Thoughts on Paid Video Game Mods?

[CM30]

It was removed by Valve after the controversy, but what do you think about the idea in general?

For me, I'm not sure. Some of the best mods out there are those which are pretty much 100% non legal to sell, like all those based on other IPs and series. If mods are seen as a sold thing, does that make it more likely we'll see less stuff like Skyrim Batman edition or what not?

I also question the motivations behind many people. I mean, mods and ROM hacks are both great because they can't be commercial; only passionate people who care for the community can get involved. Do we really want to see scenes like those become like the app store, where a bunch of low quality crap is released by people wanting a quick buck? Or where it's basically a bunch of game mod sweatshops pumping out shovelware for easy money?

This video is pretty good on the issue as well:

 

[CM30]

Oh, and if you want to see what happened the last time people sold mods... this sort of crap:

Appropriate name though. As the reviewer said:

Has your work been ripped off by a two bit company who sold it without giving credit? That's life!

 

[Brunn]

The main reason I didn't want it? Not because there's a precedent set by the general Mod community that they'll be free, or because I think that Mod creators don't deserve money for their creations. The main reason I hated the idea was quality control.

Just how good does a mod need to be to be sold- how much or how little content? How do you ensure it's not using stolen content, either the code or the idea? (I.E. Just how many fishing mods for Skyrim are going to be allowed? At what point do you cut it off lest it become as bad as an app market?) How long are the creators expected to keep the mod up to date- Are they bound to keep updating the mod until official game updates have stopped? Expansions? What about major fan updates? At what point are bugs allowed? Is it okay if the mod causes problems with some portions of the game? Is it okay if it breaks other mods, or other mods break it?

There's just so many problems with the whole idea of the paid market. A donation feature would be much better, or a Patreon style system perhaps. It's a shame there isn't a better way for Mod creators to get paid for their work when it's deserved, and that it's so difficult to encourage people to donate (Frankly, I've never donated, so I'm just as bad), but Mod Markets just aren't going to work well. Not to mention the mod creators hardly got any of the proceeds from the mods they sold through the Steam Market while it was up.

It's probably best that mods remain the way they are, mostly something that very dedicated and talented fans do to the improve the games they love for themselves and the game's communities. Labors of love.

 

[Aensland]

Well, depends on if you count texture packs, character skins, and the like as mods. In the event that you do, then look at minecraft and how the console versions can pay to have some of the limited ones offered currently.

 

[Brunn]

Well, depends on if you count texture packs, character skins, and the like as mods. In the event that you do, then look at minecraft and how the console versions can pay to have some of the limited ones offered currently.

The main difference there though is that the texture packs and skins offered for the consoles are offered by the games creators and updaters for the consoles. It isn't just some random bloke out there who made it and charged money, like it was with the Steam, these people actually curate the game for the console and because of that, you know it will be kept updated. They may be mods, but they're officially supported mods.

My favorite Minecraft mod was a texture pack called Tyko. I loved that texture mod, and I would happily have payed for it had it been offered, because I was so pleased with the way it made the game look. But then one day the creator just up and decided he didn't want to update that one anymore, was making a new texture pack, and completely removed Tyko and forgot about it. Eventually, it became basically unusable with further updates the Minecraft, even though I still had the files. (I use Sphax BD now, if anyone is interested!)

I didn't pay for Tyko, so whatever, but assuming I had: Would that have been allowed? Would it have been okay for the creator to just up and abandon the product I had paid for? Should there be some sort of specified time limit during which you have to keep your mod updated? How long would that time period be? Until the game ceases updating? Or would it have some sort of sliding price scale dependent on how long the creator commited to work on it?

I'm not saying I would never pay money for a mod under these circumstances, but these kind of questions seriously turn me off. When I buy a texture pack or skin from the games creators, they're guaranteed to work, and work with all the other mods the game creators have made. Not so with user made mods.

 

[CM30]

The main reason I didn't want it? Not because there's a precedent set by the general Mod community that they'll be free, or because I think that Mod creators don't deserve money for their creations. The main reason I hated the idea was quality control.

Just how good does a mod need to be to be sold- how much or how little content? How do you ensure it's not using stolen content, either the code or the idea? (I.E. Just how many fishing mods for Skyrim are going to be allowed? At what point do you cut it off lest it become as bad as an app market?) How long are the creators expected to keep the mod up to date- Are they bound to keep updating the mod until official game updates have stopped? Expansions? What about major fan updates? At what point are bugs allowed? Is it okay if the mod causes problems with some portions of the game? Is it okay if it breaks other mods, or other mods break it?

There's just so many problems with the whole idea of the paid market. A donation feature would be much better, or a Patreon style system perhaps. It's a shame there isn't a better way for Mod creators to get paid for their work when it's deserved, and that it's so difficult to encourage people to donate (Frankly, I've never donated, so I'm just as bad), but Mod Markets just aren't going to work well. Not to mention the mod creators hardly got any of the proceeds from the mods they sold through the Steam Market while it was up.

It's probably best that mods remain the way they are, mostly something that very dedicated and talented fans do to the improve the games they love for themselves and the game's communities. Labors of love.

Your points are very valid, especially with one key thing:

The fact the developers are taking a cut of the money. If it's bad enough that mod makers will be obliged to support their work... imagine being the game developer. You've been taking money for mods, so you're gonna pretty much have to support every mod ever made and sold.

And if a big update breaks everything?

Oh god. The law will probably hold both the modder and developers accountable for fixing it. Compatibility with other mods becomes an issue too, as you mention.

I also worry about one other thing;

That paid mods mean the bar for acceptability is now raised beyond what's possible by a normal gamer.

It's already hard to release a decent modification of any game.

Now imagine how hard it could be if we see entire agencies and large companies enter the same game.

I dread to see mods turn out like the triple A games industry, where anything less than some super massive detailed work with high end graphics and sound is rejected or seen as 'niche'. I like how everyone in the modding scene is an amateur, and I wouldn't really want that to change.

 

[Brunn]

And if a big update breaks everything?

Oh god. The law will probably hold both the modder and developers accountable for fixing it. Compatibility with other mods becomes an issue too, as you mention...

The scariest thing about that scenario is that there aren't really laws to govern that sort of thing yet I don't think. The weird tangle of consumer protection, liscensing, and copyright laws would make any sort of disputes a nightmare to handle in court- especially when all the other concerns of what's allowed to break what (between the game itself, expansions, the mod itself, and then other mods working in conjunction with it) isn't defined in the slightest.

For me, if I were going to pay money for mods for Skyrim, I would expect that all the mods that I bought from the marketplace are guaranteed to work together. If you download mods now, you'll find that sometimes they just don't. How is Steam, or any other mod shop, going to guarantee that all the mods are going to work together? Or are they going to take the time to keep an updated list of what does and doesn't work with each individual mod? That's just as crazy.