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[Survey] Helping out a student. Paid mods: yay or nay? (Patreon)

Published:
2024-02-14 09:44:20
Imported:
2024-02
Tags:

Poll

[Survey] Helping out a student. Paid mods: yay or nay?

  • Yes, I think existence of paid mods would be a good thing 28
  • Yes, but not all mods should be paid for 367
  • Maybe, I don't have an opinion 41
  • No, I think mods should be free 434
  • 2024-02-14
  • 870 votes
{'title': '[Survey] Helping out a student. Paid mods: yay or nay?', 'choices': [{'text': 'Yes, I think existence of paid mods would be a good thing', 'votes': 28}, {'text': 'Yes, but not all mods should be paid for', 'votes': 367}, {'text': "Maybe, I don't have an opinion", 'votes': 41}, {'text': 'No, I think mods should be free', 'votes': 434}], 'closes_at': None, 'created_at': datetime.datetime(2024, 2, 14, 9, 37, 46, tzinfo=datetime.timezone.utc), 'description': None, 'allow_multiple': False, 'total_votes': 870}

Content

Hello everyone!

This time, the survey is a little bit different.

I am trying to help a Law student with their thesis. They are writing their work about Modding, and how paid mods affect the community.

I'd like to ask you for your opinion: Do you think allowing modders (lets use RimWorld as an example) to charge some courtesy fee for their work would be a good thing?

I encourage leaving comments about your opinion on the matter too. By leaving a comment you accept that the content of the comment may be used as part of the written work by this Student.

I personally have developed a professional opinion of my own, but please remember it is just an opinion and it absolutely doesn't mean we will ever be charging for RimWorld mods.

Being paid for some of the mods would ensure that we have a steady cashflow that can be spent on further growth. This in turn would allow us to devote more time to maintain and develop new mods, fueling further cash growth. The reason I said ‘some of the mods’ is because I still believe that anything smaller than a full, DLC-sized mod should be free for everyone to access. This ensures that those less financially fortunate can still benefit from something free.

Being paid for the mods, however, means that the service provided in such a mod needs to be professional. Players should expect constant bug fixes and customer support - as after all, the moment they pay for a product they become customers. I don't think many modders are capable of providing such a service - us included. This means that if such a thing was ever to exist on Steam, users should be able to refund mods even after playing more than 2 hours with them - because you never know when the bug is going to occur.

Comments

WolfChap

I believe donation based systems like this Patreon work the best for mods

Computica

I think money or a bounty incentive is a good idea when it comes to mods for paid games, heck even free games. Money motivation isn't a bad thing. I work full-time so it nice that if I only want to play a specific type of game, and a 3rd party can make something to modify or add to that game that I don't have the time or energy to do then I'm all for it. I do think that much of the issues with paid mods is the barrier to entry for mods that require you to pay for play. To each his own at the end of the day, I can understand if someone just can't afford to pay, but I think that paying is good motivation for people who want to learn how to mod and make money.

lloki

I mean, paying for the patreon or something similar is the way it should work. If you appreciate the creator, you can contribute which obviously I'm doing here for a long time - even when I'm not playing Rimworld currently. But mods behind the paywall, meaning you can't play unless you pay is completely unacceptable for me and it would ruin the whole idea of modding. Bethesta already tried it and failed and I hope it will never be a thing.

Casey Keates

I generally think mods should be free, but I’m more than happy to sub to a Patreon or donate!

Jack Coles

I'd much rather donate than pay. I have installed a lot of mods that I found I just didn't like or wouldn't work and would be quickly uninstalled. Also, paid mods introduce the prospect of the original game dev to focus on modding over the actual game, a trap that I think Starfield fell into.

CryoAnubis7

Honestly I think I agree with you. If it's a mod the size of a DLC I would be fine paying a bit for it, with the caveat that it's maintained and the bugs are fixed and what not.

Dylan Oja

I think paid mods have a right to exist. People buy 3rd party dnd books, and I think mods can absolutely live in the same niche.

Banjo

I think in our current gaming environment paid mods would never fly and Patreon/donations are the best way for modders to gather funds. That said personally I see nothing wrong with modders charging for their mods provided the price is reasonable. They put effort into their work just like developers of the game. I would also agree that anything smaller than a DLC-sized mod should be remain free. In this context DLC-sized mods being rimworld DLCs.

