this post was submitted on 09 Oct 2024
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Modding has always been motivated by passion, not everything needs to be connected to money in this world, the capitalistic idea that only money can motivate people to do things sucks.
You don't pay people because it's the only motivator. You pay people because you need money to survive in this world. If we don't, then the only people who can afford to spend time making mods are those who are already have their basic needs taken care of through other means.
I would like to see a world where anyone with the passion for modding can make mods.
Go see what paid mods does to the modding scene in FF14 and think again. (spoiler: Its drama, people stealing assets and trying to monetize it, piracy, people paying for mods that stop working when the game updates and getting no refunds, etc)
So is all art, should artists all work for free? Why do I have to pay for books and movies? Aren't the authors motivated by passion? Isn't your argument the same one used by corporations underpaying game devs all the time, "since they should be happy fulfilling their passion"?
Agree, and I wish we lived in an utopia where nobody needs money and everyone can share their work freely. Sadly, this is not the world we live in, and so we need to reward passionate people to let them dedicate time to their passion rather than having to only focus on work for survival. That way not only rich people can afford to make mods.
You mention the world is not an utopia and on the same breath explains how we should make it even worse. I come from a third world country and as a kid most people could only afford one maybe two games, all my friends bought half-life and warcraft 3, can you guess why?
By your logic we should also make libraries paid and charge for all FOSS too, yes, lets put a price on everything! What an utopia this will lead to!
Wow, you managed to completely reverse what I said.
That doesn't follow at all. Books are not free, and yet libraries work just fine. By my logic we should allow book authors to charge for their books. Oh right, we already do. Why do you not like that?
I didn't mention having to charge for anything at all, even mods. I think mod authors should be allowed to charge for them if they choose to, just like for anyone else making anything else.
What a great example of my point. Charging for software is allowed, and yet there is lots of software released for free. Seems it's not that bad after all?
Quite the opposite. Good thing I don't share your ideas.
So you were fine with paying foreign corporations for these games, but you are not fine paying the kid down the street for his mod? Why do these well-off corporations deserve your money, but the modder who actually needs the money doesn't?
You do know that this whole comment chain was started by Valve trying to push paid mods with the help of Bethesda right? Just making sure because all your points make no sense in this context.
Before I start here, "kid down the street" really? Are you creating the image of a fictional modder to attract pity? Arent you gonna add that he has a dying mother that needs surgery or something?
But to answer the question, I have no issues paying 'the kid down the street' for mods, Im not sure if they were kids but I did donate to quite a few modders by now, would do so again.
Now back to the context: https://www.polygon.com/2015/4/27/8505513/bethesda-skyrim-paid-mods-valve-steam (source)
So lets see, 30% goes to Steam, 45% goes to Bethesda and whats left to the "modder who actually needs the money" is... 25% yep. Since I answered my question would you answer mine too? Are you okay with paying foreign corporations to exploit the work of the "kid down the street", keeping the vast majority of the profit?
Before you start typing 'but other companies wouldn't charge so much from the modder!', a few reminders: you said this isnt an utopia, Steam always charges 30%, always has always will, whatever other company that works with steam for paid mods will take their share too. Best case scenario that company takes 20% and the modder will get 50% (which they also have to pay taxes on ofc).
Paid mods is basically "having to charge". If you WANT to pay for mods I really need to ask, what is stopping you? If you actually care about the modders getting money, many of them have ko-fi/patreon platforms where they actually keep most of the money you give them, some of them take commissions even. Heck, Nexus Mods, largest mod distribution website, allows donations directly to the modders. There is nothing stopping you from paying for mods, now that Im an adult with a job I do pay for them often.
Yes, I started the conversion by saying that's bad and should be called out, why?
No, I'm going with your story of being a kid with no money in a third world country, because it was my childhood too. I solved that problem by spending my free time modding a free to play game – I was that kid down the street. Never got paid though. I would love if others did.
Yep, total bullshit. Why are you bringing it up though? We are in agreement here.
No, why? As I said in my first comment, they shouldn't get a cut. I'm not sure why are you are bringing these arguments to me, as if I ever disagreed.
Why would I ever type that, when I only support paid mods where all of the money goes to the modder without middlemen stealing a share?
Nothing, not long ago I bought a Kerbal Space Program mod for volumetric clouds from a guy called Blackrack. It's a paid mod only available by paying him on Patreon. It looks amazing and I think it's great he gets money for it. Which is why I support paid mods and don't like when people are against them.
Not sure why are you against them then. Based on your comments I think you are not against paid mods, you are against companies like Steam or Bethesda taking a cut. Which is exactly my position too, so I'm not sure what are you actually disagreeing with me about.
Great, this whole discussion is because of your inability to understand my first comment in context, the context of talking about Steam pushing for paid mods. Congratz, you wasted both of our times.
I understood it perfectly well, and wanted to clarify that it is not the concept of paying for mods that is problematic, but implementations like Steam did.
Because just saying "the paid mods shit" gives people a wrong idea that giving creators money is a bad thing, when that's not the problematic part.
Why you took my "the store shouldn't get a cut" comment and thought I support stores getting a cut, I have no clue.