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{{Short description|
{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2025}}
{{Video game industry}}'''Video game modding''' (
People can become fans of specific mods and can involve themselves in the process of mod development and discourse.<ref name=":16">{{Cite journal |last=Sotamaa |first=Olli |date=2010-07-01 |title=When the Game Is Not Enough: Motivations and Practices Among Computer Game Modding Culture |url=https://doi.org/10.1177/1555412009359765 |journal=Games and Culture |language=EN |volume=5 |issue=3 |pages=239–255 |doi=10.1177/1555412009359765 |issn=1555-4120|url-access=subscription }}</ref> In cases where modding is popular, players use the term ''[[Vanilla software|vanilla]]'' to describe the unmodified game (e.g. "Vanilla ''[[Minecraft]]''").<ref>{{Cite news |last=Gould |first=Elie |date=2025-01-09 |title=After 15 years, Minecraft has finally added two new pig variations: The warm pig and the cold pig, meaning I can delete one mod off my list |url=https://www.pcgamer.com/games/survival-crafting/after-15-years-minecraft-has-finally-added-two-new-pig-variations-the-warm-pig-and-the-cold-pig-meaning-i-can-delete-one-mod-off-my-list/ |access-date=2025-07-27 |work=PC Gamer |language=en}}</ref>
Mods that extensively transform gameplay are known as total conversions, [[List of video games derived from mods|with some developing into distinct games]]. As early as the 1980s, video game mods have also been used for the sole purpose of creating art, as opposed to a playable game, leading to the rise of [[Video game art|artistic video game modification]], as well as [[machinima]] and the [[demoscene]].<ref name=":15">{{cite book |last1=Thiel |first1=Sarah-Kristin |title=Proceedings of the 9th International Conference on Communities & Technologies - Transforming Communities |last2=Lyle |first2=Peter |date=3 June 2019 |isbn=978-1-4503-7162-9 |pages=198–209 |chapter=Malleable Games - A Literature Review on Communities of Game Modders |doi=10.1145/3328320.3328393 |chapter-url=https://pure.au.dk/ws/files/177771828/C_T19_IdentifyingGameModdingCommunities_cr.pdf |s2cid=150367691}}</ref>
==History==
=== ''Spacewar!'' (1962) and early endeavors ===
A specific date of origin for video game modding has not been agreed upon by historians, partly due to discussion over what constitutes a mod and partly because of insufficient historical documentation.<ref name=":2" /><ref name=":27" /> However, the very [[first computer game]]s already were being actively modified by the first generation of [[hacker]]s,<ref name=":27" /> and researchers have described modding as an evolution of the [[hacker culture]] which pioneered the [[video game industry]].<ref name="auto2">{{cite journal |last1=Coleman |first1=Sarah |last2=Dyer-Witheford |first2=Nick |date=2007 |title=Playing on the digital commons: collectivities, capital and contestation in videogame culture |journal=[[Media, Culture & Society]] |volume=29 |issue=6 |pages=934–953 |doi=10.1177/0163443707081700 |s2cid=154832086}}</ref>
A specific date of origin for video game modding has not been agreed upon by historians, partly due to discussion over what constitutes a mod and partly because of insufficient historical documentation.<ref name=":2" /><ref name=":27" /> However, the very [[First computer game|first computer games]] already were being actively modified by the first generation of [[Hacker|hackers]],<ref name=":27" /> and researchers have described modding as an evolution of the [[hacker culture]] which pioneered the [[video game industry]].<ref name="auto2">{{cite journal |last1=Coleman |first1=Sarah |last2=Dyer-Witheford |first2=Nick |date=2007 |title=Playing on the digital commons: collectivities, capital and contestation in videogame culture |journal=[[Media, Culture & Society]] |volume=29 |issue=6 |pages=934–953 |doi=10.1177/0163443707081700 |s2cid=154832086}}</ref> Widely considered one of the first computer games,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Museum of the Moving Image - Exhibitions - Spacewar! Video Games Blast Off |url=http://www.movingimage.us/exhibitions/2012/12/15/detail/spacewar-video-games-blast-off/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180618154623/http://www.movingimage.us/exhibitions/2012/12/15/detail/spacewar-video-games-blast-off/ |archive-date=2018-06-18 |access-date=2025-08-22 |website=www.movingimage.us |language=en}}</ref> the 1962 game ''[[Spacewar!]]'' was distributed freely as testing software for the [[PDP-1]], an early computer.<ref name=":2" /> The game was a result of hardware<ref>{{Cite book |last=Sotamaa |first=Olli |url=https://www.taylorfrancis.com/books/9781136290510 |title=The Routledge Companion to Video Game Studies |date=2014-01-03 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-1-136-29051-0 |editor-last=Wolf |editor-first=Mark J.P. |edition=1st |language=en |chapter=Artifact |doi=10.4324/9780203114261 |editor-last2=Perron |editor-first2=Bernard}}</ref> and software experimentation, supported by the programming culture<ref name="auto2" /> at the [[Massachusetts Institute of Technology]] (MIT).<ref name="cc">{{cite magazine |last=Graetz |first=Martin |date=August 1981 |title=The origin of Spacewar |url=https://archive.org/details/creativecomputing-1981-08/page/n59/mode/2up |magazine=[[Creative Computing (magazine)|Creative Computing]] |pages=56–67 |volume=7 |issue=8 |issn=0097-8140}}</ref> On university campuses where the computer was installed, programmers continued to experiment with the game by modifying it heavily,<ref name=":2" /> allured by the prospect of fixing a "dire problem [...] as easily as changing a few instructions", as [[Steven Levy]] describes. Their efforts resulted in a wave of improvements to ''Spacewar!'', from changing aspects such as gameplay [[Game physics|physics]] to creating new [[Video game graphics|graphics]].<ref name=":24" />{{Rp|pages=52-54}} The final version of the game was ultimately a product of a group effort of hackers, who contributed to the game without pay.<ref name=":25">{{Cite book |last=Christiansen |first=Peter |title=Game mods: design, theory and criticism |date=2012 |publisher=ETC Press |isbn=978-1-300-54061-8 |editor-last=Champion |editor-first=Erik |___location=Pittsburgh, PA |chapter=Between a Mod and a Hard Place}}</ref>{{Reference page|page=32}} In this way, ''Spacewar!'' was not only the first video game, but also the first video game to be modded.<ref name=":25" /> On the popularity of hacking ''Spacewar!,'' Levy reflected:<blockquote>Like any other program, it was placed in the drawer for anyone to access, look at, and rewrite as they saw fit. The group effort that stage by stage had improved the program could have stood for an argument for the [[Hacker ethic|Hacker Ethic]]: an urge to get inside the workings of the thing and make it better had led to measurable improvement. And of course it was all a huge amount of fun.<ref name=":24">{{Cite book |last=Levy |first=Steven |title=Hackers |date=May 2010 |publisher=[[O'Reilly Media]] |isbn=978-1-4493-8839-3 |edition=1st |___location=Sebastopol, CA |pages=}}</ref>{{Reference page|pages=55-56}}</blockquote>Other early video games also released as iterations of collaborative improvements. [[Colossal Cave Adventure|''Colossal Cave Adventure'']], a [[text adventure game]] developed by [[Will Crowther]] and released in 1976, was greatly expanded upon by Stanford graduate [[Don Woods (programmer)|Don Woods]].<ref name=":26">{{Cite journal |last=Jerz |first=Dennis |date=2007 |title=Somewhere Nearby is Colossal Cave: Examining Will Crowther's Original "Adventure" in Code and in Kentucky |url=http://www.digitalhumanities.org/dhq/vol/001/2/000009/000009.html |journal=[[Alliance of Digital Humanities Organizations|Digital Humanities Quarterly]] |volume=1 |issue=2 |issn=1938-4122 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160616070717/http://www.digitalhumanities.org/dhq/vol/001/2/000009/000009.html |archive-date=June 16, 2016}}</ref><ref name=":25" /> After receiving the source code to the game from Crowther, Woods increased the game's complexity and released a modified version in 1977<ref name=":26" /> to instant success.<ref name=":25" /> The desire to improve software—the "hacker ethic", as described by Levy—became a crucial factor to the emergence of modern modding culture.<ref name=":2" />{{Reference page|page=8}}▼
▲