Darren Taylor

Donating or a Patreon is better than paying for individual mods I feel. Paying for mods feels way to much like it's official content which puts the devs in a difficult situation (looking at you, Bethesda!)

Karcen

I dont really think mods should be bought. Maybe some bigger ones for not to much. Still I think patreon or subs are more the way to go over the corporate buy the mods.

AdamskieXD

I think it could be a good thing. It helps modders making modding their work. This is as long as it is very clear what you pay for. It should be clear if it is getting supported or not, with refund options if untrue. Also timed exclusives would be an option (like releasing a mod on a platfom 2 weeks earlier). Last point, a paid mod should in my opinion not rely on other mods. (For example skyui in Skyrim or vanilla framework in RimWorld) unless given explicit permission

Adanedhel

While I definitely think mods like VE deserve compensation, I fear for the precedent it would set for the industry. Soon enough, you'd have half the modding scene being locked behind paywalls, majority of which aren't big mods, but essential for QoL (By other mod authors). With that, if it became an industry norm, you'd start to see studio's trying to profit from mod revenues by taking a cut, which would mean higher prices, and soon enough all game content is monetized, and modding, the only safe space from greedy practices, is not safe anymore.

Jesenjin

I chose "I do not have an opinion", not because I don't have, but because I think it is a bit more nuanced than 2 yes and 1 no answer, mostly due to non-existance of paid mod ecology. Lot of hurdles need to be passed before this is even possible. Firstly, consent and fair pay to the original game dev company. I see this as the biggest hurdle, even bigger than public itself, because in system where paid and free mod exist game devs would be disincentivezed to allow free mods, as modders could make something for free for years, become popular, and then all of a sudden and to start getting paid for that by the public. Sure, that is a valid opinion and option, but from original game devs company view: "what about all the gameplay hours you gained from everyone before, how would you compensate for that?". Now if it is up to only game developers themselves - ie. one's who made the game - things could be potentially be solved more easily - but if some number crunching financial executive comes in play... I don't think the free then paid mod would be able to get away with small pricetag because executives would want lot of money for back payment AND to strangle potential competition. Second, how would one scrub previously free mods which became paid one overnight from internet? That is a major hurdle too. Easiest would be to never make free than paid mod model, and next easiest would be to stop supporting free mod, and spend few months to fix new paid mod as much as possible and add new features, thus making free mod really obsolete, but that is a gamble on game modder part. I really view this issue as more of an issue between the game developers (and their companies) and game modders, than as an issue between modders and wider public. I mean, when DLCs first came to market they were vilified - especially Oblicion Horse armor. But time washed out bad DLCs idea, and only good one remained - by good here I mean one's that public wants to consume, not meaning good in quality sense. I reckon same thing would happen with paid modding - but few modders/game devs/companies would lose in some way before we get to good distribution model.

AJ Maneville

I've commissioned paid mods a couple of times. One was a so-so experience in that I got what I wanted (someone unlocking the crafting option for an uncraftable item) and it worked great, but they never responded to a request to patch up to 1.4. The other was more involved in that I commissioned someone to do the art and then a different person to do the coding to bring a specific clothes/weapon combo into the game. Both were excellent, the artist even offering a zero fee charge for a minor add-on I wanted a little while later, and the coder bringing it up to 1.4 and even adding in the persona option for the weapons. As to the experience, I went to a discord where these things happen, saw what was done, what was charged, who had good feedback, approached those people with very specific ideas I already had in terms of how I wanted things to look and how they were to compare to basegame items, and there was very little to-and-fro, a swift couple of PayPal transactions, and it was done. So yes, paid mods have a place as far as I'm concerned as I don't see why I should get the thing for free when it takes someone else the time to do the art and coding, to say nothing of the time taken to learn these things or the tools (programs) needed to do them. Pricing is more difficult but my way of looking at them is how much mileage do I get from them vs how much they cost, and having used the weapon/clothes combo especially in several runs, I have no complaints for what I paid (not that much and the update was the price of a latte).

