“A mod, or modification, is the alteration of content from a video game in order to make it operate in a manner different from its original version. Mods can be created for any genre of game but are especially popular in first-person shooters, role-playing games and real-time strategy games.” – Wikipedia
Fans of video games are many things. They brash, and often go to war with one another. They’re appreciative, and love when one of their favorite games comes out and exceeds their expectations. What they also are though, is creative.
In fact, to be a fan of video games…you just have to like video games, there’s not age limit or requirement. In the early days, it was fans of Pong that decided to make video games. Friends would get together in a basement to make titles, several well known games happened like this.
Though making games got tougher as time went on, the desire for fans to make their own spin on classic titles never stopped. Eventually, these became known, as Mods. Meaning, that fans would “modify” a game in a certain way to add something new, or something special.
While it’s true, that game mods can be bad, like for cheating, often, they’re just a source of fan love. This has never been more true than for the Elder Scrolls and Fallout series. Where fan mods are not only appreciated, they’re encouraged.
Between Fallout 3, Oblivion, Fallout 4, and Skyrim, mods have never been more popular. This of course says nothing of the infinite amount of mods for other titles. Or for example, XCOM 2, a game made by Firaxis, who then hired a developer who made fan mods of the original XCOM, to make DLC for them, thus making them a more “legit” developer.
In short, mods are often fans love letters to their favorite titles. Which makes the recent news from Sony about mods very sad.
No More Game Mods
Bethesda promised that when Fallout 4 came out to PC, Xbox One, and PS4, that mod support would be encouraged for consoles, with Microsoft and Sony “on board”. This then included the upcoming Skyrim remaster that was also coming to Xbox One and PS4, but then, after long delays and struggles, Sony outright said that user mods would not be welcome on their version of any game. Bethesda said it thusly on their site:
“After months of discussion with Sony, we regret to say that while we have long been ready to offer mod support on PlayStation 4, Sony has informed us they will not approve user mods the way they should work: where users can do anything they want for either Fallout 4 or Skyrim Special Edition.”
This frankly, is an insult. One that fans should not take likely. For Sony to not “accept” user mods is basically their way of saying they don’t trust fans, or that they don’t think what fans make are “worthy” on their console.
Furthermore, Bethesda revealed earlier that approved mods for Xbox One have done 50 times better traffic wise on the console than they have on PC. What does this mean? Well it means gamers want to try each others mods! Especially when they know that they work and are approved by the maker of the console. Thus, no scams or bad code.
For Sony to basically put up a wall on their console when it comes to mods is really sad, because there have been people waiting a long time for mods to come to console. this of course includes Bethesda, who has been fighting for over a decade to make this happen, only for it to be halfway completed.
The Beauty Of Mods
Mods can be a very beautiful thing. And yes, I mean “beauty” in the widest term possible. Because mods can be about ANYTHING! There have been mods that have inserted special clothing or weapons in the game from peoples favorite movies, shows, sports teams, even other video games. There was a Skyrim mod that had a dragon replaced with the late Macho Man Randy Savage! Complete with his signature “OH YEAH!!!!!” as he breathed fire on a gamer.
Other times, mods are completely separate games meant to push the game to even greater limits. One mod completely rebuilt the original Fallout into the Fallout 4 engine. Complete with new perspective to line up with the modern games.
I already mentioned XCOM, where a developer decided to make a standalone mod called The Long War that was so loved by fans, that Firaxis hired them to make more content in a more official capacity. I myself have been part of mods, and the teams behind them are nothing more than fans that want to make their games even better, and are willing to put in the time and the effort and the work to make the game beautiful. Should this not be respected? Should this not be praised for the desire to do what they love?
What Price Victory?
Now I’m sure Sony has a reason for doing this. It’s possible that they fear for the console itself, it getting used in a way they did not expect via the mods. That’s understandable, but as Xbox One has shown, there’s a way to screen them. They themselves can look over the mods to ensure there’s nothing malicious, then release the ones that aren’t onto the console and thus have a win for fans and developer and publisher alike.
The problem is, they didn’t. They slammed the door, and they must have done it in a way that was very sour tasting, as Bethesda has been patient for apparently a very long time about this, and only now have outed Sony as the reason for this tragedy. For Bethesda to turn on a dime like that gives me pause for the reason Sony gave them on why they wouldn’t allow mod support.
Video games are many things, one of the best things they are, is an expression. They’re thoughts and ideas, and even feelings, woven in graphics and gameplay and given to players to (hopefully) enjoy. For gamers, the chance to make video games can often be very often, and is very challenging. Through mods, the work is somewhat lessened, and thus gives the people a chance they likely wouldn’t have had before.
We may not know why Sony decided to prevent mod support for Fallout 4 and the Skyrim remaster, but one thing is clear, fans aren’t happy, Bethesda isn’t happy, and anyone who supports creativity shouldn’t be happy. Mods are important to fans on many levels, to deny them the chance to show their mods to the word? Well, that’s just wrong.