp
00:00 - Video Start
00:43 - Cyberpunk 2077
01:35 - Skyrim
01:55 - Modding is a HUGE industry
02:33 - If a game has to be heavily modded, is it a finished product?
03:09 - CK3 modders have created entirely new games
06:29 - Modding is a gateway to a career in game development
08:14 - How to publishers respond to modders
10:14 - Add-ons

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