Before the development of affordable and more accessible [[Personal computer|personal computers]], the ability to mod games was restricted to where computers at the time were able to be installed, such as university campuses like MIT.<ref name=":27" /> With the advent of [[Home computer|home computers]] in the late 1970s to early 1980s, such as the [[Apple II]] and the [[Commodore 64]],<ref name=":2" /> video games were given a new space to flourish, accompanied by a new generation of modders.<ref name=":25" /> The subculture of "[[Software cracking|cracking]]" video games—hacking their source code—emerged as a niche endeavor among hobbyists.<ref name=":20" /> Cracks added gameplay [[Cheat (video games)|cheats]] or removed copyright structures, allowing games to be distributed freely.<ref name=":2" /> Using basic file editing software and a program that would [[Core dump|dump]] the contents of files, modders additionally scoured games for their assets through trial and error, with the goal of replacing them with their own levels and graphics.<ref name=":25" /> A famous example is ''Castle Smurfenstein'', a modification of the 1981 Apple II game [[Castle Wolfenstein|''Castle Wolfenstein'']]. Andrew Johnson and Preston Nevins, two high school students, replaced the game's [[Nazi]] characters with those from the popular 80's cartoon [[The Smurfs|''The Smurfs'']]. The game is often cited as a pioneering example of modding culture.<ref name=":25" /><ref name=":2" />{{Reference page|pages=|page=9}}▼
▲Before the development of affordable and more accessible [[
=== id Software, ''Doom'' (1993) ===
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As video games grew more sophisticated, hacking them became an increasingly cumbersome task, often requiring modders to effectively write over the original content.<ref name=":2" /><ref name="routledge chp31" /><ref name=":28">{{Cite book |last=Kushner |first=David |title=[[Masters of Doom: How Two Guys Created an Empire and Transformed Pop Culture]] |date=2004 |publisher=[[Random House]] |isbn=978-0-8129-7215-3 |series=Random House trade paperbacks |___location=New York}}</ref>{{Reference page|page=95}} While modders created amateur game editing tools out of necessity, they were often [[Software bug|buggy]], inefficient, and incomplete, ultimately necessitating good programming skills for mod development. New assets were processed through multiple software [[Package format|packages]] in order to be modded into the game engine.<ref name=":25" />{{Reference page|page=100}} [[Scott Miller (entrepreneur)|Scott Miller]], founder of [[3D Realms]] (formerly Apogee Software), was fascinated by the levels and level editors fans created for Apogee's 1991 game [[Duke Nukem (video game)|''Duke Nukem'']], reflecting: "We just didn't expect players to take the time and effort to create their own development tools."<ref>{{cite web |title=Duke Nukem I (the original!) |url=https://legacy.3drealms.com/duke1/index.html |access-date=10 December 2023 |website=[[3D Realms]]}}</ref><ref name=":23" />
Modding continued with the release of ''[[Wolfenstein 3D
Released in 1993, ''Doom'' was the first game to introduce modding to a wider audience due to the degree of depth it allowed its modders.<ref name="auto" /><ref name="routledge chp31">{{cite book |last=Voorhees |first=Gerald |url=https://www.taylorfrancis.com/books/9781136290510 |title=The Routledge Companion to Video Game Studies |date=2014-01-03 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-1-136-29050-3 |editor-last=Perron |editor-first=Bernard |edition=1st |pages=251–258 |chapter=Shooting |doi=10.4324/9780203114261 |editor-last2=Wolf |editor-first2=Mark J.P.}}</ref> With ''Wolfenstein 3D'', players had to erase game code to replace it; this destructiveness concerned Carmack and Romero. When developing ''Doom'', Carmack purposely separated the [[game engine]] files from other assets, including [[Level (video games)|level]] architecture, graphics, and audio,<ref name=":2" /> which were stored in a "WAD" file (an acronym for "where's all the data?").<ref name=":28" />{{Reference page|page=134}} While the system was also motivated by the game industry's push towards realism that required larger storage, it was specifically intended to make modding easier.<ref name=":2" /> With ''Doom'', modders only needed to change which WAD file the game would reference,<ref name=":28" /> meaning that custom assets could be modified and distributed without sharing the game engine itself.
Nearing the official release of ''Doom'', Carmack sent emails to ''Wolfenstein'' modders, detailing the game's new modding capabilities. He also uploaded the [[source code]] for the game's [[level editing]] and utilities programs.<ref name="routledge chp31" /> Weeks after the release, hackers developed level and map-editing programs to modify existing ''Doom'' levels or make other minor adjustments.<ref name=":28" /> In 1994, the Doom Editor Utility was created by an international team of modders led by a student at the [[University of Canterbury]], greatly lowering the skill threshold required to make a mod and advertising the ability to create entirely new levels.<ref name=":29">{{Cite journal |last=Kücklich |first=Julian |date=2005-09-05 |title=Precarious playbour: Modders and the digital games industry |url=https://fibreculturejournal.org/fcj-025-precarious-playbour-modders-and-the-digital-games-industry/ |journal=Fibreculture |volume=5 |issue=1}}</ref><ref name=":28" /><ref name=":25" /> The DeHackEd from a [[University of Michigan]] student was released in the same year, which additionally allowed users to modify the [[executable file]] of the game.<ref name=":28" /> Later, in 1997, id published ''Doom'' as [[open source]], allowing a greater customization of mods with the source code available.<ref name=":29" /><ref name="routledge chp31" /> The open nature of ''Doom'' inspired a flood of creativity,<ref name=":25" /> with modding tools promising to "do almost anything to any level".<ref name=":28" /> Another factor in the popularity of [[Doom modding|''Doom'' modding]] was the increasing popularity of the Internet and the advent of the [[World Wide Web]], which allowed modding communities to form.<ref name="auto3" /><ref name=":2" /> Using online forums, modders were able to pool their knowledge and findings for the game.<ref name=":2" />
At a time when the video game industry guarded their [[intellectual property]] through copyrights and [[
By encouraging player-driven content, id created channels for entry into the video game industry for ''Doom's'' modding community. ''[[Final Doom
=== Valve, ''Half-Life'' (1998), Steam ===
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After the success of ''Doom'', id software would release their future games as [[open source]].<ref name=":23" /> Mods for id's ''[[Quake (video game)|Quake]]'', such as "Capture the Flag" and "Team Fortress", became standard gamemodes in later games in the shooter genre.<ref name="auto" /> In addition to [[first-person shooter]]s, which are popular games to mod,<ref name=":2" /> the [[Virtual pet#Software-based|virtual pet genre]], with games such as ''[[Petz]]'' and ''[[Creatures (video game series)|Creatures]]'', fosters younger modders, particularly girls.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Denton |first1=Abby |date=12 January 2018 |title=Artificial life finds a way: the legacy of Creatures |url=https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2018/01/12/creatures-fans-mods-artificial-life/ |access-date=27 November 2018 |work=[[Rock Paper Shotgun]]}}</ref>
Valve used WorldCraft, a fan-produced tool for ''Quake'', to design ''[[Half-Life (video game)|Half-Life]].<ref name="auto3" />'' In addition to its [[Single-player video game|single-player]] campaign, ''Half-Life'' included the rudimentary [[Multiplayer video game|multiplayer]] modes [[Deathmatch (video games)|deathmatch]] and team deathmatch,<ref>{{Cite book |last=Laukkanen |first=Tero |url=https://trepo.tuni.fi/handle/10024/65431 |title=Modding Scenes - Introduction to user-created content in computer gaming |date=2005 |publisher=University of Tampere: Hypermedia Laboratory Net Series |isbn=978-951-44-6448-5 |series=9 |language=en}}</ref> a game mode created by John Romero for ''Doom''.{{Sfn|Kushner|2004|pp=148-153}} The multiplayer mods ''[[Day of Defeat]]'' and [[Counter-Strike (video game)|''Counter-Strike'']] became popular, and eventually Valve acquired them, giving them an official release.{{Sfn|Laukkanen|2005|p=19}}
With the increase in popularity of the modding scene, video game companies began to capitalize on the appeal of creating [[user-generated content]]. By the mid-1990s, PC games were commonly bundled with modding tools, external software which allows users to create mods for their paired games.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Burger-Helmchen |first1=Thierry |last2=Cohendet |first2=Patrick |date=October 2011 |title=User Communities and Social Software in the Video Game Industry |url=https://hal.science/hal-02302912 |journal=Long Range Planning |volume=44 |issue=5–6 |pages=317–343 |doi=10.1016/j.lrp.2011.09.003}}</ref><ref name=":15" /> Games that launched with these tools were noteworthy in review<ref name="auto2" /> and often contributed to their commercial success; in 2003, eight of the top 10 selling PC video games were bundled with modding tools.<ref name=":32">{{Cite journal |
