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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]].
==History==
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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|''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|''Day of Defeat'']], originally a [[Video game modding#Total conversion|total conversion]] mod for Valve's ''Half-Life'' whose rights were purchased by the company.<ref name=":23" /><ref name="GameSpot Valve & Activision">{{cite web |author=GameSpot staff |date=April 4, 2003 |title=Valve signs with Activision, exclusive Day of Defeat screens |url=https://www.gamespot.com/articles/valve-signs-with-activision-exclusive-day-of-defeat-screens/1100-6024608/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140225235043/http://www.gamespot.com/articles/valve-signs-with-activision-exclusive-day-of-defeat-screens/1100-6024608/ |archive-date=February 25, 2014 |access-date=February 25, 2014 |work=GameSpot}}</ref> [[Gabe Newell]], the founder of Valve, noted that his perception of video games shifted from viewing them as entertainment to embracing them as "productivity platforms".<ref>{{cite web |last=Boudreau |first=Ian |date=March 29, 2020 |title=Gabe Newell tried gold farming in World of Warcraft to test a theory about games |url=https://www.pcgamesn.com/world-of-warcraft/gaben-gold-farming |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200329144743/https://www.pcgamesn.com/world-of-warcraft/gaben-gold-farming |archive-date=March 29, 2020 |access-date=March 29, 2020 |work=[[PCGamesN]]}}</ref> Since then, the client has become one of the largest online marketplaces for games. The platform introduced full support for finding and playing mods for Valve's [[Team Fortress 2|''Team Fortress 2'']],<ref name=":19" /> a game that itself originated as a mod for [[Quake (video game)|''Quake'']].<ref name="gamespot 1998-06-01">{{Cite web |last=Dunkin, Alan |date=June 1, 1998 |title=''Team Fortress'' Full Speed Ahead |url=http://www.gamespot.com/articles/team-fortress-full-speed-ahead/1100-2463316/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140323205856/http://www.gamespot.com/articles/team-fortress-full-speed-ahead/1100-2463316/ |archive-date=March 23, 2014 |access-date=June 12, 2006 |work=[[GameSpot]]}}</ref> The [[Steam Workshop]], introduced to the platform in 2012, allows players to mod Steam-hosted games directly within the interface.<ref name=":19">{{Cite journal |last=Rosen |first=Zvi S. |date=December 6, 2018 |title=Man, Mod, and Law: Revisiting The Law of Computer Game Modifications |url=https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3309904 |url-status=live |journal=IDEA: The IP Law Review |language=en |volume=59 |issue=1 |ssrn=3309904 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250319204545/https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3309904 |archive-date=2025-03-19 |access-date=2025-08-01 |via=SSRN}}</ref>
=== Paid mods on Steam ===
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,
[[Video game console|Video game consoles]] remain largely proprietary and are equipped with strict security measures and a closed infrastructure that prohibits modding. In some cases, the console versions of games, such as [[Fallout 4|''Fallout 4'']], allow modding through in-game menus, subject to approval.<ref name=":19" /><ref name=":31" /> In 2016, [[Sony]] began a limited program to allow mods for the [[PlayStation 4]] version of [[The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim|''The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim'']].<ref name=":19" /> These mods are often subject to size limitations and prohibit the use of external assets.<ref name=":31" />
===Tools===
Mod development involves the use of external [[Software development kit|software development kits]] (SDK) that are not included in the original game, distinguishing mods from in-game creations such as character creation in [[The Sims|''The Sims'']] or levels designed in [[Lemmings (video game)|''Lemmings'']].<ref name=":15" /> Early commercial mod-making tools include the ''[[Boulder Dash Construction Kit]]'', released in 1986,<ref name="scorpia199202">{{cite magazine |author=Scorpia |date=February 1992 |title=Scorpion's Tale |url=http://www.cgwmuseum.org/galleries/index.php?year=1992&pub=2&id=91 |accessdate=24 November 2013 |magazine=Computer Gaming World |pages=38}}</ref> and ''[[The Bard's Tale Construction Set]]'', released in 1991, which allow users to create games using the engines of their predecessors.<ref>{{Cite
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 of [[Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain|''Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain'']] starting in 2015.<ref name=":30" /> [[Generative AI]]
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===
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== 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 motivation for creating mods varies and oftens change over time.{{Sfn|Sotamaa|2010|p=246}} They 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
▲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" />
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}}
▲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 the game and the 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|''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. Research 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>
=== 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" />