Jacob Pedersen

Everything can be said with exceptions, but in generel i don't think paid mods should be a thing. We are facing enough issues with game companies releasing unfinished games and not updating it. But they a liable for the game, so they also resieve the consequenses. Like game studio closing down, or reseaving bad reputation. We have seen a couple of times steam interfering with rotten game studios and their unfinished releases. We wouldn't see them interfere with modders abusing a paid format. Reputation from modders is much harder to track as modders can work on multiple games and still not be liable for what work they have done from one game to another and they can more quickly change username and no one would know. Also there is a whole maintanance aspect of it. As long as rimworld is getting updated I would expect my mods to get updated if I paid for them. When they are not paid modders are free to leave their mod whenever they wish. This comment is mostly based on the negative side, as there is some issues to fix before having the possibility for a paid format. For trustworthy modders like you and your team its a whole other story, which is also the reason i'm a patreon member. With paid mods I guess the quality can also increase a lot across the modding community. Better software, more hours modding, etc.

vATLASv

I have similar opinion. Mods are something that someone can make *anytime on anything* which means that their quality usually is not that good that someone could pay for them. But if someone provide big enough mods, with good quality, customer service etc. it is more than normal to charge money for it. It is hard topic. I think it mostly depends on relationship between modders and fans. If they are happy enough they will be more likely to pay, and if modders will spend most of this money on making mods, it creates the perfect situation. The mods that are provided by you and your team are so good that im surprised that they are free, but that encouraged me to support you on Patreon. I ♥️ your work.

Deadbolt

It's a tentative yes. But only really in the sense that everyone (but the modder especially) knows what they're signing up for. When you start selling a product there's commitments and layers of beautacratic upkeep that I don't think many modders consider (like you mentioned), but also an obligation for continued version support (see Bethesda games constantly updating and breaking mods). This is all to say; I don't think people should be prohibited from charging for their work, but I don't think many understand the complexities behind what charging for this type of product entails. That all being said, support your local modders. Kick them some cash because it's a hell of a lot of work they do for free.

Michael Whitehead

Short answer, no. As a mod maker, I feel paid mods would over complicate the modding process. Having a price tag on your mod opens up mod makers to financial and legal responsibilities. How would one decide prices? Who would handle refunds? Would there be quality control processes for mods? And how would those quality control processes handle shitposts? Would mods affecting or patching other mods still be allowed? And all of this isn’t touching on how it divides the community. If some mods are paid and others are not, there would be inherent biases from players and game developers for different mod makers. I have further thoughts, but not enough time to type them up.

The Gaming Archaeologist

I partially agree with your stance, Oskar, however, the issue becomes how does one decide if the mod is big enough? HAR is used for many different additional races so is that a big enough mod as so many need it? Then there's the issues with things like copyrighted content (like races, weapons and certain elements from TV shows) which would open up a whole new can of worms. Then if we look at Bethesda and their attempts with the creation store. The prices were too high for inferior mods you could get on the Nexus store. Not to mention, they only allowed small cosmetic ones and didn't want to sell any that changes the game too much, adds new stories or anything that shows them up. In the end I prefer the open world of modding. Especially as not all of us have the cash to buy the game, the DLCs and then all the mods which you may or may not even like.

Bois Von Ludenberg

I feel like the main question here is how much money for how much content? It really does depend on that whether miss should be free of charge a fee. I don't like Bethesda paid mods where for like 5$ you get one or two armor pieces. I think such price is a bit too much for such little content. In such case, a single dollar per armor set would probably be better - it would still support the creator while being a more fair price.

Codi Snow

Mods should be free. But promoting a donation service is totally fine in my opinion. Modding is about community, and showing that you care about a game. If you charge money for a mod, it kind of sets the idea that you're not here for the love of the game, but for the money instead. I've donated to people before, if I enjoy their mod and want to encourage them to continue, or just to thank them. (Wasn't done, thought enter would create a space lol) I used to mod for the game Cortex Command, I was active in the community on the forums and I just genuinely loved the game. But thinking back on it, if I would have charged for my mods (they weren't huge huge mods, more like factions/weapons packs) I feel like that would have made me either hate the game more because it would feel like a job instead of doing it because I loved it. I don't know, I personally just hate when people paywall their mods. I've seen a few here that are like here's a mod, but to get the most up to date/ or most modified you gotta pay me. That's just bad practice in my opinion. I mean, I'm here on your patreon because I love your mods. But if I had paid for the mod, I probably wouldn't have bought into your patreon. Because, it feels like a hey pay me more for connecting with you. Instead of a hey I'm glad you enjoyed the mod. So I guess what my rambling point is, is that pay walling mods is bad because it cuts the feeling of community and makes it more of a business transaction (like DLC, and we all know no one cares how we feel about DLC) This is just my opinion on the topic at basically 5am, probably not the best literature around but still it's my opinion.

