Nexus should be against this not FOR it!

[Roobix333]

Just continue to black list the pay for modders. They'll get the idea, like chesko did.

[rizilliant]

So gone are the days when people could just simply make the conscious decision not to buy a paid mod and leave it at that? Now you have to hostile towards those who are acknowledging the natural progression of modding and are using it as a way to support their living expenses so that they can focus more time and effort towards making their mods better? Can something be a passion while also paying the actual bills?

 

Stop for a moment and think about this. How many authors have simply vanished or stopped working on a mod because they could no longer afford to and had no legal options before. How many times have people tried to go through underhanded means of trying to earn something for the hundreds of hours spent on a mod only because there were no options. Not everyone has the privilege of living rent-free with dozens of hours a week spent on their hobby. Furthermore, creating things like new models, textures, and animations often requires expensive tools and training. For this you insist that the one spending all this effort should get nothing but their own "satisfaction" in doing it? How long do you really think that can be sustained?

 

Do not misunderstand, not everyone is in this situation, there are certainly those who are just wanting to cash in, just as there are certainly those who want to have their creations available for free. It is not about forcing one way or another, simply making the options available.

 

If you disagree, just don't buy those mods. Simple. If some "crucial" mod were pay-walled, just don't use it or wait till someone makes another mod like it which does essentially the same thing for free or supported by donations. It's exactly the same situation that exists with DLC. When DLC first came into play, it was free extras released by the game company to give bonuses to customers who registered their games, went to their site, or just to give a little extra. When it started being paid content, people went crazy then too... But in time most people realized that they didn't have to buy things like Horse Armor since it added nothing to their experience or wasn't worth the pricetag. The only problem now is that the mentality has changed, people get this impression that they need to have everything given to them or that they have to have everything available or else they are somehow missing out. People forget that they have the power to change how the market reacts just by deciding with their pocketbook. Even if you buy one of those "protest mods", you are essentially supporting the very system that mod is against by means of giving money and popularity to the system.

 

I personally wouldn't pay for any mod that wasn't extremely well done and substantial enough to be worth the price. Just like how I look at ALL DLC. But I also support the option to allowing modders to get something from all their hard work. I've spent years modding, I know the work involved, I know the annoyances and frustrations that come from having to give it all up in order to work some shitty job so you can make rent. It isn't like Steam is the first one to try and make money from mods. People have been trying for years between kickstarters, selling resources, hosting through ad sites, or outright sales via illegal means. I don't think we're at a point where modding can be a viable vocation, nor do I think Steam has the best system for this, but atleast they're making steps towards making it legal and taking the brunt of negative opinion to lay the groundwork.

I think the modding community is bigger than someone wanting to profit from it.. I do not believe, its going to have any positive impact on it whatsoever.. I have stopped to think about it, and the outcomes that i see, are all bad for what used to be a passionate, friendly community, sharing their works because its fun.. Money involved, that all changes.. Once it grabs hold, its no longer a "hobby", but a job.. Users will, rightfully so imho, demand support for the things theyre paying for.. Modding has come far in the past few decades, and adding in corporate anything, is not going to help that, in any way, shape, or form..

 

Sure, for the time being, there will remain those free modders, but how long will that last, the more modders move over too, or see a payed method working? If thats where its going, fine.. Glad modders can make money doing it.. But i have no doubt, it will cease to be the friendly, passionate community, who does this out of love for what they do.. It then becomes a job.. The entire veil around it, will devolve into a negative atmosphere, of angry users, and overworked modders, who are then obligated to answer to "consumer" demand.. We're buying a product, not sharing a good time...

 

Just like any singer/song-writer, comedian, etc., hitting open mics on weekends.. Any youtuber, hoping to get noticed.. Just like and street racer, hitting the local track. Any athlete being noticed by a recruiter.. Your doing what you love, for the love of it. If something big comes of it, awesome.. But youre doing it out of passion, not money.. Just look at what happens to professional athletes once money is involved.. They certainly dont try harder! Get hurt, you lose that contract.. I used to play paintball on weekends, because i loved it.. Our team eventually got sponsored.. We went to semi pro tourney's, had to practice consistently, drill, etc.. It wasnt as fun anymore.. The friends began to bicker, the sponsorship ended up being what mattered, more than winning, or the fun..

 

Anyway.. Thats just my opinion, and fears.. Ill attempt to remain optimistic, but wont hold my breath.. I may well end up going back to console, if this takes root.. Hopefully, bethesda, and any other ompany, dont stop releaseing those creation kits, etc. because they now have in house modders, who only sell mods.. Hopefully, it doesnt go back to the back alley, frowned upon, underground scene it started out as.. That new Dragon Age garbage, sure seems like a wonderful new era of modding, does it not?

Edited April 26, 2015 by rizilliant

[Vagrant0]

 

 

But youre doing it out of passion, not money.. once money is involved.. It wasnt as fun anymore..

 

 

Which is one of the many reasons why the majority of people will not want to do anything like this. But that should not mean that those who are genuinely interested in trying to be a professional should be prevented from doing so simply because there are those who have the privilege of doing it only for passion.

 

But to keep your analogy, if only the passionate people were playing music, the only places you could hear it would be in the orchestra halls or the subway. The orchestra halls would be for those who struggled and got noticed, like the handful of modders who have gone on to be hired by game companies, but the majority of those remaining would still be left largely ignored as everyone else went about their business. Playing in an orchestra will get them regular work, it will allow them to establish a name for themselves, but they get almost no say in what music is played. Meanwhile playing in the subway they have the freedom to play anything they want, when they want, but only rarely will anyone stop to clap along. Musicians play in clubs because it pays the bills and it makes it more likely that anyone will take notice.. Sure it may not pay much, and they can still enjoy it, but it exists as a place between the recognized professional and the busker. This is about the point where I see modding as it will be in the near future. Sure, the part where Valve starts signing up artists to their record label might happen in the future with EA and Ubisoft following close behind... But for now there are options and the ability for modders and the community to decide if that fourth option is really even one they want.