[[Steam (service)|Steam]], a video game digital distribution service created by [[Valve Corporation]], was specifically designed for the proliferation of successful, stand-alone mods.<ref name=":23">{{Cite web |last=Au |first=Wagner James |date=2002-04-16 |title=Triumph of the mod |url=https://www.salon.com/2002/04/16/modding/?utm_source=website&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=ogshare&utm_content=og |access-date=2025-08-22 |website=Salon.com |language=en-US}}</ref> The platform offered a US$995 licensing fee plus [[Royalty payment|royalty]] for modders to distribute their games.<ref name="auto3" /> With a beta release in 2002,<ref name="steam-announced">{{cite web |date=March 22, 2002 |title=GDC 2002: Valve unveils Steam |url=http://www.gamespot.com/articles/gdc-2002-valve-unveils-steam/1100-2857298/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140717003347/http://www.gamespot.com/articles/gdc-2002-valve-unveils-steam/1100-2857298/ |archive-date=July 17, 2014 |access-date=September 7, 2006 |work=[[GameSpot]].com}}</ref> Steam included a retail-version of ''[[Day of Defeat
===
In April 2015, Valve introduced paid mods to the [[Steam Workshop]] as an update to the free system already in place. Mod authors received a cut of the profits from mods sold through Steam, with the percentage being determined individually by game developers. The first game to utilize the feature was Bethesda's ''[[The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim]],''<ref>{{cite web |last=Kamen |first=Matt |date=24 April 2015 |title=Skyrim is first game to allow paid game mods on Steam |url=https://www.wired.co.uk/news/archive/2015-04/24/steam-workshop-paid-mods |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150505192753/http://www.wired.co.uk/news/archive/2015-04/24/steam-workshop-paid-mods |archive-date=5 May 2015 |access-date=May 4, 2015 |work=[[Wired.com]]}}</ref> with mod authors receiving 25 percent of profit from their sales while the remainder was split between Valve and Bethesda.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Machkovech |first=Sam |date=2015-04-23 |title=Steam Workshop lets users sell mods, but only shares 25 percent of revenue |url=https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2015/04/steam-workshop-lets-users-sell-mods-but-only-shares-25-percent-of-revenue/ |access-date=2025-07-27 |website=Ars Technica |language=en}}</ref> [[Gabe Newell]], the head of Valve, expressed that paid mods would "increase the investment in quality modding", while not infringing on the need for freely distributed mods.<ref name=":14">{{Cite web |last=Orland |first=Kyle |date=2015-04-27 |title=Gabe Newell addresses controversy over paid Steam mods |url=https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2015/04/gabe-newell-addresses-controversy-over-paid-steam-mods/ |access-date=2025-07-27 |website=Ars Technica |language=en}}</ref> The Workshop update resulted in backlash from the modding community, with complaints including having to pay for previously free mods;<ref name=":19" /> overpriced mods; content that had been published without its creator's consent; and concerns over mods that contained third-party copyrighted content (i.e., material that neither Valve nor the mod creator owned).<ref name=":5">{{Cite web |last=
==Development==
Developing a video game mod requires a range of technical and social skills, such as [[video game programming|programming]], [[3D modeling]], [[sound design]], art, and [[project management]].<ref name="auto3" /><ref name=":9">{{Cite web |last=Antonelli |first=William |title=It's easier than ever to turn video game modding into a career |url=https://www.businessinsider.com/video-game-modding-patreon-creators-hobby-into-career-2025-7 |access-date=2025-07-28 |website=Business Insider |language=en-US}}</ref> Modders represent a wide spectrum of individuals with varying degrees of experience, skill sets,
===Tools===
Mod development involves the use of external [[
The provision of tools is seen as the most practical way that a company can signal to fans that its game is available to mod.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Poretski |first1=Lev |title=Proceedings of the 2017 ACM Conference on Computer Supported Cooperative Work and Social Computing |last2=Arazy |first2=Ofer |date=25 February 2017 |publisher=ACM |isbn=978-1-4503-4335-0 |pages=480–491 |chapter=Placing Value on Community Co-creations: A Study of a Video Game 'Modding' Community |doi=10.1145/2998181.2998301 |s2cid=18600910}}</ref> As of 2020, 9 out of 10 of the most modded games on Nexus Mods have an official modding tool from the game developer.<ref name=":34" /> Many tools use the lightweight scripting language [[Lua]], facilitating a simple and accessible medium to create mods.<ref name=":20">{{Cite journal |last=Wells |first=Matthew |date=2018-06-20 |editor-last=Chan |editor-first=Leslie |editor2-last=Mounier |editor2-first=Pierre |title=Game not Over: End-User Programming and Game System Modding as Models for Extending Community Engagement |url=https://hal.science/hal-01816719 |journal=
Modders also create and use [[open-source software]] tools for creating mods.<ref name="auto4">{{cite book |last1=Scacchi |first1=Walt |series=IFIP Advances in Information and Communication Technology |title=Open Source Systems: Grounding Research |chapter=Modding as an Open Source Approach to Extending Computer Game Systems |volume=365 |date=2011 |pages=62–74 |doi=10.1007/978-3-642-24418-6_5 |language=en|isbn=978-3-642-24417-9|s2cid=8934352 }}</ref> With games where modding is unsanctioned, these user-developed tools are the only resources available to develop mods. Examples include tools written to view 3D-geometry and programs used to import this data into 3D-applications, such as [[Maya (software)|Maya]] or [[Autodesk 3ds Max]]. Because game developers [[Encryption|encrypt]] their game's files, unsanctioned modding requires [[reverse engineering]] the structure of the game through extracting and decrypting files. This process is facilitated through the sharing of game files on modding forums, such as the XeNTaX community which produced modded versions
Websites for hosting and sharing mods are widely used by the modding community. [[Mod DB]] was founded in 2002, with over 300 million mod downloads as of 2025.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Nelson |first=Will |date=2021-10-11 |title=Changing the game: an interview with Scott Reismanis - the founder of ModDB |url=https://www.nme.com/features/mods-are-still-a-pillar-of-gaming-after-decades-an-interview-with-the-founder-of-moddb-3062921 |access-date=2025-07-27 |website=NME |language=en-GB}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=About Us |url=https://www.moddb.com/about |access-date=July 26, 2025 |website=Mod DB}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Downloads |url=https://www.moddb.com/downloads |access-date=July 26, 2025 |publisher=Mod DB}}</ref>
Free content delivery tools, known as "mod managers", are available to streamline the mod installation process and aid players who are less technically literate. These tools manage downloads, updates, and mod installation. Steam offers the [[Steam Workshop]] within the game launcher itself, allowing a users to share mods for simplified download and installation in supported games.<ref name=":3">{{cite news |last1=Letzter |first1=Rafi |title=Online communities are changing video games to make them better, weirder, and much more wonderful |url=https://www.businessinsider.com/video-game-modding-2015-7?r=US&IR=T |access-date=22 February 2019 |work=Business Insider Australia |date=21 July 2015 |language=en |archive-date=22 February 2019 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190222152029/https://www.businessinsider.com.au/video-game-modding-2015-7?r=US&IR=T }}</ref> Vortex, a mod manager released by Nexus Mods, is an external tool that supports modding over 65 games and is designed to work with the website.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Vortex |url=https://www.nexusmods.com/site/mods/1?tab=description |access-date=July 26, 2025 |website=Nexus Mods }}</ref> Game developers also create official mod managers either alongside their games, such as the Paradox Launcher
===Game support===
