BLOG PIECE: Modding as a hobby versus modding as a career, and the position of the Nexus

[axonis]

I think the Nexus can take some steps to deal with this challenge in its own way.

 

While retaining the free as in beer approach, for reasons stated by Dark0ne, the donation system could be improved for modders who would like to receive some reward for their efforts in various ways:

 

* Present a donation window before file download.

* Allow the donor to receive some badges that can be displayed at her will.

* Allow the modder to receive a list of donors for "Hall of Fame" purposes.

* Create a comments sections (probably for support) for donors only

 

And generally allow modders to recognize and provide some special treatment to their donors, just as the Nexus does to its own.

[Zaldir]

In response to post #23836199. #23839154, #23845829, #23853369, #23858174, #23858619, #23868714, #23869794, #23870749, #23874494, #23889664, #23897239, #23907889, #23916764, #23947279, #23954734, #23963714, #23965734, #23966599, #23968049, #23982619 are all replies on the same post.

This would probably be the best solution. Some sort of NexusMods Partnership - for every penny earned from ads on your mod page, you get a cut from NexusMods.

This could be an opt-in thing, and could be only available to those who have access to the Authors Forum.

And to take it further, a subscription model like what Twitch has, if you want to support a mod author more (could basically be an expansion to the donation system - allowing monthly automatic donations).


There are a lot of things that can be done without making the actual mods cost money, and I think ad revenue is the best alternative to it. Edited April 2, 2015 by Zaldiir

[ilovemaifamily]

Can anyone tell me how I would go about making a mod for vtmb? I would really like to try

 

[surge914]

In response to post #23836199. #23839154, #23845829, #23853369, #23858174, #23858619, #23868714, #23869794, #23870749, #23874494, #23889664, #23897239, #23907889, #23916764, #23947279, #23954734, #23963714, #23965734, #23966599, #23968049, #23982619, #23991979 are all replies on the same post.

It's not. It's greedy to make mods for the Main Purpose of getting paid. Take EA and Ubisoft vs. Indie games. Both get paid but recently there have been much better rated indie games than triple AAA games from EA and Ubisoft. Why? because these companies don't care about making games they care about taking your money and is evident with every broken, half-finished game they keep pushing out knowing full well it hasn't properly gone through QA. Indie games on the other hand(and i'm not speaking for all) make these games because they enjoy it and don't expect to get rich of selling a game half the price of a triple AAA game. That's where the expression, "Do what you love and the money will come" comes in. I think games that fit that quote are Angry birds, Clash of clans, divinity original sin, plus the new cities skylines is getting really good ratings by many and these games were made by small groups of people.

[phellen]

In response to post #23836199. #23839154, #23845829, #23853369, #23858174, #23858619, #23868714, #23869794, #23870749, #23874494, #23889664, #23897239, #23907889, #23916764, #23947279, #23954734, #23963714, #23965734, #23966599, #23968049, #23982619, #23991979, #23996044 are all replies on the same post.

For those arguing for there to be absolutely no change to modding at all, I think there is a problem with that argument and that is the underlying assumption that all modding can remain at the status quo forever. I doubt that's the case as companies like Valve have already realized the earning potential that's there, and are likely chomping at the bit to take hold of it.

How the modding landscape changes will depend upon who is the first to act, and what the response of the entire gaming community will be. I think it's better to be pro-active and adapt if not be the ones to set a precedent/direction, rather than to just sit back and watch it all play out from the sidelines, because if you don't guess who might end up being left out of the equation at the end of the day?

(In response to Zaldiir)
I think if the Nexus were to one day adopt a model similar to what you described, it could only serve to help grow the modding community. The "opt in" feature you mentioned is a great idea in that that it leaves the choice in the hands of the modder(s) for whether or not they want to take advantage of potential advertising income. Edited April 2, 2015 by phellen

[Zaldir]

In response to post #23836199. #23839154, #23845829, #23853369, #23858174, #23858619, #23868714, #23869794, #23870749, #23874494, #23889664, #23897239, #23907889, #23916764, #23947279, #23954734, #23963714, #23965734, #23966599, #23968049, #23982619, #23991979, #23996044, #23996969 are all replies on the same post.

@Surge: I don't think anyone make mods with the main goal of getting rich. But is it really greedy to want to get at least a little bit out of the hours (often hundreds or thousands) spent making the mod(s)?

[Thaiauxn]

 

In response to post #23967144. #23971239 is also a reply to the same post.

Understood I am a enemy for you.

 

Welcome to the commercial world of modmaking! It will be fun. Business is war.... and war... never changes. (had to :smile: ).

 

 

I actually really like you and your work. Always will. I think your opinion is wrong, but that doesn't diminish how much I enjoy what you've done for me or this community. :tongue:

 

 

In response to post #23836199. #23839154, #23845829, #23853369, #23858174, #23858619, #23868714, #23869794, #23870749, #23874494, #23889664, #23897239, #23907889, #23916764, #23947279, #23954734, #23963714, #23965734, #23966599, #23968049 are all replies on the same post.

To add onto Shezrie's and Arthmoors points, why couldn't modders make money exactly the same way that Gopher makes money reviewing mods? Through advertising sponsors and page views.

 

One can assume most people watching Gopher's videos are going to be also viewing the mod pages to access the download. There's your coinage right there and users still get access to mods for free.

