How to get modders money with mods being free.

[Terramaris]

Note: My computer is having tech problems so this is posted via iphone. I will clean this post up on my PC when I can, so please excuse any grammar/spelling mistakes along with the brevity of my ideas. I have carpal tunnel and going indepth on a phone would probably kill me. I will add more detail when I get my PC back.

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Modders deserve compensation for their work. Pro-workshop or anti, this is a true statement. We love our modders. They provide us fun and entertainment, and ask for little in return.

 

Now I am against paywalling mods, but I see why modders are swapping to the workshop. Donations are not enough to cut it in monetary compensation. We need to find a way to have mods free, yet make modders money. Both camps win with this. For inspiration I looked towards youtube.

 

My suggestion is that Nexus implements the following systems:

 

1. Early Access to mod updates via fee/subscription.

 

If anyone here is a scifi fan, they may have heard of SFDebris. A good scifi reviewing site that reminds me a bit of MST3K. One of the ways he pays the bills is by giving his Paetron subscribers early access to his reviews. A system where a modder can give the latest update to his donators 30 days earlier is something people are willing to pay for.

 

2. Ad.fly links

If a modder wishes to supplement his income with ad.fly or an equivalent, I see no reason why not. Minecraft Mods have used this method for years.

 

3. A nexus "kickstarter" for mods system.

Allow the community to finance a mod development in exchange for: our name in the credits or whatever the modder thinks is fair.

 

More ideas to come as I think of them, if anyone has any ideas leave them in the comments.

Edited April 26, 2015 by freedom613

[razorpony]

Actually I disagree with the premise that modders deserve monetary compensation. Modding has always been about people who love a game creating new content and sharing it with others. If that doesn't pay the bills then so be it. I'm not going to be guilted into paying money to someone who got into a free hobby and spent a lot of time at it. If you make a mod and release it to the public no one owes you anything. Period.

 

As for the notion being touted by steam that this will somehow lead to more quality mods... how? Are modders going to use the money to buy professional software and hire voice actors? Or is it a case of people not being motivated to make mods until money is waved at them? Mardoxx from SkyUI has already admitted this was the case with him. He even went so far as to say he never enjoyed modding anyway. Now suddenly Beth offers cash and SkyUI gets updated. If that's how it's going to be in the future I'll pass. I'd rather have a mod made by someone who had a desire to improve the game and not their own bottom line.

[TheObstinateNoviceSmith]

Actually I disagree with the premise that modders deserve monetary compensation. Modding has always been about people who love a game creating new content and sharing it with others. If that doesn't pay the bills then so be it.

 

I think what modding is about, and what it has always been about, is whatever the modder wants it to be about. Who are we to dictate what it should be about for them and who are we to judge if what it is about for them changes?

 

 

I'm not going to be guilted into paying money to someone who got into a free hobby and spent a lot of time at it.

 

Hobbies aren't free because at the very least time is money. I mean we're in uproar if modders would like to start being compensated for their time, but don't bat an eye at people being paid millions of dollars to play sports or to act in a movie/TV show.

 

 

If you make a mod and release it to the public no one owes you anything. Period.

 

True. Before when they decided to release mods for free, no one owed them anything. No one was forcing them to release the mods for free. They were choosing to do so. But while people didn't OWE them anything financially, it wasn't like they didn't deserve compensation. It just wasn't owed to them.

 

It's kind of like even if a person chooses not to have recognition for a heroic act and/or kind gesture (thus forgoing it being owed to them) , it doesn't mean they do not deserve the recognition.

 

And now, if they wish to charge for their services, just like any other business/service, they very well can and are not wrong for doing so. Period.

 

 

As for the notion being touted by steam that this will somehow lead to more quality mods... how? Are modders going to use the money to buy professional software and hire voice actors?

 

Most probably still won't, but are people more likely to invest in those things if they could potentially earn money or if they are not? That is just mathematics and logical that more people would be motivated to do this things as more people would be able to if they were earning money for their time as opposed to giving it away.

 

 

Or is it a case of people not being motivated to make mods until money is waved at them?

 

Same thing. Some people will be this, but so what? Do you know how many things we wouldn't have if not for people wanting money? So now in addition to the people willing to mod just for free, we start to get people who are modding for money which means more mods and potentially a greater quality of mods because some of those people who didn't mod didn't do it because they couldn't afford to do so and now they just might be able to.