A game that allows modding is said to be ''moddable'', and the extent to which a game can be modded is called its ''moddability''.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Litchfield |first=Ted |date=2025-02-18 |title=Blockchain-based space survival MMO EVE Frontier has a free trial running, with CCP hoping you'll take a chance on its 20,000 star systems, more tactical combat, and 'dark sci-fi Pinocchio story' |url=https://www.pcgamer.com/games/mmo/blockchain-based-space-survival-mmo-eve-frontier-has-a-free-trial-running-with-ccp-hoping-youll-take-a-chance-on-its-20-000-star-systems-more-tactical-combat-and-dark-sci-fi-pinocchio-story/ |access-date=2025-07-27 |work=PC Gamer |language=en}}</ref> In general, moddable games will define gameplay variables in text or other non proprietary format files and have graphics of a standard format, such as [[bitmap]]s.<ref name="Sihvonen2011p37">{{cite book |last1=Sihvonen |first1=Tania |title=Players Unleashed!: Modding The Sims and the Culture of Gaming |date=2011 |publisher=[[Amsterdam University Press]] |isbn=978-90-8964-201-1 |___location=Amsterdam |pages=37–86 |chapter=Cultural and Commercial Appropriation |jstor=j.ctt46mt37.5}}</ref> Developers can also foster mod-friendliness by making source files more accessible, such as ''Doom'' separating its art assets from the main program.<ref name=":2" /> Released in 2007, ''[[Supreme Commander (video game)|Supreme Commander]]'' was developed with the goal of being the as customisable as possible through mods.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Mason |first=Graeme |date=2018-01-07 |title=The making of Supreme Commander |url=https://www.eurogamer.net/the-making-of-supreme-commander |access-date=2025-07-30 |website=Eurogamer.net |language=en}}</ref> Some mods increase moddability by adding scripting support or externalizing underlying code. In 2025, mod authors released a script extender for ''[[The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered
Video game developer reception of player contribution in creating new material for games and mod-communities is varied. Some software companies openly accept and even encourage such communities, with moddability being a contributing factor to the some games' success. Others have chosen to enclose their games in heavily
▲Video game developer reception of player contribution in creating new material for games and mod-communities is varied. Some software companies openly accept and even encourage such communities, with moddability being a contributing factor to the some games' success. Others have chosen to enclose their games in heavily-policed copyright or Intellectual Property regimes (IPR) and shut down sites infringing on their ownership of a game, an action which can have a detrimental effect on the sales of the game(s) in question.<ref>Flew, Terry and Humphreys, Sal (2005) "Games: Technology, Industry, Culture" in Terry Flew, New Media: an introduction (second edition), Oxford University Press, South Melbourne 101-114.</ref>
== Motivations ==
While a few modders have a pre-existing desire to create modifications for the games they play, most modders start modding more or less accidentally, utilizing their prior interests like drawing, [[architecture]], and programming.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Laukkanen |first=Tero |date=2007 |title=Creative gamers: Examining the modding culture and its mobile prospects |url=http://pong.hiit.fi/dcc/papers/mc2_final_report.pdf |journal=Mobile content communities |publication-place=Helsinki |issue=1 |pages=137–153 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250111083020/http://pong.hiit.fi/dcc/papers/mc2_final_report.pdf |archive-date=2025-01-11 |via=HIIT Publications}}</ref> Their motivations for creating mods vary and often changes over time.{{Sfn|Sotamaa|2010|p=246}} Motivations can range from a general interest in their favorite game and the desire to modify it, to personal interests like artistic self-expression and technical challenges, as well as wanting to participate in a modding community.{{Sfn|Sotamaa|2010|p=246}}{{Sfn|Laukkanen|2007|p=149}} While a modder may be motivated by a combination of factors,{{Sfn|Sotamaa|2010|p=245}} there is typically one primary motivator.{{Sfn|Laukkanen|2007|p=149}}
Modding
===
[[File:CJ, Kratos and Snow White in Guitar Hero.png|thumb|220px|right|
The proliferation of mod culture exemplifies the overlap between media consumption and production.<ref name=":16" /> Modding is viewed as a way to increase enjoyment of the game through personalization, such as the inclusion of popular or national culture of personal significance.<ref name="auto3" /> With the provision of modding tools by the developer or other modders, players are granted agency to contribute to their entertainment experience.<ref name=":15" /> Modding is akin to other user-made practices in video game consumption, including [[speedrunning]] and [[
===
Modding can be an outlet for artistic and political expression.<ref name=":16" /> Players can express their belief systems, personal preferences, or political opinions through modding, incorporating these cultural elements in a recreation of themselves.<ref name=":32" /> For example, flag mods for ''[[Civilization IV]]'' allow players to express their interests outside the historical scope of the game. Another mod introduced a [[Chechens|Chechen]] faction when the developer grew sympathetic to the group in [[Chechen–Russian conflict|their conflict with Russia]].<ref name=":32" /> Mods can be a tool to create diversity and recreate body images from real life.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Sihvonen |first=Tanja |title=Players unleashed! modding the Sims and the culture of gaming |date=2011 |publisher=Amsterdam University Press |isbn=978-90-8964-201-1 |series=Mediamatters |___location=Amsterdam |chapter=Extending the game}}</ref> For players who identify as [[LGBTQ people|LGBTQ]], motivations for modding can stem from a lack of representation in a game and its modding community.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Welch |first=Tom |date=December 2018 |title=The Affectively Necessary Labour of Queer Mods |url=https://gamestudies.org/1803/articles/welch |journal=Game Studies |volume=18 |issue=3 |issn=1604-7982}}</ref> Options for homosexual romance and character genders are made available through "queer mods". Examples include the "Equal Love Mod" for ''[[Dragon Age: Origins]]'' and a similar mod for [[Mass Effect (video game)|''Mass Effect'']], which enable romance with characters normally unavailable for their protagonist's gender. Researcher Evan Lauteria theorized that queer mods can be an act of "resistance" against the limitations on sexual normativity enacted by the game, such as compulsory heterosexuality.<ref name="Lauteria">{{cite journal |last1=Lauteria |first1=Evan W |date=2015 |title=Ga(y)mer Theory: Queer Modding as Resistance |url=http://reconstruction.digitalodu.com/Issues/122/Lauteria_Evan.shtml |journal=Reconstruction |volume=12 |issue=2}}</ref>
Likewise, programmers may be motivated by the innate challenge of hacking a game as a "complex code-based system,"{{Sfn|Somataa|2010|p=245}} often creating mod tools for other mod makers.{{Sfn|Laukkanen|2007|p=149}}
▲The desire to enhance game realism is a factor in the recreation of real-world elements through modding. Real-life locations are added via modding to extend the map, such as the addition of Polish settlements and landmarks in [[Euro Truck Simulator 2|''Euro Truck Simulator 2'']]. In games such as ''Euro Truck Simulator'' and [[Second Life|''Second Life'']], mods accurately reproduce brands and real-life products, while others invent fictitious brands that share similarities to real ones, such as 'McDowel' restaurant mods for ''Second Life'', which imitate [[McDonald's]].<ref name=":21" /> Modders have recorded weapon sounds to be used for their mods.<ref name="auto3" />
=== Sense of community ===
Modder communities are made up of people with diverse interests, from military and social history to technological expertise. Combined, these skills add to the richness of mods.<ref name="auto3" /> Taking part in online discussions on modding forums is a cause of community feeling among modders.<ref name=":33">{{Cite journal |last=Poor |first=Nathaniel |date=2014-12-01 |title=Computer game modders' motivations and sense of community: A mixed-methods approach |url=https://doi.org/10.1177/1461444813504266 |journal=New Media & Society |language=EN |volume=16 |issue=8 |pages=1249–1267 |doi=10.1177/1461444813504266 |issn=1461-4448}}</ref>
Modding has been described as a part of [[remix culture]]<ref name="auto62">{{cite journal |last1=Scacchi |first1=Walt |date=3 May 2010 |title=Computer game mods, modders, modding, and the mod scene |journal=First Monday |volume=15 |issue=5 |doi=10.5210/fm.v15i5.2965 |doi-access=free}}</ref> and as a successor to the [[hacker culture]] that produced the first video games.<ref name="auto2" /> It has been correlated with the introduction of [[Web 2.0]], which encourages collaboration and participation via the Internet through the production and alteration of [[user-generated content]]. The sense of community,<ref name="auto3" /> feedback, recognition, and sources of inspiration fostered through online, collaborative discussions are various motivators that influence the development and sharing of mods.<ref name=":15" /> This sense of community can transcend alienation and help challenge the stigma that gaming is "antisocial, isolating, or creatively stifling".{{Sfn|Sotamaa|2010|p=246}}
