The Discourse of Digital Dispossession: Paid Modifications and Community Crisis on Steam

Abstract

This article is a chronicle and analysis of a community crisis in digital space that took place on Valve Corporation's digital distribution platform, Steam. When Valve and Bethesda (publisher and developer of Skyrim) decided to allow mods to be sold by mod makers themselves, there ensued a community revolt against the commodification of leisure and play. I put this crisis of play and work in dialogue with Harvey's (2004) concept of "accumulation by dispossession", firmly placing it within a longer history of disruptive capital accumulation strategies. I then conduct a discourse analysis of community members on reddit, as they make sense of and come to terms with this process of dispossession. Arising in the discourse was not class consciousness per se, but instead a pervasive feeling of helplessness and frustration as games, play, and leisure began to feel like work.

Gamer Resistance to Marketization of Play

“…Figure 2 is a screenshot from YouTuber, Clare Siobhan, who expresses disgust at the idea of not using custom content for her Sims. Given the communal support for mods in Skyrim, in April 2015, Bethesda and Valve implemented a paid system in which each developer and the modders themselves split the profits (Joseph 2018). This was largely rejected by consumers of mods and modders alike and after experiencing backlash online, the program was discontinued and refunds for purchases were provided after only four days (Joseph 2018).…”

“…Given the communal support for mods in Skyrim, in April 2015, Bethesda and Valve implemented a paid system in which each developer and the modders themselves split the profits (Joseph 2018). This was largely rejected by consumers of mods and modders alike and after experiencing backlash online, the program was discontinued and refunds for purchases were provided after only four days (Joseph 2018). Mods often incur creative risks that are not likely to be pursued by a video game developer (Postigo 2007) and I argue that commodifying mods entraps modders and does not allow these creative risks to be taken.…”

“…Mods often incur creative risks that are not likely to be pursued by a video game developer (Postigo 2007) and I argue that commodifying mods entraps modders and does not allow these creative risks to be taken. Joseph (2018) warns that the distinction between the hobbies (gaming) and work lives will dissolve if trends toward commodification of gaming continue; essentially, play becomes work.…”

“…Previous literature claims that for a dedicated fan base, there can be a desire for "more expansive world-more territory-beyond the official incorporated media property" (Dholakia, Reyes and Kerrigan 2018, p. 346). Modding enables the community to support the game and add to it even after support by the developer has been discontinued (Joseph 2018). Corporate attempts at profiting on these communal efforts make it a business and not something that is being done for fun, something that is intended to provide more life to a beloved game.…”

“…Elder Scrolls and Fallout series) and Valve (e.g. Left 4 Dead and Portal series; digital distribution platform, Steam), to commodify these mods were largely rejected by modding communities and modders themselves (Joseph 2018). The modding community recognized the attempted corporate effort to profit from creative efforts taken by modders and reacted to it, as I explain further below.…”