 

This is not all cases, but don't think this won't have a some positive affect on things (there will be negatives too, but all things come with pros and cons).

 

 

If that's how it's going to be in the future I'll pass.

 

Which is your right to do and you aren't wrong for doing it if that is what you believe, but now it is their right to charge and they aren't wrong for that either.

 

 

I'd rather have a mod made by someone who had a desire to improve the game and not their own bottom line.

 

Lol, of course you do because it means you got all their time and efforts for free. Why wouldn't you prefer that? Who is going to buy a car, if they can get the same car for free? Nothing wrong with that, it is just wrong to attack people who choose to sell their cars instead of giving them away.

 

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This is the deal, by saying modders deserve nothing is different from saying they are owed nothing.

 

Saying they are owed nothing is wrong, because whether they are owed something or not is now up to them. If they post it up for free, they are owed nothing. If they decide to charge for it, they are owed something.

 

And saying they deserve nothing is wrong because you are essentially saying their time is worthless and that's a shitty thing to say.

 

I am thankful to all modders whether they decide to charge or not, neither is better than the other in my opinion. If you have no desire to get compensated for your time, that is your right and as long as you're happy with that, so am I, but if you feel that your time is worth something, then that is cool with me as well.

 

And if you don't want to pay for mods, then don't. But TONS, Don't you see!? This is going to lead to mods never being free ever again!!!! I doubt that. Maybe, maybe not. I prefer to cross bridges when I come to them and instead deal with the road I am currently on and right now, we have plenty of free mods and plenty of mod authors vowing not to go to pay only for their mods.

 

All I am saying is that like most other products, it isn't wrong to sell something just like it isn't to not sell something. Same goes for buying said products, but it is wrong to start attacking others for their decisions simply because you don't like what side of the fence they fell on.

 

If they shouldn't care about money, neither should you and you should just be giving money to every single author whose mod you use, but why don't you? Because you can't afford to do so? But they are wrong if they feel they can't afford to keep modding?

 

Let me be clear You are NOT wrong for not wanting to pay for mods just like they aren't wrong for wanting to charge for their mods, but it is wrong for either side to be attacking the other. Let's try to make our choice without attacking others for their choices.

[Vagrant0]

My suggestion is that Nexus implements the following systems:

 

1. Early Access to mod updates via fee/subscription.

 

If anyone here is a scifi fan, they may have heard of SFDebris. A good scifi reviewing site that reminds me a bit of MST3K. One of the ways he pays the bills is by giving his Paetron subscribers early access to his reviews. A system where a modder can give the latest update to his donators 30 days earlier is something people are willing to pay for.

 

2. Ad.fly links

If a modder wishes to supplement his income with ad.fly or an equivalent, I see no reason why not. Minecraft Mods have used this method for years.

 

3. A nexus "kickstarter" for mods system.

Allow the community to finance a mod development in exchange for: our name in the credits or whatever the modder thinks is fair.

 

More ideas to come as I think of them, if anyone has any ideas leave them in the comments.

 

To be frank.

 

1). No. Not only would this severely limit the amount of exposure that mod authors get during their initial upload, but it would also subject those who paid for the early privilege to be the ones who end up having to deal with any eventual bugs that appear between updates while holding those bug fixes hostage after the "free" version were made available. This is not only a horrible idea, but it also goes against the beliefs of this site.

 

2). No. People have tried running things through adfly before. The problem here is that adfly is an exterior service for file distribution which would not only break downloads through the NMM client (something the Nexus has spent a good deal of money developing), but can expose users to malicious ads or links which exist outside the control of the site. Using adfly, even as a mirror is still not allowed on site for this and a variety of other reasons.

 

3). No. I don't even know how such a kickstarter could even be created, nevermind how the proceeds of it could even remotely be distributed "fairly".

 

I know you're trying to help, but you really don't need to offer solutions at this time. There is a plan in place and time will tell what meaning any of this has on the shape of modding in years to come. Getting crazy or reactive about it doesn't do anything but perpetuate the crazy.

 

 

The Nexus has no intentions of ever putting any mods behind a pay-wall. There is a donation system in practice for allowing authors to supply a donation link related with their files. This link can be used freely by anyone inclined and capable to offer a donation. If you can't or don't want to donate, there is nothing forcing you to, and you can still show your support for a mod or an author through endorsements or positive comments in their mod thread. There is no need for a convoluted or extremely questionable system like you are suggesting.

 

Thread closed before this drags even further off into the pits of debate.