== Impact ==
The game industry's support of modding has been crucial to the rise of the modding phenomenon.<ref name=":16" /> In contrast to the [[Music industry|music]] and [[Film industry|film]] industries, which discourage unauthorized modification and adaptation of their mediums through copyright law, many video game companies encourage modding of their games for creative inspiration, commercial success,<ref name=":23" /> and as a marketing strategy.<ref name=":2" /> Although concerns have been raised about the exploitation of modders as a source of "free labor", most modders view their work as a fun, "labor of love" for themselves and the community, rather than for the company.<ref name=":33" />
In contrast to the [[Music industry|music]] and [[Film industry|film]] industries, which discourage unauthorized modification and adaptation of their mediums through copyright law, many video game companies encourage modding of their games for creative inspiration, commercial success,<ref name=":23" /> and as a marketing strategy.<ref name=":2" /> Modding can extend the shelf life of games, leading to increased revenue for their developers and publishers.<ref name=":15" /> [[Valve]] attributed the long-lasting success of ''[[Half-Life (video game)|Half-Life]]'', whose sales figures increased over the first three years of its release, to popular mods for the game.<ref name=":12">{{cite web |last1=Hyman |first1=Paul |title=Video game companies encourage 'modders' |url=http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/search/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1000484956 |website=[[The Hollywood Reporter]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080506004712/http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/search/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1000484956 |archive-date=May 6, 2008 |date=April 9, 2004}}</ref> Beginning in 1999, the company held an annual mod expo showcasing new games built using [[GoldSrc]], the ''Half-Life'' engine, including [[Gunman Chronicles|''Gunman Chronicles'']] and ''[[Counter-Strike (video game)|Counter Strike]]'' which both later released as stand-alone titles.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Walker |first1=Trey |date=17 May 2006 |title=Half-Life Mod Expo mods announced |url=https://www.gamespot.com/articles/half-life-mod-expo-mods-announced/1100-2875097/ |access-date=27 November 2018 |work=[[GameSpot]]}}</ref> In early 2012, the ''[[DayZ (mod)|DayZ]]'' mod for ''ARMA 2'' was released, causing a massive increase in sales for the three-year-old game and putting it in the top spot for online game sales for a number of months.<ref name="CinemaBlend_1Jul12">{{cite news|url=http://www.cinemablend.com/games/DayZ-Helps-Arma-2-Rack-Up-More-Than-300-000-Sales-44161.html|title=DayZ Helps Arma 2 Rack Up More Than 300,000 In Sales|publisher=Cinema Blend|last=Usher |first=William|date=1 July 2012|access-date=2012-07-03}}</ref>▼
▲
Creative collaboration through game modding communities is an influential medium.<ref name=":15" /> With the success of ''Counter Strike'', game industries recognized the potential benefits of modding;<ref name=":18">{{Cite journal |date=January 2012 |title=SPARE THE MOD: IN SUPPORT OF TOTAL-CONVERSION MODIFIED VIDEO GAMES |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/i40064316 |journal=Harvard Law Review |volume=125 |issue=3 |pages=789–810 |access-date=July 30, 2025 |via=JSTOR}}</ref> user-developed mods can test new approaches for video game development, offloading time and cost from the developer who may then adopt mod changes and additions for official releases.<ref name=":15" /> The developer of the ''[[Civilization (series)|Civilization]]'' series, [[Firaxis]] has included user mods, such as the "Best of the Net" collection and "Double Your Pleasure", throughout expansion packs for the franchise.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://reviews.cnet.com/pc-games/civilization-iii-play-the/4505-9696_7-30742336.html|title=Civilization III: Play the World Overview|website=CNET|access-date=2 October 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://rhye.civfanatics.net/pages/civ4-RFC-description.php|title=Sid Meier's Civilization Mods by Rhye - Rhye's and Fall of Civilization|website=rhye.civfanatics.net|access-date=2 October 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://kael.civfanatics.net/Ice.shtml|title=Fall from Heaven|website=kael.civfanatics.net|access-date=2 October 2017}}</ref> Series developer [[Sid Meier]], who had previously opposed mods in the franchise, later said that "the strength of the modding community is [...] the very reason the series survived".<ref name="jahromi20210922">{{Cite magazine |last=Jahromi |first=Neima |date=2021-09-22 |title=Sid Meier and the Meaning of "Civilization" |url=https://www.newyorker.com/books/under-review/sid-meier-and-the-meaning-of-civilization |magazine=The New Yorker |language=en-US |access-date=2021-09-23}}</ref> Valve hired ''Defense of the Ancients'' lead designer [[IceFrog]] for the development of the stand-alone, official sequel.<ref>{{cite web |last=Biessener |first=Adam |date=October 13, 2010 |title=Valve's New Game Announced, Detailed: Dota 2 |url=https://gameinformer.com/b/features/archive/2010/10/13/dota-2-announced-details.aspx |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120819120623/http://www.gameinformer.com/b/features/archive/2010/10/13/dota-2-announced-details.aspx |archive-date=August 19, 2012 |access-date=October 14, 2019 |publisher=[[Game Informer]]}}</ref>▼
▲Creative collaboration through game modding communities is an influential medium. User-developed mods can test new approaches for video game development, offloading time and cost from the developer who may then adopt mod changes and additions for official releases.<ref name=":15" />
The introduction of real-life brands through video game mods can result in positive brand reception, increased further through
== Issues ==
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===Legal status===
{{see also|Copyright and video games}}
[[Copyright]] law relating to video games and
In [[U.S. copyright law]], different statutes cover various aspects of video games, such as graphics, audio, and source code. Most pertinent is the [[Copyright Act of 1976]] ({{UnitedStatesCode|17|102}}), which protects "pictorial, graphic, and sculptural works", "sound recordings", and "literary works", among others.<ref name=":37" /> In past cases, mods have been viewed as derivative works not classifiable under [[fair use]], and they are violations of the copyright holder's consent if developed without permission.<ref name=":35" /> Additional, the mechanisms of how the modder accesses video game source code may violate the US [[Digital Millennium Copyright Act]], through circumvention of technological measures intended to prevent the game from being copied. Mods are "presumptively illegal" when they breach a game's [[end-user license agreement]] (EULA) and [[terms of service]] (TOS), as is prohibited under the [[Computer Fraud and Abuse Act]].<ref name="auto8">{{cite journal |last1=Kretzschmar |first1=Mark |last2=Stanfill |first2=Mel |date=17 July 2018 |title=Mods as Lightning Rods |journal=[[Social & Legal Studies]] |page=096466391878722 |doi=10.1177/0964663918787221 |s2cid=149824659}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Deng |first=Zhaoxia |last2=Li |first2=Yahong |date=November 2021 |title=Players' rights to game mods: Towards a more balanced copyright regime |url=https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0267364921001072 |journal=Computer Law & Security Review |language=en |volume=43 |pages=105634 |doi=10.1016/j.clsr.2021.105634}}</ref>