Tomas Kühn

I think it depends… if you have a gigantic mod, a total conversion or something special it could be payed or something to monetize.

Kana

Ethically, I believe developers should be compensated for the work they do at a fair rate. I absolutely believe in commissioning people to work for you, and this means that of course you should be allowed to pay for mods. However, I don't believe that a mod should be made and then charged for. I'm a fan of the Kickstarter model. If a developer wants to request cash support before releasing something free or pay what you can, I think that's acceptable and even laudable. I think that releasing mods where someone needs to pay for it, like dlc of some sort, is a little more iffy. For one, it creates a divide in the player base that usually hurts the community in some way. It's complicated, I strongly support copyleft, I strongly believe people should be compensated for their work, and now I've managed to convince myself that yes, in fact, it's okay if the mod developer wants to do that. I did not expect to end here.

Yuggie

each mod shall cost 1000 euros :P

Gavin

I think if you request a mod (eg: rimworld mod trading discord) it should be paid. Otherwise they should be free, but allow donations to the creator. (Patreon, kofi, etc)

Cr0ssley

Commissioning mods is a good form of monetizing mods, as you are requesting something you want/need, and paying for the subsequent work required. However, mods that are created and THEN monetized just feels wrong. Take this Patreon for example, In a way your Patreons are ""commissioning"" you to continue making excellent mods since the payment is made before mods are created, and not after as the mods you offer are free when released.

Owain I Jones

Mods should be free. Setting aside the myriad legal issues, I think my objection is mostly an ideological one. Mods are a fascinating and wonderful thing because people make them out of passion and share them with the world for free. If you add financial incentives to that it completely changes the motivations of those making mods, and opens a platform up to the possibility of bad actors as well. I'm worried the workshop page could end up looking like a mobile app store, filled with cheap, low effort mods that are churned out on an industrial scale and flood out the actual mods made by passionate players. Obviously, I think there's something to be said for donating to modders you want to support - I wouldn't even be able to be here to leave this comment if I didn't - but I think it should be just that, a donation.

xtatkins2x

Came here to say what Owain said, essentially: paid mods are legally grey, and beyond that I'm against any attempt to commodify that which has historically been free. The commodity mode of production has been disastrous for everything it touches, but most especially art.

Loyola

As a broke high school kid in the 90s, I remember being outraged when someone charged for a Civilization II mod (Alex Mor's fantastic Spartacus). Today as a non-broke adult, I'm perfectly happy to pay. I've certainly paid lots for Dungeons and Dragons PDFs on DMsGuild, which are basically mods for a tabletop game

Corodix

I'd have to go with No, and I think Rimworld makes a great example as to why. There are many mods there which have other mods as their dependencies. This work great while mods are free. But the moment even one mod in the dependency tree decides to require money from now on is when the house of cards collapses. Suddenly you've got free mods that do require payment due to their dependencies. Or you'll end up with modders depending less on other mods because you never know when one of those other modders decides to pull the rug out from under them. Such uncertainty sounds like both a nightmare and an actual obstacle for a modding community in general. Of course one alternative that does keep things clear is to require payment for all mods. But then your own mod will effectively become more expensive the more dependencies on other mods you have. So it again becomes an obstacle for building on what the rest of the community has build.

Gary Manville

This is a difficult one as some mods are almost rebuilds of the game themselves and the amount of work and time put in deserves the credit. Vanilla expanded for example. However as we seen with early access the faith can be undone so fast due to how some have profited from abusing the system. Kingarth for fallout 4 and Skyrim an example of deserving credit for his work however if that was to be paid mods will the mods for his mod be paid for. To run off good will as modders do for the amount of time invested is a difficult one on both sides of the coin. Do some mods absolutely but I'd say in the small percentage. The issue would be how is it judged size, quality, Replay ability. Not to mention the game saving mods due to abandoned work.

