Heroes and Hooligans: The Heterogeneity of Video Game Modders

Abstract

Video games are hugely popular, generating more than twice the revenue of global movie and music industries combined. Whilst technically illegal and often carrying negative connotations, modding constitutes a moral grey area that is commonly accepted, often encouraged by proprietary owners and forum-centred gaming communities. Literature reflects a disparity between outsider and insider perceptions of modding, with a paucity of studies reflecting insider perspectives. Using Reddit forum data, this study contributes insight into perceptions of modding held by gamers and ‘modders’, as described in their words and their territory. Thematic analysis revealed four main themes relating to unfairness in the vendor community, modders as antagonists, differences between modders and modding as forms of self-defence. Conclusions include that modding appears to have both pro- and antisocial applications, but many people and organisations demonise modders as a homogeneous group, which may encourage antisocial behaviours.

The ethical dilemma of modding digital games: A literature review of the creation and distribution of mods

“…The contribution of mods also extends into the business sector, where certain game developers and designers view them as a form of participatory design (Small, 2018; Wells, 2018). By analysing the mods that are being developed for a certain digital game, game developers and designers can familiarise themselves with the game’s community, its design practices (Small, 2018), and what kind of features it expect to find (Curtis et al, 2021; Messias, 2020), but also can solve social concerns, such as understanding what content the queer community wants to see amended or incorporated into digital games (Howard, 2021). Furthermore, modders’ behaviour can also serve as inspiration for the development of other products, since the team is stimulated to continuously reflect upon an artifact, from which an alternative or opposite vision to the main project can emerge (Wells, 2018).…”

“…Just as the gaming experience is influenced in diverse ways, the motivations propelling modders’ actions are equally varied and multifaceted. Studies indicate that these motivations may stem from an identity need that is only fulfilled by expanding the available options in the game (Messias, 2020), from a sense of unfairness fostered by game companies (Curtis et al, 2021), from a desire to diversify or increase the game’s realism, bringing it closer to real life (Hofman-Kohlmeyer, 2021), from being a satisfying self-improvement activity (Deng and Li, 2021), or from having inadequate or inaccurate portrayals of queerness, prompting modders to rectify or reconfigure existing content (Howard, 2021). Expanding on the aforementioned motives, Tancred et al (2020) provide additional insights into the motivations of female modders, emphasising self-oriented motives – for example, leisure or self-learning – or game-oriented motives – for example, a desire to adapt the game to their preference – rather than financial or social reasons.…”

“…Accordingly, numerous studies advocate the potential of mods as a tool capable of enhancing or expanding games that have been on the market for quite some time (Alcázar and Francisco, 2021;Kretzschmar and Stanfill, 2019;Poretski and Arazy, 2017;Sukhov, 2021;Wells, 2018), which sometimes are already considered commercially obsolete (Wells, 2018) or technologically outdated (Sukhov, 2021). As a consequence of these enhancementsfor example, graphics, rules, mechanics, and bug fixingand expansionsdelivering new quests, characters, items, and features - (Curtis et al, 2021;Poretski et al, 2019;Poretski and Arazy, 2017), the total amount of hours the game can offer increases substantially (Kretzschmar and Stanfill, 2019;Wells, 2018). This enhanced or expanded content not only makes the game more attractive to its community (Poretski and Arazy, 2017), but also ensures that players' interest endures longer (Poretski et al, 2019;Small, 2018).…”

Understanding cybercrime in ‘real world’ policing and law enforcement

“…In the pathway to cybercrime, gaming modification represents an important step – crossing boundaries of law to achieve antisocial and financial goals, reflecting cybercrime itself (Curtis and Oxburgh, 2021). Gaming modifications and cybercrime also share a strong community aspect, centred around the use of forums for participants to socialise, share ideas and work collaboratively and/or competitively; these communities are considered important in the progression to cybercrime (NCA, 2017).…”

Digital displacement of youth offending: scoping and understanding the issue

“…Game cheating may progress from an individual user writing a cheat code for personal use to entering a black market of game cheats for sale (Pontiroli, 2019). Modding receives a varying response from game developers, with benevolent modding such as bug-fixing and creative additions largely ignored (Curtis et al , 2021). Use or sale of cheating mods can result in intellectual property suits for copyright infringement, such as the 2017 Epic Games lawsuit against a 14-year-old boy for selling game cheats for its popular title Fortnite (Lee, 2021).…”