Some regard the fan use of copyrighted material in mods to be part of a "[[moral economy]]" and develop norms about the reuse of this material,<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Postigo|first1=H.|title=Video Game Appropriation through Modifications: Attitudes Concerning Intellectual Property among Modders and Fans|journal=[[Convergence (journal)|Convergence: The International Journal of Research into New Media Technologies]]|date=1 February 2008|volume=14|issue=1|pages=59–74|doi=10.1177/1354856507084419|s2cid=154247452}}</ref> often settling on a system of shared ownership, where mods and code are freely shared with the common good in mind.<ref name="auto1" /> "Moral ownership" over games they play leads modders to appropriate proprietary material and ignore copyright altogether.<ref name=":15" /> It has been argued that total conversion mods may be covered in the United States under the concept of [[fair use]].<ref name=":18" /> Modding can be compared to the [[open-source-software movement]] and [[open-source video game]] development.<ref name="auto4" /><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.gamedeveloper.com/business/brief-overview-of-the-differences-and-similarities-between-open-source-software-development-and-co-creation-in-digital-games-|title=Brief overview of the differences and similarities between open source software development and co-creation in digital games|first=Jedrzej|last=Czarnota|website=[[Gamasutra]]|date=2013-08-07|access-date=2023-03-11}}</ref> In 2006, ''[[Second Life]]'' generated interest from its focus of user-generated content (mods) and how [[intellectual property]] rights to this content remained with the creator. ''Second Life'' players are able to sell these items in an in-game market.<ref>{{cite book |last1=van der Graaf |first1=Shenja |title=ComMODify |chapter=Designing for Mod Development |pages=1–2 |date=2018 |publisher=Palgrave Macmillan, Cham |isbn=978-3-319-61499-1 |language=en-gb|doi=10.1007/978-3-319-61500-4}}</ref>▼
Despite the lack of legal protection, modding continues to thrive due to encouragement from video game developers, who make moddable games.<ref name=":35" /> The companies' willingness to allow modification of their property is typically outlined in the game's legal contracts, including its EULA and TOS.<ref name=":37" /> Companies that wish to encourage modding often include terms that grant them ownership over any [[user-generated content]] (UGC) created for their games.<ref name=":36">{{Cite book |last=Lee |first=Yin Harn |title=Research handbook on intellectual property and digital technologies |date=January 7, 2020 |publisher=Edward Elgar Publishing |isbn=978-1-78536-834-9 |editor-last=Aplin |editor-first=Tanya |series=Research handbooks in intellectual property series |___location=Northampton, Massachusettes |chapter=Chapter 3: Copyright and gaming}}</ref> An example is [[Electronic Arts]] (EA), who qualifies modding for their games, such as ''[[The Sims 4]]'', according to their EULA from 2022:<blockquote>When you contribute UGC, you grant to EA […] sublicensable license to use, host, store, reproduce, modify, create derivative works, publicly perform, publicly display or otherwise transmit and communicate the UGC […]<ref name=":37" /></blockquote>Other companies discourage modding through aggressive litigation in addition to strict legal contracts. In the 1998 case ''[[Micro Star v. FormGen Inc.]]'', the courts granted [[FormGen]], the publisher of ''[[Duke Nukem 3D]]'', a [[preliminary injunction]] against Micro Star, who packaged user-made level mods for the game and sold it as ''Nuke It''. FormGen had stipulated in its license for the game that player-made levels must be offered for free.<ref name=":37" /> Modding poses a threat to artistic control that may lead game companies to pursue litigation against mod developers.<ref name=":35" /> In 2009, [[Square Enix]] sent a [[cease and desist]] letter to mod developers that used art from a [[ROM file]] of their game ''[[Chrono Trigger]]'', threatening "up to $150,000 damages per work".<ref name=":35" /><ref>{{Cite web |last=Cavalli |first=Earnest |date=2009-05-11 |title=Square Enix Kills Near Complete Chrono Trigger Fan Project {{!}} GameLife {{!}} Wired.com |url=https://www.wired.com/gamelife/2009/05/square-enix-kills-near-complete-chrono-trigger-fan-project/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100325090019/https://www.wired.com/gamelife/2009/05/square-enix-kills-near-complete-chrono-trigger-fan-project/ |archive-date=2010-03-25 |access-date=2025-08-30 |website=www.wired.com |language=en-US}}</ref> Additionally, companies may take legal action against mods for multiplayer games which could impact fairness.<ref name=":35" /> Square Enix sent another cease and desist in 2025 to a developer whose mod allowed other players to view each other's modded characters in the online game ''[[Final Fantasy XIV]]''. Officially, mods are against the TOS of the game, with game producer [[Naoki Yoshida]] arguing that such mods "negatively impact the core game, its services, [and] intended game design".<ref>{{Cite web |last=Valentine |first=Rebekah |date=2025-08-28 |title=Final Fantasy 14's Yoshi-P Weighs in on Mods After Popular Custom Character Sharing Mod Shuts Down |url=https://www.ign.com/articles/final-fantasy-14s-yoshi-p-weighs-in-on-mods-after-popular-custom-character-sharing-mod-shuts-down |access-date=2025-08-31 |website=IGN |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Randall |first=Harvey |date=2025-08-28 |title=In the wake of shutting down a highly popular mod, Final Fantasy 14 director Yoshi-P shares deeply earnest blog about 'mods, their use, and the culture surrounding them' |url=https://www.pcgamer.com/games/final-fantasy/in-the-wake-of-shutting-down-a-highly-popular-mod-final-fantasy-14-director-yoshi-p-shares-deeply-earnest-blog-about-mods-their-use-and-the-culture-surrounding-them/ |access-date=2025-08-31 |work=PC Gamer |language=en}}</ref>
Modding can act as a pathway to cybercrime.<ref>{{cite web |author=National Crime Agency |year=2017 |title=Pathways Into Cyber Crime |url=https://www.nationalcrimeagency.gov.uk/who-we-are/publications/6-pathways-into-cyber-crime-1/file}}</ref> In 2015, members from GTAForums, a ''[[Grand Theft Auto]]'' fan site, reported instances of malware being circulated through mods written for ''Grand Theft Auto V''.<ref name="Seppala">{{cite web |last=Seppala |first=Timothy |date=15 May 2015 |title=A few 'GTA V' mods are installing malware on PCs |url=https://www.engadget.com/2015/05/15/gtav-pc-mods-malware/ |access-date=16 May 2015 |work=[[Engadget]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Rad |first=Chloi |date=2015-05-14 |title=Grand Theft Auto 5 Mods 'Angry Planes' and 'NoClip' Infected With Virus |url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2015/05/14/grand-theft-auto-5-mods-angry-planes-and-noclip-infected-with-virus |access-date=2023-11-17 |website=[[IGN]] |language=en}}</ref> Two of the mods in question, "Angry Planes" and "No Clip", came with malicious code for loading a [[Remote administration software|remote access tool]] and a keylogger for stealing [[Facebook]] and Steam account credentials.<ref name="Chalk">{{cite web |last=Chalk |first=Andy |date=14 May 2015 |title=GTA 5 mods Angry Planes and No Clip contain malware |url=http://www.pcgamer.com/gta-5-mods-angry-planes-and-no-clip-contain-malware/ |access-date=16 May 2015 |work=[[PC Gamer]]}}</ref>▼
▲
Literature on user-generated content in video games in the context of [[Uk copyright law|UK]] and [[European copyright law]] is limited. Scholarship mostly concerns the liabilities of intermediaries who provide this content rather than creators themselves.<ref name=":36" />
▲
===Controversial mods===
Mods can alter games to reveal nudity and explicit content or introduce it via modded graphics. After the [[Hot Coffee (minigame)|"Hot Coffee" mod incident]], the games industry called for better control of explicit mods.<ref name="auto" />{{Explain|date=August 2025}} In 2025, [[Take-Two Interactive]] filed a [[DMCA]] complaint against two nude mods, hosted on Nexus, for a character in ''[[Mafia: The Old Country]]''.<ref name="Wolens">{{Cite web |last=Wolens |first=Joshua |date=2025-08-20 |title=Take-Two lawyers give Mafia nude mods the cement shoes treatment, DMCA projects that had the Don's daughter parading in the buff |url=https://www.pcgamer.com/games/action/take-two-lawyers-give-mafia-nude-mods-the-cement-shoes-treatment-dmca-projects-that-had-the-dons-daughter-parading-in-the-buff/ |access-date=2025-08-21 |website=PC Gamer |language=en}}</ref> ''[[Kotaku]]'' noted that the later-removed mods tweaked the game's preexisting nude character model, simply allowing it to appear throughout the game.<ref name="Zwiezen">{{Cite web |last=Zwiezen |first=Zack |date=2025-08-20 |title=Mafia: The Old Country Nude Mod Removed By Take-Two |url=https://kotaku.com/mafia-old-country-nude-mod-removed-take-two-lawyers-2000618893 |access-date=2025-08-21 |website=[[Kotaku]] |language=en-US}}</ref> [[Bethesda Softworks]] does not allow mods with nudity to be uploaded to its platforms.{{Citation needed|date=July 2025}} Nexus Mods allows for mods with nudity as long as nudity is not present in the preview image for the download page, such as Caliente's Beautiful Bodies Edition, which allows for body modification in Bethesda's ''Skyrim'' and ''[[Fallout 4]]'' and has been downloaded at least 8.2 million times.<ref name="auto8" /> Video game mods are subject to [[Pornography laws by region|regional legislation on pornography]]. Nexus Mods plans to add [[Age verification system|age verification]] to mods containing explicit content to comply with the [[Online Safety Act 2023|Online Safety Act]] in the UK and [[Digital Services Act]] in the EU.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Hansford |first=Amelia |date=2025-07-02 |title=Top video game modding website to put adult content behind age checks |url=https://www.thepinknews.com/2025/07/02/nexus-mods-adult-content-age-checks/ |access-date=2025-07-28 |website=PinkNews {{!}} Latest lesbian, gay, bi and trans news {{!}} LGBTQ+ news |language=en-US}}</ref>