Dr_NANO

I think the payment model with Patreon is really good. You support the creators whose work you like, after you have sampled it. I think that shoud be the same for any good you purchase, buy a car, dont like it, return it and get your full amount back. Another argument is that paid mods would exclude many kids from playing as they maybe do not have access to pay for them.

Robert Frost

Personally I think payed mods are fine in concept, people may do them for passion but at least deserve the opportunity to be recompensated. However practically no infrastructure exists to make this a fair system as neither developer nor mod author can guarantee that the other will keep the paid product updated and compatible.

Bardez

As a modder (much more active with other games, like Baldur's Gate), I think that paid mods are a disaster waiting to happen. The art becomes diluted to commodity and financial incentives. Modding is a hobby of passion. If compensation is truly an issue that NEEDS to be addressed, the donation model is fine.

Mielga

Users can be already annoying regarding free content they get, if they will spend few euros, the pressure on modders will skyrocket

John Labuda

I Don't hate the idea as a concept (hence why i'm a patron here :p), but i think bethesda's implementations have been god awful. I'm not going to pay 5-10$ (or more) for a few weapons that I'm never going to use. Now, hypothetically, say when beyond skyrim comes out and they ask for like 15-20$ for a region that is essentially a whole DLC, I would feel that is fair. Personally I think asking anything more than 20$ for a mod (or microtransaction) shouldn't be normal, as that is starting to get into full game price territory.

Hugh Smalley

I don’t have a problem with paid mods as long as the mods are eventually available for free and/or are open sourced

Akito Scorpio

In general terms I'm not in favor for it, but obviously being here means I'm also not against chipping in to finance development of mods.

Chedderror

Financing mods isn't a bad thing - however when a couple of mods are locked behind a paywall that's when people resort to less savory if less costly ways of getting a mod. Depending on the size of the mod or mods involved, a paywall may seem either completely illogical or accepted if people can deem it to be "worth the cost." Plus, how would you like it if not the game but it's dedicated players were turned into just another product to be sold?

srdis

Game publishers should absolutely allow paid mods. Its absurd that the guy who is responsible for 99% of all Minecraft mods (the Forge project) only makes about $500/mo on Patreon.

Introverted Gamer

I dislike modders who release paid content and will not support them. It just seems greedy to me, plus how do I know the quality of the mods the creator is putting out or know they will continue to support them for future game updates? It's a gamble and we all know how trustworthy strangers on the internet can be. I'd rather give money to a modder who has earned my trust. I'm fine with paying for early access or having a voluntary Patreon page.

Matthew Cowher

I hate to be this guy, but the data from the survey will be biased because you stated your opinion before polling. Either way, good luck and I will also support the Patreon! Mods, once released, should be free for all.

DeMante

I don't like Minecraft's bedrock 'modding' where there is a marketplace and you have to purchase it. (yes, you can technically mod it other ways, but downloading them is kinda sketchy.) I prefer your approach with patreon. I don't play Rimworld all that much anymore, but I enjoy seeing what you guys put out and other people's videos using your content.

Dragonin

I don’t think asking for money to help with development is bad, but having mods require payment moves you pretty firmly into making a profit on someone else’s intellectual property, which opens you up to legal action especially if you are using another intellectual properties assets/ideas.

Dick Turnip

The problem with monetisation to that degree in the games industry as a whole, not just the modding scene, is that money has an unpleasant habit of becoming the *only* driving force behind games development. One can observe this in the overall decline in the quality of AAA franchises over the 2010s and 2020s. Take Kerbal Space Program: the original has been hailed as one of the greatest successes of early access and indie gaming in general. The developer gets snapped up by a big-time publisher, and before we know it, KSP 2 ends up being rushed out as a buggy, barely-playable mess, with the game being marketed at premium prices, all so that the shareholders at Take Two can rake in the cash at the players' (literal) expense. While probably not to such an extreme degree, I can see something similar happening with paid mods. Modding teams might use the extra capital to make bigger and more expansive mods, drawing in more and more customers, who then pressure the development team to rush out better and better mods at quicker rates (elsewise they'll just go and buy from a different modding team) so that they get a return on their investment. Unless the team expands to spread the workload (at which point they're basically a games development company in their own right), they might have to cut corners in design just to meet demand, and then to break even once they do grow in size. Hopefully, that giant ramble is of some use to your friend and to your own development team! As for Vanilla Expanded, I say stay your current course. It's clearly a passion project for you guys, and once it becomes just business, the passion risks becoming lost.

Daniel Royce

Echoing many others in that the idea is good, and I do "tip" modders that I particularly enjoy regularly but I think the reason why we have many quality mods is because lot of them are passion projects for modders. Once money gets involved it becomes whole another ballpark. Think of the video game crash way back when market was flooded with extreme subpar games.

Wood the Storyteller (edited)

Comment edits

2026-09-10 22:00 I think Patreon is the balance between what users want, and what modders can earn. When I sign up, I'm not paying for content/mods that have already been created. Those are the sales pitch. Instead, I'm paying for future content from a proven source. Not one-for-one, transactionally, but in a much more supportive (but perhaps not as lucrative) way.
2024-02-14 16:09

Scott

A particular area worth differentiating, I think, is multiplayer vs single player, and within that mods which have a competitive effect vs mods that don't. In World of Warcraft, for an example I've played, there were certain mods that were considered obligatory for high-level play, and which were frequently required by mid-level teams as well. That already felt pretty bad, when people disagreed on the best mod for a certain function and got toxic, and I think introducing prices would make it much, much worse.

Egozentricus

I think it's also a matter of trust. 1. There are a lot of crappy mods out there, that sound interesting, but don't play out the way you want or even conflict with other mods. I would not want to pay for something, that doesn't fit my needs, yet refund would also make thing complicated. I rather join a creator on patreon after i'm satisfied with the work and want to se more of it. 2. They are just an addition to a game, which is not guaranteed to be updated with every game update. Especially over the years. 3. In my country, every income is taxed. You would have to start a business and get complicated (in theory, i know a lot of people just wing it and lie.)

TwoPenny

As someone who has a Patreon to help support the development of maintaining a mod, that’s always been my middle ground (the perk has always been that people get to vote on what I work on next rather than creating a paywall for the mod itself). That being said, less than 0.01% of subscribers to the mod have contributed to my Patreon, and since I work at least five hours a week on the mod and have for the last year since its release, it doesn’t necessarily even make minimum wage. That’s ultimately completely fine with me - I made my mod because I wanted the feature it provides, and I’m super happy for the kind words and social support it has created for me independent of any financial success (and I’m even more grateful for the financial support). So this is all to say that there are no complaints on my end - I have really only had positive experiences and wouldn’t change any step of the modding experience. I don’t begrudge anyone who would want to charge for a mod, though. It’s work, even if it’s for something the modder is passionate about doing. People should be able to make things and distribute them how they would like. I imagine if charging for mods became more normalized, you would see certain gaming communities more or less willing to pay for a variety of reasons. As long as people don’t feel beholden to providing labor when modding for free, I also have no issue with that. The balance is on the modder - do they feel comfortable creating and maintaining something without expectation of payment, and if they are to what degree. If the balance tips outside of that comfort, then they need to either consider dropping the hobby or creating a more secure way of payment for themselves. People will always create mods without financial reward because people like to make things to build on what they love. That will always be the case and it’s part of what makes mods such a fascinating tool for expression.

Chance713

If done poorly, having to pay for a mod could be really bad. Like shooting yourself in the foot, the community that followed you could turn on you in an instant. Some could do this and make it work, but they would need a following before hand. Imagine Save Our Ship, if it started as a paid mod I don't think it would be even close to where they have taking it now. I could see what you mean by allowing them to work on it more and consistently if they were getting paid for it, but there isn't a guarantee that a big mod would keep getting development after people bought it. They could just pocket the money from the initial release and then dip. It's a very slippery slope.