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> As of 2020, the top three games by [[esports]] prize pools all originated as mods: ''[[Dota 2]]'' (US$174 million), ''[[Counter-Strike: Global Offensive]]'' (US$69M), and [[League of Legends|''League of Legends'']] (US$64M).<ref name=":15" />
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 these dissemination of these mods on forums and video hosting websites.<ref name=":21" />▼
▲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]], mods typically are not classifiable under [[fair use]] and are violations of the copyright holder's consent if developed without permission.<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|''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> Additional, the mechanisms of how the modder accesses video game source code may violate the US [[Digital Millennium Copyright Act]] or 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>
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|''Marvel Rivals'']] which replaced the model for Captain America with one of Donald Trump, citing content that promotes "conflict, division and mob harassment" would be removed as per the website's Terms of Service.<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Cruz |first=Christopher |date=2025-01-09 |title='Marvel Rivals' Has a Donald Trump Problem |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/rs-gaming/marvel-rivals-donald-trump-mod-ban-1235230261/ |access-date=2025-07-28 |magazine=Rolling Stone |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Morics |first=Peter |date=2020-10-02 |title=Nexus Mods Bans Mods Based On U.S. Politics |url=https://screenrant.com/nexus-mods-bans-us-politics/ |access-date=2025-07-28 |website=ScreenRant |language=en}}</ref> The website has removed several mods that targeted [[LGBTQ
===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|''The Sims 4'']].<ref name=":8">{{Cite web |last=Zwiezen |first=Zack |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 |last=Williams |first=Leah J |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=
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
==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.
Examples of famous total conversions include ''[[Counter-Strike (video game)|Counter-Strike]]'', whose developers were hired by Valve to create a standalone version,<ref name=":1">{{Cite journal|url=https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2017/02/10/best-total-conversion-mods/|title=Best total conversion mods|last=Donnelly|first=Joe|date=2017-02-10|journal=Rock, Paper, Shotgun|language=en-US|access-date=2017-07-19}}</ref> ''[[Defense of the Ancients]]'', which was the first MOBA to have sponsored tournaments,<ref name=":0">{{Cite news |last=Whitaker |first=Ron |date=June 9, 2017 |title=8 of the Coolest Total Conversion Mods Ever Made |url=http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/features/galleryoftheday/13909-8-of-the-Best-Total-Conversion-Mods-of-All-Time |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200121205708/http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/features/galleryoftheday/13909-8-of-the-Best-Total-Conversion-Mods-of-All-Time |archive-date=2020-01-21 |access-date=2017-07-19 |work=The Escapist}}</ref> and ''[[Garry's Mod]]'', for which fans created thousands of game modes over its decade-long development.<ref name=":1" /> The ''[[Half-Life (video game)|Half-Life]]'' modding community splintered across the different total conversions available, often modding for a particular total conversion rather than ''Half-Life'' in general.<ref name=":2" />
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|''League of Legends'']] and [[Dota 2|''Dota 2'']] were both originally mods for [[Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos|''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" />
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===Unofficial patch===
{{Main|Unofficial patch}}
An ''unofficial patch'' is a mod of an existing game that fixes [[Software bug|bugs]] in a game or unlocks content normally inaccessible in official gameplay.{{Citation needed|date=August 2025}} Unofficial patches can reveal cut content from released games, whose files can be left in the game's code. An example is the [[Hot Coffee mod|''Hot Coffee'' mod]] for ''Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas'', which unlocks a sexually explicit minigame not accessible in the game's original release but left in its code.<ref name="auto">{{cite journal|last1=Sotamaa|first1=Olli|title=On modder labour, commodification of play, and mod competitions|journal=[[First Monday (journal)|First Monday]]|date=3 September 2007|volume=12|issue=9|doi=10.5210/fm.v12i9.2006|doi-access=free}}</ref><ref name=":18" /> As a result of the mod, the [[ESRB]] changed the rating of the game from ''Mature'' (M) to [[Entertainment Software Rating Board#Adults Only rating|''Adults Only'' (AO)]].<ref name="RerateToAORating">{{cite web |last=Thorsen
=== Accessibility ===
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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="auto6">{{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> Modders have developed a wide range of UI mods for [[World of Warcraft|''World of Warcraft'']] that includes easier command tools to enhanced data presentation displays,<ref name=":17" /> such as the ''ArkInventory'' mod which allows players to sort items into self-created categories.<ref name=":15" />
===Mod packs===
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