Game developers and publishers retain the discretion to limit and remove political and [[Discrimination|discriminatory]] mods for their games. In 2016, [[Paradox Interactive]] took down a Steam Workshop mod for their game ''[[Stellaris (video game)|Stellaris]]'' which replaced non-white human characters with white ones, stating that they did not "wish to enable discriminatory practices".<ref>{{Cite web |last=Hall |first=Charlie |date=2016-05-24 |title=Paradox removed a Steam mod that eliminates non-whites from Stellaris |url=https://www.polygon.com/2016/5/24/11760696/paradox-removes-discriminatory-mod-that-removed-non-white-races-from-stellaris |access-date=2025-07-28 |website=Polygon |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Chalk |first=Andy |date=2016-05-25 |title=Stellaris mod that makes all humans "European" is back on the Steam Workshop |url=https://www.pcgamer.com/paradox-pulls-stellaris-mod-that-makes-all-humans-european/ |access-date=2025-07-28 |work=PC Gamer |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Orland |first=Kyle |date=2016-05-25 |title=Paradox's removal of Stellaris' "Whites Only" mod draws controversy [Updated] |url=https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2016/05/paradoxs-removal-of-stellaris-whites-only-mod-draws-controversy/ |access-date=2025-07-28 |website=Ars Technica |language=en}}</ref> As of 2025, EA's mod policy stated that they held the right to "address any inappropriate Mods", including those with obscene or objectionable content.<ref name=":10">{{Cite magazine |last=Yzola |first=Alana |date=May 15, 2025 |title=EA Tried to Stop an 'Anti-DEI Mod' for 'The Sims 4'—but More Keep Surfacing |url=https://www.wired.com/story/ea-tried-to-stop-an-anti-dei-mod-for-the-sims-4-but-more-keep-surfacing/ |access-date=2025-07-28 |magazine=Wired |language=en-US |issn=1059-1028}}</ref> In the same year, the company submitted a [[Notice and take down|copyright infringement notice]] to forums hosting a ''The Sims 4'' mod which altered or removed representations of [[LGBTQ people|LGBTQ]] and Black people.<ref name=":10" /><ref>{{Cite web |last=Hughes |first=William |date=May 15, 2025 |title=There are now "anti-DEI" mods infesting The Sims 4 |url=https://www.avclub.com/the-sims-4-anti-dei-mods-ea |access-date=2025-07-28 |website=AV Club |language=en-US}}</ref> Additionally, mod-hosting websites have removed potentially objectionable or divisive mods. In 2020, ahead of the [[2020 United States presidential election|United States presidential election]], Nexus Mods removed a mod for ''[[Marvel Rivals
===Paid mods===
While generally satisfied with working for free,<ref name=":19" /> mod authors can create and sell mods for various titles through game developer-created channels, including Bethesda's Verified Creators Program for their games and [[InZOI|InZOI's]] Creation Marketplace.<ref name=":6" />
The implementation of "paid mod" systems has been controversial.<ref name=":14" /> Since their attempted introduction on Steam, the market generally has steered away from paid mods.<ref name=":19" /> In 2022, [[Electronic Arts]] updated their policy to disallow "money transactions of any type" for independently distributed paid mods for ''[[The Sims 4
Arguments against paid mods have been diverse across mod-users and modders. Some users denounce developers who sell mods as "[[sellouts]]", arguing that modding should be a "labor-of-love". Criticism towards the price of cosmetic mods has been drawn, with users additionally pointing out that the selling of third-party assets used in many mods could be classified as copyright infringement. With Steam's introduction of paid mods in 2015, users were apprehensive about the centralization and surveillance of modding, as all submitted mods had to be approved by Steam. Other users mentioned that creators deserve to be compensated for their work and were open to paying for extensively elaborate mods.<ref name=":31" />
▲The implementation of "paid mod" systems has been controversial.<ref name=":14" /> Since their attempted introduction on Steam, the market generally has steered away from paid mods.<ref name=":19" /> In 2022, [[Electronic Arts]] updated their policy to disallow "money transactions of any type" for independently distributed paid mods for [[The Sims 4|''The Sims 4'']].<ref name=":8">{{Cite web |date=2022-08-02 |title=EA Changes Sims 4 Paid Mod Rules After Fan Backlash |url=https://kotaku.com/ea-paid-mods-early-access-sims-4-rule-changes-maxis-1849362416 |access-date=2025-07-27 |website=Kotaku |language=en}}</ref> Criticisms of the change came from ''Sims'' 4 creators and mod authors who sold mods through an [[early access]] model on crowdfunding websites and released completed mods for free. The policy was later updated to allow paid mods using the early access model while still prohibiting completed mods sold with an explicit paywall.<ref name=":8" /><ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-08-03 |title=EA rules all Sims 4 mods must be available 'in full for free' |url=https://www.gameshub.com/news/news/the-sims-4-mods-policy-ea-early-access-commercial-25509/ |access-date=2025-07-27 |website=www.gameshub.com |language=en-AU}}</ref> In 2024, Nexus Mods clarified their policies regarding the hosting of paid mods, including disallowing mods that require other paid mods as a prerequisite as well as [[Game demo|lite and demo versions]] of externally hosted paid mods, citing that paid modding is "in direct conflict" with their goal of making modding easy.<ref name=":5" /> Bethesda replaced their [[Creation Club]] with Creations, a new system for free and paid mod hosting and distribution within their titles such as Skyrim. Implemented in 2023, reception of the system was widely negative,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Cryer |first=Hirun |date=2023-12-06 |title="Disappointed" Skyrim modders pledge to never charge for their creations after Bethesda resurrects paid mod shop |url=https://www.gamesradar.com/disappointed-skyrim-modders-pledge-to-never-charge-for-their-creations-after-bethesda-resurrects-paid-mod-shop/ |access-date=2025-07-27 |website=GamesRadar+ |language=en}}</ref> with criticisms of the price, the harm on the community, and the practice of abandoning free mods in favor of pushing paid updated versions. The system was present in the 2024 release of [[Starfield (video game)|Starfield]], where it received similar negative reception<ref>{{Cite web |last=Rossi |first=José V. |date=2024-10-14 |title=Starfield Fans Still Aren't Happy About the Creation Club |url=https://gamerant.com/starfield-creation-club-fans-unhappy-high-prices-mods/ |access-date=2025-07-27 |website=Game Rant |language=en}}</ref>
==Types==
In the context of video games, the words "mod" and "modification" are not primarily academic terms and are sometimes used in conflicting ways to encompass and distinguish varieties of alterations to video games. Generally, as defined and used by players, mod makers, and gaming press, the definition of video game modding is the alteration or addition of content to an existing video game with [[user-generated content]], particularly on PC. This understanding can significantly differ between game genres.<ref name=":31">{{Cite journal |last=Walsdorff |first=Finja |date=2022 |title=Video Game Modding and Money. From Precarious Playbor to Reimbursed Labor of Love |url=https://www.gamescoop.uni-siegen.de/spielformen/index.php/journal/article/view/23/18 |journal=Spiel{{!}}Formen |volume=2 |doi=10.25969/mediarep/19008}}</ref><ref name=":27">{{Cite book |last=Sotamaa |first=Olli |url=https://researchportal.tuni.fi/en/publications/the-players-game-towards-understanding-player-production-among-co |title=The Player's Game: Towards Understanding Player Production Among Computer Game Cultures |date=2009 |publisher=Tampere University Press |isbn=978-951-44-7650-1 |pages=
===Total conversion===<!-- This section is linked from [[First-person shooter]] -->
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A ''total conversion'' is a mod of an existing game that extensively removes aspects of the original game, including art, characters, plot, and music, and replaces it with new assets that run on the game's engine<ref name=":18" /> Total conversions can result in a completely different [[video game genres|genre]] from the original.