JAckAL with a TopHat

Interesting, I actually did my dissertation on this same topic back when Bethesda started adding paid mods into Skyrim. Whilst I touched upon the legal aspects, I primarily focused on the modding community’s health and the general reception to paid mods (As it was a fairly new concept back then). I was looking into the opinions of mod makers, modders, content creators and the general sentiment across the board. At the time, the general consensus from the community and general gaming media was pretty hostile towards it. I feel like that has simmered down since then. I mean just look at how much people are willing to spend on microtransactions these days. Paid modding isn’t too far removed from it. Content creators (primarily from modding channels) appeared to have a more balanced take on it. Similar to your own argument, not opposed but it has to be worth it. They actually seemed quite giddy about the possibilities it could open up in the gaming industry. However from what I’ve see over the years that potential hasn’t been realised. I was quite surprised about how divisive it was among mod makers though. There was quite a lot that were straight up against it. Whilst those that were sympathetic to the idea weren’t that eager to lose their communities and fans that they had built up. Those that did take up the offer lost a lot of goodwill and unfortunately even to this day, are chastised by the community. That’s just a very brief synopsis but it’s a really interesting topic, especially from a legal aspect. Whilst that wasn’t my field, I only just scratched the surface but it’s a real legal mess when you look into it. Personally, I lean more towards yes. However, the content has to be worth it. As soon as you put a price tag on something you set an expectation. Especially if you are being paid directly from the developer of the game. The users of your mods are no longer players but customers and as such, expect a certain level of quality and commitment from the mod author. I personally would only consider paying for a mod if it was of sizeable content, like a DLC or it was doing something that modders can’t typically do without dev support, proper dev tools, actors or expensive equipment. For the time being, I’m just happy to donate to those that spend so much time adding new and interesting content to the games I love. Not out of a financial obligation to myself or any other player, but because they love what they do and enjoy listening to their audiences experience with their mods.

clown

If the mod was really good and took considerable effort, manpower, and time, then I would think paying for a mod is justifiable. Sadly when its implemented its usually not the case such as with creation club which should have more effort put in since you are paying for it but just falls short.

Sophia Orr

I am of the mind that, while I do not 'mind' paid minds, it heavily depends. my mind tends to lean to the. "I will pay you to make this mod.' more so commissions for mods. instead of outright paywalling a mod. Paying monthly to help support a creator is nice. and it works out in the long-run, but sometimes that may not be enough. I do think. that truly the best middle ground is commissioning a mod, (Which. idealy should normally go to the public for free unless if it was made with the express intent that it is meant to be a private mod.)

Silverskene

I think the refund process is too complicated to be a viable option. Where does the line exist between a legitimate reason to refund and #1 a mod conflict with 1 of 500 mods, #2 the purchase of a "free trial" by a player so that he/she can take advantage of the refund policy. Also, paid mods open the market for more legal issues when arise modders who simply copy/paste your code and release the same thing for free to be some sort of "Robin Hood." On the flipside, I'm willing to pay for big mods and increased mod support for current VE mods. I wish my Patreon subscription counted towards the price, but then again I'm a penny-pincher.

Jonatan

Yes, but some rules and control has to be in front to avoid scams. Maybe something like Steam Refund policy. And why yes? because a lot of modders put a lot of efford and time making a product, and there is nothing bad in reward them.

Jimworld

In my opinion mod should always be free, otherwise relationship between mod author and subscriber will change and this relationship is what sustained modding community. For more detailed explanation it’s about psychology of when something is given for free VS sold to you, it activate a “different” mechanism of your brain to establish relation with the author. When some thing is given for free the relation established as “friend” which incline you to lead toward positive/returning favor response (which is the reason why saleman try to give you sample) When something is sold to you, it established a beneficial based relationship which cause you to think more thoroughly and expect certain benefits. (detailed about this theory is written in psychology eg. “Rationally irrational” if somebody interested “) So if mod were to be paid, it will shift the current modder-subcriber relation disrupting the good thing we had going and people will feel weird /outrage causing controversy like that bethesda game. Not that I’m against people getting paid for their work, but the current donation model like ko-fi /pateon seem fitting for modding because it also run on same relation model. If paid mod were made it should be called something else entirely so it wouldn’t disrupt modding community. (Maybe… Creation Club? lolz)

Muronelkaz

I think if modding is implicitly allowed by developers/owners of a game, then modders having alternative means of accepting payment is fine, through something like Patreon or Kofi. If modding is explicitly allowed/supported, giving an official way to pay as though a DLC, but with the minimum price being 0$ and showing a maximum or average amount paid could be good but would require additional work from the developers to verify the mod isn't using copyright/trademark/stolen work. Arma 3 has community driven mods turned DLC which are generally good which I don't remember the exact details of but seems like the way larger groups of modders would be able to follow

Frank Cotton

No, everything in the video game industry is overly monetized. Last thing that we need is to start charging for mods. It would would turn jnto people paying for half baked mods that only receive polish if the mod is going to generate money. If the owner wants to start a donation page like this patron, that is fine by me, but if Oskar starts charging me for his mods, I would uninstal every vanilla expanded mod he has made.