 

 

I'm pretty sure sponsored videos on youtube don't make quite as much as it sounds like in this thread, and I don't see it as being viable for modders. The Nexus takes its own revenue stream from its ads. If that went to mods, it wouldn't help keep Nexus staff employed, and that's important. I still think having an available Pay What You Will option is the best current solution to this debate that covers everything we seem to want out of both parties on Nexus. The donation system is nice, but as was said earlier in the thread, a poll showed that even mods with >1M views and >100k downloads only pull in MAYBE a hundred bucks, which works out to earning .01 cent for every hour on a massive new world. XD My experience was roughly the same.

 

Providing sources, examples, and citing evidence for an argument is important to me. You can look up what google analytics "estimates" a user earns from their youtube views online.

 

Because poor Gopher is the example people raise, his site is the one I looked up. I don't want to throw the guy on the grill, or defend him, he's just the example people are bringing up. Sorry Gopher.: http://socialblade.com/youtube/user/gophersvids

 

Now, Social Blade (and Google Anayltics) are WILDLY INACURATE for many different reasons. They don't take into account Adblock, different devices that may not register hits, what videos they tagged for sponsors, and they have no awareness of what a person is actually receiving in the mail. That said, it's possible he could be earning a couple hundred bucks a month -- but there is no way to confirm that. Remember, it's wildly inaccurate. Unless you ask him and accept his reply you'll never really know for sure. He doesn't deserve to get harassed just because his name came up, so I don't suggest doing that.

 

I don't feel any indemnity against the youtubers, or the Nexus admins, or the corporations, who are making money off of mods as a pure hobby. I do feel pretty annoyed that mods can't share in that though. That sucks. I think everybody should have the opportunity to make what they deserve for the work they put in, or at least gratuity. The more opportunities we create, the better the field will be.

 

Having a pay what you will system for mods would be far superior, and it really would help promote the growth of a nitch community of modders who would do this as more than just a hobby on the Nexus. It would prevent Steam Workshops from being the monopoly it is right now. It'd also avoid that SIMS thing sesom was talking about.

 

To me, the idea that games and software are any different than custom jewellery or motorcycles is just absurd. You can modify and resell the HOURS of hard work and product you put in to a watch or bike no matter who the original owner of the IP is. Honda won't come kick your ass for selling custom mufflers out of your shop on 4th ave (at least not frequently.) I don't understand why Bethesda has any place coming down on you for selling a new gun mesh for New Vegas.

 

You wouldn't expect someone to mass-produce & release a mod for your bike for free (and deliver it to you for free with a 1 step installation process, and provide the power tools for free,) nor should you think someone other than your buddy would mod your game for free. You can mod your game yourself for free, totally. No one is stopping you. But if you DOWNLOAD a mod, you're not modding your game, you're installing f***ing DLC.

 

The idea that modders are supposed to work for free, they're not AAA people, they're just hobbyists... that sounds like the old-as-civilization prejudice against entertainers. You'd never walk up to a Car Radio Shop and throw 25 cents in their guitar case while they change & tweak your car sterio. But an Entertainer? They do it for the passion. The work is its own reward.

 

 

I think the Nexus can take some steps to deal with this challenge in its own way.

 

While retaining the free as in beer approach, for reasons stated by Dark0ne, the donation system could be improved for modders who would like to receive some reward for their efforts in various ways:

 

* Present a donation window before file download.

* Allow the donor to receive some badges that can be displayed at her will.

* Allow the modder to receive a list of donors for "Hall of Fame" purposes.

* Create a comments sections (probably for support) for donors only

 

And generally allow modders to recognize and provide some special treatment to their donors, just as the Nexus does to its own.

 

Or that. That works too.

 

He replied while I was typing my 8th TLDR screed. :p

Edited April 2, 2015 by Thaiauxn

[Deleted82156User]

In response to post #24006714.

I'm pretty sure sponsored videos on youtube don't make quite as much as it sounds like in this thread,

Youtubers make money both from YouTube and from Patreon linked from Youtube. Not pointing at anyone in particular but a quick check on some Skyrim mods youtubers reveals that from Patreon alone some make in excess of $3000 a month. That doesn't include the revenue generated from Youtube.

Others pull in $350 to $650 a month, then add the Youtube revenue on top of that. Modders pull in $0 a month.

I am not saying it is wrong or that they don't deserve that income, not saying that at all. I am saying that it certainly gives something to think about when considering whether mods are worth money.

Would Patreon work for modders....*shrug* no idea...is it even legal? I am pretty sure it is considered 'donation'. Don't know. What I do know is that it takes a hell of a lot more time to make a mod then it does to make and edit a video. Not that some youtubers don't put in long hours on their videos they often do. Still as a comparison...... Edited April 3, 2015 by Guest

[jessiee]

Skywind facebook

 

 

Aedyn Poole Bethesda should just hire you and sell Skywind as a game.

 

TESV: Skywind They already did. Morrowind is still a great game in its own right.

 

 

https://www.facebook.com/TESV.Skywind

 

 

Edited April 3, 2015 by jessiee

[fftfan]

In response to post #24006714. #24016519 is also a reply to the same post.

I still think having an available Pay What You Will option is the best current solution to this debate that covers everything we seem to want out of both parties on Nexus

I strongly agree with this. Best way to go in my opinion.