Many popular total conversions are later turned into standalone games, replacing any remaining original assets to allow for commercial sale without [[copyright infringement]]. Some of these mods are even approved for sale while using the [[Intellectual property|IP]] of the original game, such as ''[[Black Mesa (video game)|Black Mesa]]''.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2013-11-20-valve-gives-black-mesa-permission-to-be-a-commercial-product|title=Valve gives Black Mesa permission to be a commercial product|last=Matulef|first=Jeffrey|date=2013-11-20|website=Eurogamer|language=en-UK|access-date=2017-07-19}}</ref> ''[[League of Legends]]'' and ''[[Dota 2]]'' were both originally mods for ''[[Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos]]''.<ref>{{cite web |last=Reilly |first=Jim |date=May 11, 2012 |title=Valve, Blizzard Reach DOTA Trademark Agreement |url=https://www.gameinformer.com/b/news/archive/2012/05/11/valve-blizzard-reach-dota-trademark-agreement.aspx |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120724090129/http://www.gameinformer.com/b/news/archive/2012/05/11/valve-blizzard-reach-dota-trademark-agreement.aspx |archive-date=July 24, 2012 |access-date=March 30, 2016 |publisher=[[Game Informer]]}}</ref><ref name=":11" />
Due to the increasing complexity of games, the amount and quality of total conversion mods has decreased. Modders also blame a lack of resources, the remote chances of profit (due to EULAs prohibiting the sale of mods), and the likelihood of a [[Notice and take down|takedown notice]] from game companies as significant barriers to entry.<ref name=":18" />
===Overhaul===
An ''overhaul'' mod significantly changes an entire game's graphics and gameplay, usually with the intent to improve on the original, but not going as far as being a completely different experience. This can also include adding revised dialog and music.{{Citation needed|date=August 2025}}
Examples of overhaul mods include ''Deus Ex: Revision'', which was given permission from its publisher, [[Square Enix]], to release on Steam alongside the original game,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.theverge.com/2015/10/13/9521011/deus-ex-revision-mod-release-steam|title=A massive overhaul for the original Deus Ex is now available on Steam|last=Robertson|first=Adi|date=2015-10-13|website=The Verge|access-date=2017-07-19}}</ref> and ''GTA 5 Redux'', which improves the original game's textures, adds a new weather system, and adjusts visual effects, the wanted system, weapons, and vehicle handling.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.gamespot.com/articles/that-gorgeous-gta-5-graphics-overhaul-mod-is-final/1100-6443721/|title=That Gorgeous GTA 5 Graphics Overhaul Mod Is Finally Available|last=Pereira|first=Chris|date=2016-09-20|website=GameSpot|language=en-US|access-date=2017-07-19}}</ref>
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===Add-on===
{{More citations needed
An ''add-on'' or ''addon'' is a term which encompasses various levels of complexity, including mods, maps, skins, and other changes to game play.<ref name="auto3" /> Typically, it is small mod which adds to the original content of a specific game.<ref name=":15" /> In most cases, an add-on will add one particular element to a game, such as a new weapon in a shooting game, a new unit or map in a strategy game, a new vehicle or track in a racing game, items in a game like ''[[Minecraft]]'' or ''[[Terraria]]'', or additional content in simulation games (such as new pilotable airplanes, e.g., the [[Airbus A330]] or [[Boeing 787 Dreamliner]]). An example of a mod that adds functionality to augment or enhance a players experience is ComputerCraft, a [[Minecraft modding|Minecraft mod]] that adds programmable computers and robots to allow the player to automate tasks in-game. This can be accomplished without changing any of the original game's existing content. Many games are flexible and allow this, however that is not always the case. Some add-ons occasionally have to replace in-game content, due to the nature of a peculiar game engine. It may be the case, for example, that in a game which does not give a player the option to choose their character, modders wishing to add another player model will simply have to overwrite the old one. A famous example of this type of mod can be found for the ''Grand Theft Auto'' series wherein modders may use downloadable tools to replace content (such as models) in the game's directory. The ''[[Left 4 Dead]]'' series can also be modded with individual add-ons which are stored in a {{Not a typo|.VPK}} format, so that a player may choose to activate a given mod or not. Mods for the ''[[Tony Hawk's Pro Skater]]'' series typically replace pro skaters with custom equivalents,<ref name="Warren">{{Cite web |last=Warren |first=Mark |date=2025-07-11 |title=Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3+4 drops in full today, so of course a modder already has Mary Poppins poppin' kickflips |url=https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/tony-hawks-pro-skater-34-drops-in-full-today-so-of-course-a-modder-already-has-mary-poppins-poppin-kickflips |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250712015614/https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/tony-hawks-pro-skater-34-drops-in-full-today-so-of-course-a-modder-already-has-mary-poppins-poppin-kickflips |archive-date=2025-07-12 |access-date=2025-07-12 |website=[[Rock, Paper, Shotgun]] |language=en}}</ref> and in some cases add them as well as custom maps made from scratch or converted from other games.
===Unofficial patch===
{{Main|Unofficial patch}}
An ''
=== Accessibility ===
[[Accessibility]] mods aim to improve the gaming experience for people with disabilities. Because many mainstream video games lack comprehensive accessibility features, modders often create tools to assist players with controls, difficulty settings, and in-game navigation.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Nair |first1=Vishnu |last2=Karp |first2=Jay L. |last3=Silverman |first3=Samuel |last4=Kalra |first4=Mohar |last5=Lehv |first5=Hollis |last6=Jamil |first6=Faizan |last7=Smith |first7=Brian A. |chapter=NavStick: Making Video Games Blind-Accessible via the Ability to Look Around |date=2021-10-12 |title=The 34th Annual ACM Symposium on User Interface Software and Technology |chapter-url=https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3472749.3474768 |series=UIST '21 |___location=New York, NY, USA |publisher=Association for Computing Machinery |pages=538–551 |doi=10.1145/3472749.3474768 |arxiv=2109.01202 |isbn=978-1-4503-8635-7}}</ref> In particular, these mods may include support for [[
===Art mod===
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=== Support continuation by mod ===
Games no longer actively supported by developers and publishers can be maintained and improved by player-made mods. After EA [[End-of-life (product)|ended support]] for ''[[MVP Baseball 2005]]'', due to losing the license for the [[Major League Baseball]], the game's modding community continued to support it by releasing updated roster lists and graphics mods every year, along with modding alternative baseball leagues for the game.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Good |first=Owen |date=2013-12-22 |title=Nine Years Later, Latin America's Leagues Keep MVP Baseball Alive |url=https://kotaku.com/nine-years-later-latin-americas-leagues-keep-mvp-base-1488236659 |access-date=2024-04-04 |website=Kotaku |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://grantland.com/the-triangle/mvp-baseball-2005-mod-community-mlb-video-games/ |title='MVP Baseball … 2015'? How the Best Baseball Video Game Ever Has Refused to Retire for 10 Years |date=April 14, 2015 |first=Ben |last=Lindbergh |publisher=[[Grantland.com]] |quote=Another factor in MVP's favor: The game allows greater access to its innards than most titles. [...] 2K's failure to match MVP's approval rating despite several years of running unopposed on the PC market, made MVP the go-to game for modders even as it lost its looks relative to 2K and The Show. The community's support peaked from 2005 through the first PC edition of 2K in 2009, tailed off for a time, and then ramped up again once Take-Two abandoned the PC market in 2013 and canceled 2K entirely last year. A decade of EA development made MVP the best baseball game on the PC market in 2005, and a decade of amateur development has helped it keep that title in 2015.
===User interface mod===
A [[user interface]] mod changes parts of how players interact with the game,<ref name="auto4"/> revealing information that the player or modder believes is helpful to players.<ref name="
===Mod packs===
''Mod packs'' are groups of mods put into one package for download, often with an auto-installer. A mod pack's purpose is to make it easier for the player to install and manage multiple mods.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://glosbe.com/en/en/modpack|title=modpack - definition - English |website=Glosbe |access-date=2 October 2017}}</ref>{{Better source needed|reason=The current source is insufficiently reliable ([[WP:NOTRS]]).|date=August 2025}} Mod packs may be created with the purpose of making the original game more accessible to new players or to make the game more challenging for veteran players.
==See also==
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