I think the optional nature of mods is why mods can't ruin games. You don't have to install them if you don't want to (or at least, you have control over the ones that you want to install).
For me, mods represent an expression of love from the gaming community to the game/developers. In some cases, it isn't all that easy to create a mod, especially ones that fit within the universe of the game. But someone, on their own, took the time to figure out the modding and create the assets for it, which I think speaks to their dedication to the game. Some modders have had their work incorporated into the game, while others have established their own game studios.
I love mods and user created content in general because it showcases some of that creativity from the community. Selfishly, it prolongs the life of modded games...I've logged an embarrassing amount of time in XCOM, XCOM 2, Stellaris, Crusader Kings 3, Starsector...all games with a very healthy modding community. I've even created one myself for a game called Wildermyth!
All that to say, I hope more and more games allow modding, where possible, for me to enjoy the creativity of its fan base!
There's another big problem with mods: How easy it is to rabbithole and turn a simple curiosity into a full-on project. Why stop at simple bugfixes or QoL improvements? Why not look for story content, equipment, reworks, overhauls, etc.? I wouldn't say it ruins the game but it can make very easily snowball into something that feels like work
I totally get that, with how many mods exist it can easily be overwhelming. I think something that can help are sites that list good mods for the games you want to mod, or, even better, mod packs that include a ton of things. It can definitely still be overwhelming though and I wish there was an easy way to fix that.
This is a great take. I've been primarily a console player my whole life, but there have been multiple times where I wish I was able to mod a game to make it better *for me*
Many games are adopting more granular settings for things like difficulty (e.g., individual options for character HP, Enemy HP, damage dealt and damage received), but for devs that don't want to implement this level of granularity, mods will always be there to tweak the experience.
I haven't had a ton of experience using them, but I'll always be pro-mods
I'd disagree, in that mods definitely CAN ruin a game, or at least ruin your experience of a game, if you wind up altering things that you actually would have enjoyed engaging with or undermining the narrative, tone, or mechanics that would otherwise leave an impression on you. I think mods are a fantastic tool for extending a game, both to people who can't or refuse to play the game unmodded, and also into the future, by making fixes, providing options for balance, and expanded content to give a game more legs. But turning every dragon in Skyrim into Thomas the Tank Engine right off the bat probably doesn't make the game BETTER for most people. Tripling your XP gain and removing all cutscenes are things that can make your fourth or fifth playthrough less of a drag, but might kind of spoil your comprehension of, much less enjoyment of, a good story or challenging battle.
My biggest problem with mods, though, is that for any game that has much of a modding community, there are just too many. Try looking for a couple things to spice up a playthrough of an Elder Scrolls game - you'll spend hours scrolling through hundreds of minor tweaks, new gear that probably has broken textures, attempts to rebalance combat that break half of the controls, and mods to mods of mods for things you have no interest in, but can't parse the acronyms involved until you become well-read enough on the topic of mods for that one game to understand that you're looking at something that adjusts the breast jiggling physics for a body enhancement mod that has a dozen different dependencies. Every problem you can try to solve by finding a mod probably has multiple options, and some of those are bundled with other changes you don't want.
I've played plenty of games modded, and had some great experiences, including some that I would absolutely say are broadly better, and more worthwhile than the base game. But plenty of other games, even when I know there are massive, well-regarded overhauls out there, I still wind up playing again vanilla, because the game holds up without intervention or addition. Not Skyrim, though. Load me up with the big jiggly companions and infinite stamina, I can take it.
I think the optional nature of mods is why mods can't ruin games. You don't have to install them if you don't want to (or at least, you have control over the ones that you want to install).
For me, mods represent an expression of love from the gaming community to the game/developers. In some cases, it isn't all that easy to create a mod, especially ones that fit within the universe of the game. But someone, on their own, took the time to figure out the modding and create the assets for it, which I think speaks to their dedication to the game. Some modders have had their work incorporated into the game, while others have established their own game studios.
I love mods and user created content in general because it showcases some of that creativity from the community. Selfishly, it prolongs the life of modded games...I've logged an embarrassing amount of time in XCOM, XCOM 2, Stellaris, Crusader Kings 3, Starsector...all games with a very healthy modding community. I've even created one myself for a game called Wildermyth!
All that to say, I hope more and more games allow modding, where possible, for me to enjoy the creativity of its fan base!
There's another big problem with mods: How easy it is to rabbithole and turn a simple curiosity into a full-on project. Why stop at simple bugfixes or QoL improvements? Why not look for story content, equipment, reworks, overhauls, etc.? I wouldn't say it ruins the game but it can make very easily snowball into something that feels like work
I totally get that, with how many mods exist it can easily be overwhelming. I think something that can help are sites that list good mods for the games you want to mod, or, even better, mod packs that include a ton of things. It can definitely still be overwhelming though and I wish there was an easy way to fix that.
This is a great take. I've been primarily a console player my whole life, but there have been multiple times where I wish I was able to mod a game to make it better *for me*
Many games are adopting more granular settings for things like difficulty (e.g., individual options for character HP, Enemy HP, damage dealt and damage received), but for devs that don't want to implement this level of granularity, mods will always be there to tweak the experience.
I haven't had a ton of experience using them, but I'll always be pro-mods
I'd disagree, in that mods definitely CAN ruin a game, or at least ruin your experience of a game, if you wind up altering things that you actually would have enjoyed engaging with or undermining the narrative, tone, or mechanics that would otherwise leave an impression on you. I think mods are a fantastic tool for extending a game, both to people who can't or refuse to play the game unmodded, and also into the future, by making fixes, providing options for balance, and expanded content to give a game more legs. But turning every dragon in Skyrim into Thomas the Tank Engine right off the bat probably doesn't make the game BETTER for most people. Tripling your XP gain and removing all cutscenes are things that can make your fourth or fifth playthrough less of a drag, but might kind of spoil your comprehension of, much less enjoyment of, a good story or challenging battle.
My biggest problem with mods, though, is that for any game that has much of a modding community, there are just too many. Try looking for a couple things to spice up a playthrough of an Elder Scrolls game - you'll spend hours scrolling through hundreds of minor tweaks, new gear that probably has broken textures, attempts to rebalance combat that break half of the controls, and mods to mods of mods for things you have no interest in, but can't parse the acronyms involved until you become well-read enough on the topic of mods for that one game to understand that you're looking at something that adjusts the breast jiggling physics for a body enhancement mod that has a dozen different dependencies. Every problem you can try to solve by finding a mod probably has multiple options, and some of those are bundled with other changes you don't want.
I've played plenty of games modded, and had some great experiences, including some that I would absolutely say are broadly better, and more worthwhile than the base game. But plenty of other games, even when I know there are massive, well-regarded overhauls out there, I still wind up playing again vanilla, because the game holds up without intervention or addition. Not Skyrim, though. Load me up with the big jiggly companions and infinite stamina, I can take it.