What's your take on Gabe Newell's idea to monetize modding ?

[Alithinos]

So hi,I watched this video with Gabe Newell from Valve saying that Valve is planning to expand the Steam Workshop by offering modders the opportunity to "live by creating mods for video games".

Similar market already exists for Team Fortress 2,but it seems Valve liked the response it got and now wants to expand this to other games too,and Gabe seems so sure of monetized mods that he thinks more developers/publishers are going to adopt similar systems in the future,because "it benefits everybody,modders,original game makers,and simple gamers".

So what to do you think about that ? Do you like and agree with this idea ? Share your opinion!

 

 

Link:

Edited February 2, 2013 by Alithinos

[bben46]

I disagree, that will move modding from an amateur activity that anyone can get into and have fun with to a cutthroat competitive business with each modder jealously guarding their ideas and techniques instead of freely sharing as many do now. I am already seeing some of this in modders demanding that no one be allowed to use their mod or any part of it as a basis for a newer mod. or demanding 'donations' to improve their mods (not allowed on the Nexus)

 

Imagine if you are a modder who made a FREE reasonably popular mod that allows other people to use it or parts of it. Then a semi professional modder takes a portion of your mod and creates a mod using it - and is paid for your work. Will you make any more free mods? or any more mods at all? Or allow anyone to use any part of your work to make money without giving you a cut? There will be constant accusations of copyright infringement, demands for mods to be removed because they copied something in someone elses mod, and threats of lawsuits. The little guys will be driven away by the money grubbers.

 

This actually is a violation of the Bethesda EULA - but because Newell's Steam is a big business he will get away with something that Bethesda doesn't allow the little guys to do.

 

Result - modding as we know it destroyed by greed. Many modders will pull their mods and just retire because it won't be fun any more. I think Gabe may be a bit naive - or just greedy with this suggestion. He sees it as a way for Steam to make more money. and possibly to get better quality mods by having more professional programmers submit mods in the hope of making money - the reality will be most modders who do manage to get paid get a little beer money. While a very few pros get a bit more - but still not much. Then steam reserves those good mods as Steam only exclusives.

 

The Nexus created the mod market by making mods free for anyone. Steam is trying to find a way to make even more money by monetizing mods. When they pay a modder, they can make the mod a steam exclusive. That will force more users to go to steam for mods. Just as they have forced gamers to go to Steam for games. And if another site has that mod - they will get a take down from steams lawyers. Because by paying - Steam owns the mod, not the creator.

 

Some of the problems I see - say a modder makes a decent mod, then uploads it to a mods site where mods are free. then someone gets it there and sells it to steam. Do you think steam is going to punish the person they bought the mod from, or the person who actually made the mod but uploaded it free somewhere else? - Many modders already refuse to upload to Steam's workshop because steam is slow to admit they allow people to upload mods they got from other sites.

[TheUninvitedGuest]

Ben - would the copyright issues you suggest not be handled by the fairly robust software licensing system that already exists ? An example I can think of is the "Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike" Creative Commons license.

 

Furthermore - the quality and scope of mods "might" improve as a result of partial monetisation. Just take a look at HackerNews and other web dev communities. Despite money being involved there is still a robust open source market and a huge exchange of techniques and ideas.

 

I'm not a proponent of this scheme - but I don't think the potential merits can be dismissed out of hand without far more data to consider.

[ziitch]

I have to admit... We need to shatter the "spotlight culture" that's sprang up ever since the Internet became so easy to use. It's not attention that we need; what it comes down to is that we just want an audience that's passionate enough to care about what we are doing, and are able to help out or able to think things through for themselves. Adding in or getting the attention of people that just bum rush in without taking a few moments to understand and familiarize themselves with what's going on only adds to the problem instead giving it the solution of what should be done to popularize it (which, again - Do you really think that is what we were asking for?)

 

Giving modding the attention "you think it needs" is different to the attention modding wants. This is something you have to cautiously approach, and just because it caught Gabe's attention and he did some research on it doesn't mean that everyone else is going to do the very same approach as he did - In fact, they're going to do very, very much less when the spotlight is on us.

 

So shine it somewhere else. Or do something better - Shatter it, and leave us to our own tools. We're not trying to be elitist; we just want a natural filter of sorts to keep it enjoyable for both the modders and users.

Edited February 2, 2013 by ziitch

[brokenergy]

Gabe should just focus on making more Valve products (Half Life THREE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!) rather than trying to find other sources of revenue.

[JimboUK]

Look what money did to the Sims community, I don't want to see the same happen here.

[hector530]

that video is an hour long when do the conspiracy theories begin?

[Gracinfields]

Look what money did to the Sims community, I don't want to see the same happen here.

 

 

So Sims did put in premium user generated content? I heared they were looking into it but wasn't sure. I heared Star Craft 2 modding community is getting rather nasty due to money getting involved as well.

[Beriallord]

Ben pretty much outlined everything as to why modding shouldn't be monetized. I think it would be a disaster to the modding community. And Gabe Newell is being too greedy.

[bben46]

Ben - would the copyright issues you suggest not be handled by the fairly robust software licensing system that already exists ? An example I can think of is the "Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike" Creative Commons license.

Yup, IF Valve uses them instead of the more restrictive copyrights they use for other stuff.

 

Furthermore - the quality and scope of mods "might" improve as a result of partial monetisation. Just take a look at HackerNews and other web dev communities. Despite money being involved there is still a robust open source market and a huge exchange of techniques and ideas.

How about some other communities - such as the Sims? They are a pesthole now. With modders at each others throats over who owns what and what others can do with what they claim to own. While still others have quit modding in disgust. And noobs get beat up unmercifully.

 

I'm not a proponent of this scheme - but I don't think the potential merits can be dismissed out of hand without far more data to consider.

 

Agree - more data is required, and I believe that is part of what Gabe is after with that comment. :thumbsup: