Should Modern Mods Make Money?

A few days ago Valve announced that mods could be added on for money. Modding has been around for a long time, and some of them have made money. The problem is that modding itself has been considered an open source style thing. Anyone could add to the mod, or change it to something else. Indie development was the money making side. Now, we are mixed, and feelings are very strong about it.

The announcement for the mods has already had some slimyness happen to it.

The announcement has brought on a large backlash to Valve and Gabe Newell himself.

Note how they even added beard shavings over his visage. They broke his leg, and shaved him to make sure all knew he was being punished.

This is really strong rhetoric for gaming. Perhaps the nationalistic image of the PC gamer is being destroyed because someone created a crappy fishing mod for Skyrim and is charging money for it.

A large problem with this entire discussion is how we view mods. Mod stands for modified game. When Doom came out, people got in, and began to change things around for the heck of it. There were levels added, and monsters were changed around. People made the changes for the heck of it.

Modding has been a major part of the industry for a long time. For example, Gabe Newell points out that much of his staff is modders.

The game creators proved themselves by creating a mod that people enjoyed. In some cases the mod was better than the game it was made from. Counter Strike mentioned in that quote is considered much better than Half Life Deathmatch.

In fact, it looks like the people who have made money from their mods are for it. Gary Newman of the famous Garry’s Mod said he was for it.

There’s a lot of craziness about paid mods, a lot of people who don’t know how they feel. It’s probably no big suprise that I’m all for it. I sold a mod once and everyone was angry that it was happening, until it happened and they got a much better product than they’d have gotten when it was released for free, then they seemed to calm down a bit. It has given me a carreer for 10 years. It’s bought me two houses, a bunch of cars. It’s created a company that has hired 30+ people.

He holds out some reservations for the payment systems. However, the creator of Dayz -a zombie mod from ArmA 2- said the system seems to work.

Elder Scrolls has to be one of the main blockbuster IP’s in the industry. It is like GTA, it’s incredibly valuable. If I approached Bethesda to make a derivative game, using their tools, assets, IP, distribution – I would not get a 25% revenue split (I would get less). If we want professional modding, which is what this is, then people cannot apply emotional arguments – they need to apply business arguments. Therefore the split needs to be considered based on value.

Both agree that the crap being pulled by some will sink to the bottom quickly, and not seen again. Much as trying to trick someone only works once before being called out, it will go away on its own.

The next big question is which game will get it next. The Dayz creator seems to think Grand Theft Auto V would be a good game to try out. Each company that opens their game to paid mods gets to decide what part of the share the content creator gets. It seems to be a lump sum at the moment. For Skyrim, the modder will get 25% of the asking price. So that $2 fishing game will make the modder 50 cents for every sale.

Usually a game that rose to the top got a better deal from the original game makers. In fact, there is a lump sum paid to use the game, and then the game is used completely. Or the modder is hired on to the company to make the mod officially part of the game. Dayz got to use the engine, while Counter Strike got the modders hired.

Newell has said that there are things being worked on in the backgrounds to adjust for things. For example, that fishing mod may get only 25%, but a full conversion would get a higher amount.

The great Gaben also responded to how he wants modders to be treated.

With all of that said there are still two matters that really need to be looked at. The first is a cultural way of viewing things within Mods. The other is how IP stands with mods. They are both major parts of the mod scene, and difficult to discuss.

Mods in general are fairly open. I know, I hang out with modders. If someone dislikes something within their mod, they go in and fix it. The fix is shown off in the mods forums, and the modders check it out themselves. The gun model doesn’t look right? A fan can help fix that.

This openness with a game allows fans to be part of the team when they feel like it. In fact, many times the original mod group leaves for paying jobs, and the fans continue the work.

The questions that will have to be answered in the long road is how to keep mods that open. Who gets paid for the mod? It’s an open thing, and people are popping in and out all the time, who gets the paycheck?

There will still be free mods, and games for people to just enjoy. The openness will continue on with these games. As they enter into the paid market, something may be lost, and that is a sad thing.

Another question is that of IP. As one person put it.

Mods take things a lot. My personal favorite mod takes all sorts of things from action movies, and mimics them in game. I love it for that exact reason. I jump off of a building, slow down time, and shoot a specialised weapon while landing on the next rooftop. If the mod makes money, the creators of the movies, games, and other things may declare it against the law.

Because Modders don’t make money, they tend to be given a bypass from being sued for the most part. As soon as they start to make money though, and the original IP owner isn’t given an amount, it can be bad.

These worries, and others continue to show that there is room for concern. Modding is traditionally an open system that doesn’t make money. If it does, the mod becomes a game. So the idea of having mods as something to pay for is very new. Gabe Newell is trying to keep a distance, while dealing with things financially first. He has said that there will be a pay what you want button, or donation button.

It used to be that if you bought a game, you knew it would come with 30 mods as well. These mods would be great fun, and add a bunch to the gameplay. The mod scene itself seems to be much quieter now -or perhaps I have not been hanging out with the right people.

I will say this. I would love for there to be a really good Power Rangers mod for GTAV. In fact, if Rockstar opens the game up for that, I will form a team right now. Just imagining running through the city to stop a rampaging giant monster is making me happy.