Difference between Tools and Mods

[Archvile359]

I currently have a predicament which I would appreciate feedback on. It involves differentiating the concepts of "tools" and "mods". I'll explain what I refer to as a tool and would appreciate any input on other words that could be used to describe what I mean.

 

Tools: Are used by players to analyze their gameplay to help them overcome challenges in a game. For instance, a tool could be a heatmap or a battle calculator such as this. They are not modifications of the game and do not influence gameplay directly.

 

Mods: Change the gameplay experience by changing something about the game directly. This could be done through changing environments, characters, and gameplay physics.

 

Currently, when I speak about tools, everyone has a different idea of what that word means and it usually depends on the context in which they experience "tools". If they are a game developer, they think of game development tools like Unity plugins and such. If they play games they might think of things like axes, hammers, and anvils. I'm looking for a better way to describe the definition of "tools" which I gave above.

 

Thank you for the feedback!

[obobski]

I think all of your examples are "correct" and you're right to note the different contexts as changing meaning - more qualifiers would help, e.g. "game development tools" can help to add clarity. Alternately, what you're referring to as "tools" are also known as "trainers" or "utilities" in some contexts (especially depending on what they do specifically).

 

However, as you've noted, there isn't going to be perfect 1:1 transferability between contexts and people.

Edited May 19, 2016 by obobski

[Archvile359]

It seems that you're right in saying there is no 1 word that conveys the context and usage at the same time. Utilties and trainers are good examples though.