I’m a PC gamer for two reasons: 1. if you have a nice computer then you will get a better experience versus a console, and 2. modding.
Modding is the gift that keeps on giving. It allows you to extend the life of game years beyond how long it would normally last. It allows you to change the world in ways that develops never thought of, or never had time to implement. Modding has also led to some great standalone games, like DOTA. In fact I would bet the entire MOBA genre wouldn’t exist without modding.
My own personal modding obsession started with The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion. I was nearing the end of the game, I had over 100 hours in and had done almost everything you could do, and crisscrossed the world hundreds of times. Then I discovered modding. Everything from clothes, to weapons, to graphics mods, to entire new world could be added to the game. By the time I left Oblivion I had over 100 mods installed, and over 200 hours of gameplay. Modding had allowed me to double my experience, something that I seriously doubt would’ve happened otherwise. My modding obsession carried over onto Skyrim where I have 67 mods installed. With the introduction of the Steam Workshop the process of installing mods has become even easier and hassle free. I mod just about anything that you can, Fallout 3, Fallout New Vegas, Torchlight, The Total War Series, Minecraft, if there is a mod for it, I’ll probably find it.
The downside to modding is the fact that sometimes mods conflict, or behave in a weird way which in the best case results in a glitch, in the worst case the game just crashes. This is something I’ve experienced many times and it can be a pain to debug. By if a game is popular enough chances are there are tools available to help with this.
Modding is something that I really love about PC gaming and I’m curious to know if other people mod, and what their opinions of modding are.
I haven’t had much experience using mods for gameplay (outside of customizing my WoW interface via addons back in the day), but I find mods interesting when it comes to game development. Mod tools (and mod distribution platforms such as the Steam Workshop) provide an outlet for aspiring game designers to practice their skills and build projects to show off in portfolios and interviews. Companies like Valve have even been known to contact the creators of popular and successful mods and offer them jobs based on their work. Ever since Bethesda released Skyrim’s “Creation Kit” I’ve wanted to try my hand at designing a compelling narrative experience for the game, but school and work always got in the way. Maybe I’ll take another shot at it this summer to gain some more useful design experience.