On November 11, 2011, the Video game developers Bethesda Game Studios release a game called The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. This was to be the latest installment in the Elder Scrolls game series. On midnight the game was release and fans everywhere rejoiced as they rode across the countryside slaying dragons and taking arrows to the knee. It is what happened following the release and subsequent years that was truly incredible about the game.
In Bethesda games prior to Skyrim, modifying (also known as modding) the game was very rooted in the culture of these titles. Mods would spread throughout the community, evolving as time went on, changing and adding on to what the original game came with out of the box. Mods could do anything from improve the menu of the game, to adding new weapons and armor, or even add entire new zones for players to explore. Skyrim was no exception to this trend. Thousands of mods flooded the internet that allowed adventurers to take their Skyrim experience to whole new levels.
In April, 2015, almost 4 years since the release of Skyrim, the modding community is neck deep in the world of Skyrim. It was at this time, the companies Valve (the company that hosts Skyrim on Steam, a client used for purchasing and running games) and Bethesda decided they would implement a feature that would allow mod creators to put their work on the Steam workshop for a price. This was unheard of in the modding community, not only for Skyrim, but for every other game that mods have been written for as well. The modding community was in chaos and rage. The overwhelming majority of mods written for Skyrim were hosted on a single website called nexus mods, they were all free and could be downloaded whenever. There were several problems that presented themselves with adding a price to mods on Steam. Scammers could simply copy the mod on nexus and post it on steam for a price, robbing the original author of their work and any compensation they would receive from it. Another issue was quality assurance. Modders are not full time developers; they write mods because of their passion for the game. If a gamer pays for a mod, and it is either broken or doesn't work with another mod that gamer is running, there is no way to refund it, and there is no obligation on the modder's side to fix their work. This entire situation also caused a divide in the modding community, as some modders pulled their work from the website and put it up for a price, to the outrage of modders and gamers alike. The paid mod idea might seem like a good idea to reward modders for their hard work, but there was a catch. To even get to touch the money they earned, they must make a minimum 100 dollars. And on top of that price, each mod was usually about a dollar in price. To add insult to injury, Valve got 30% of the cut, Bethesda got 45%, and the modder got a measly 25% of their sale. So for every dollar earned by the modder, they would only see 25 cents. The situation was absolutely appalling and the community lashed out hard. Reddit was on fire, as well as dozens of internet forums and message boards. People were pissed about this change, and they were letting Valve know it.
Not a week later from the release of this program, Valve and Bethesda rolled back their changes, refunding everyone who spent money on Skyrim mods, and removing them from the store. The pressure from the Skyrim modding community was enough to push back the decision of two large corporations. I watched as this entire ordeal unraveled, from the initial announcement to the apology issued by Valve. The Skyrim community was able to change the decision of two large entities, that undoubtedly spend a lot of time and money on this decision. Gamers, sitting behind their computer screens were able to achieve what has rarely been done before.
I was very happy at the success the Skyrim modding community had in reversing Valve's decision. I worry however, that they will try it again in a community less cemented by time. Fallout 4 is Bethesda's newest title coming out this fall, and I fear that Valve and Bethesda will kill any chance this game has to grow a healthy modding community before it even has the chance to start.
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