Iapetus

No I feel like this is one of those things that sounds great but can have unintended consequences. Since modders would be profiting explicitly from their work companies would have stronger reasoning to restrict licensing and sue for copy-write infringement especially with companies like Disney (Star Wars) and Games Workshop. Not to mention Modder to modder lawsuites if someone takes down an important library like Vanilla Expanded Core, that other mods might rely on then all of a sudden theres actual damages that can be calculated would they have a right to sue to recover some of those damages. And all of that isn't considering what happens if a DLC comes in to play kinda like how Humanoid Alien Races was needed for almost all Species mods but post Biotech it's almost not needed at all.

Happycam

I enjoy making mods, despite myself being a student with no financial gain. The donation model such as patreon would be the best course for modders who are dedicated to their craft and want to make money off of their content. Some of the most prominent City Skylines modders have been given the chance to not only rely on patreon but also work with the devs on adding new DLC such as the content creator packs which add a crap ton of new content. Bethesda also has their creation club, which are unofficial paid content made by modders. These are great ways for devs to work with the modders, and benefit both the devs and modders with more money, even if it isn't that much, as well as engage with the community if given the chance. Those are great examples as to how modders could make more money if given the chance, as well as developers giving them a chance to enter the industry or at the very least network or for both parties to make some side money. However, I think that mods should remain free. As stated above, despite being content made by modders, are still officially endorsed by the devs, and are of an expected quality control, even if for the bethesda CC is not lore friendly and non-cannon. They are optional content that are no more or less DLC. Mods should remain free, as mods are an unofficial way for individuals to modify and make the game more fun or add new fixes and balances. Paid modding would only encourage a corporate or transactional environment that incentivizes profit over creative endeavors and projects. There is also a major issue with the fact that most modding communities have their most popular mods being Framework or bug patching/opimizations. A player having to pay $10 for Harmony for example would force many players to lose access to hundreds if not thousands of mods, including the entire Vanilla Expanded series. I doubt that VE series would be as popular nor you Oskar be able to get so many patreon supporters if your content was locked behind a paywall. And it would not even be your fault, but that of Harmony, one of the largest frameworks on the workshop that the VEF depends on. A player could potentially have to endure multiple glitches or bugs other players dont have to worry about because they have access to the paid bug patcher. I think paid mods are great in theory, but will ruin the modding environment and change incentives for modders new and experienced to be more financially focused. It will limit the player's options for mods, as well as their gameplay experience, as well as hurt other modders who do not conform into this atmosphere or who depend on frameworks like Harmony if it were to ever decide to become a paid mod. My advice is to connect with the community, have a patreon, and promote the idea for devs and modders to work on collab projects.

Sondre

My opinion is that the current system of voluntary payment through direct single donations or subscriptions is the most sustainable. Once a mod becomes "premium" it becomes a purchased product, making it fall under different laws and regulations. Such type of DLC is best handled with a direct partnership with the developers should they be willing and encouraging it.

Johnny Nielsen

I won't mind a small price of a few dollars. Though that scenario will have me do more careful considerations about using said mod. Being able to donate something of my choosing after having used the mod is preferred, as I can take my time to valuate the mod and it's influence on my game.

Nathaniel Farnsworth

paid mods are definitely a bad thing for the community, but the idea of donations or subscriptions to support mod author is definitely a good thing

Tobias Krickhahn

As other have written, if there's a price tag i expect a service that goes beyond what a lot of mods do, both in terms of quality and ongoing support.

Rosemari

I think paying for a suite like VRE or VFE, where new additions are always added and fixes are offered isn't ridiculous, but nickel and diming on every mod would add up quickly - especially with all the mods I've seen that looked good on paper but didn't work out in game well.

Dominic Read

The limit should be accepting donations, ignoring the questionable legality of making money from modding a wide variety of games, modding is generally a voluntary and community driven activity and allowing people to expect payment changes the expectations and nature of it.