Have you ever had a video game that you enjoyed playing but wished the game had more features? For instance: what if your farming simulator video game had meteorites crash down causing fires to spread? Or your racing video game had monster trucks instead of sports cars.
These types of changes to video games cannot be done by the gaming studio who built the video game without immense fan support. Instead, fans of the video games take the time to alter and add these unique features themselves. This type of creative ingenuity is called: modding.
The term “modding” is slang for “modify”. However, modding is a term uniquely associated with technological mediums such as software, hardware, and so on. The appropriate definition of modding is to perform a function not intended by the original designer, or to achieve bespoke specification or appearance.
All in all, modding allows anyone the freedom to add adjustments to their favorite technology. The power of modding is actually more for video games than anything else; because video games are easier to modify. The only things you need to modify a video game are a working computer, the video game itself, and any third-party software. The third-party software often includes open-source software to edit the game such as a 3D modeling software and an integrated development environment (a programming software).
Modding is used pretty regularly in today’s market of video games. While some video game companies do not condone the modding trend, others welcome the creative effort from their fans. Video games that end up being modded by fans usually benefit everyone who plays the game.
A great example of this is the 2011 release of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. When The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim released, the video game was plagued with problems. The game consisted of bugs and glitches all over the place that made the game an awful experience. Sometimes, the video game would crash altogether without warning, causing your hardware to exit the game entirely. Needless to say, The Elder Scroll V: Skyrim was a mess.
The company, Bethesda, remedied the core issues that plagued the video game files but did not eliminate all of them. If you play The Elder Scroll V: Skyrim, you will eventually run into some unfixed bugs and glitches causing the game to be potentially game-breaking. If you do not want to experience a bug or glitch, then you can mod the game with the Unofficial Skyrim Patch.
In short, the Unofficial Skyrim Patch is a mod to The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim video game that removes all of the potential bugs, glitches, game-breaking aspects, and crashes. The extreme benefit to understand is that your video game purchase will be a complete product with no unforeseeable disruptions if you mod the game. Which is why modding video games usually benefits everyone.
Modding a video game today is the equivalent of improving or fixing the video game. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is a great example of fixing a broken product, but what about improving one? Introducing The Sims 4! Released in 2014, The Sims 4 is still an active video game in development. New content for the video game is still being released from Electronic Arts every so often, as well updates for bug fixes and glitches.
Modding The Sims 4 is mostly improving the video game’s fidelity. The Sims 4 has loads of mods from the fans and the quantity is rather absurd. From in-game clothing, hairstyles, construction tools, and even furniture to zombies, fairies, and even fan-made worlds to explore.
In the YouTube video The Sims 4 Zombie Apocalypse -MOD- V 2.0 Last Escape – Release Trailer by SACRIFICIAL, the entire video game can be modified to add a brand-new feature altogether. The zombie mod for The Sims 4 replaces the core elements of the video game creating a new experience entirely. This added mod, as well as others, improves the video game of The Sims 4 for those who want a much broader product.
When did modding video games start? According to the YouTube video What is Modding? How Some of Gaming’s Strangest Creations Led to the World’s Biggest Esports by theScore esports, modding really took off around the video game known as DOOM in 1993. DOOM was a popular first-person shooter adventure story set within the future on Mars fighting tyrannical demon-spawn.
The subsequent mods for DOOM exploded because the core gameplay for the video game was simply fun. Additionally, the constructed files for DOOM were easy to change and modify. Fans could create their own content for DOOM and begin replacing, altering, and removing features of the video game overall.
As time passed and newer video games released, modding took shape into incredible machinations of projects. According to the YouTube video The Importance of Modding by Super Bunnyhop, some popular video games today, such as Counter-Strike, became video games because they originally started as a mod of another video game. The original ideas or concepts of one game that fans ultimately enjoy can actually create a mod that becomes a new video game.
Modding will be continued indefinitely with each new popular video game or even historical video game. The concept of modding was not industry built; fans of video games and technology products started the trend. We have many people to thank for their talents and discoveries to make our products better for everyone.
However, there is a question: what will modding become? As the digital era of our world continues to expand, modding will also be integrated with that advancement. Modding is either done by an individual or a group of people who have an interest with a product or service.
One can hope that modding continues to benefit everyone: the original designers, developers and fans. The enjoyable aspect of seeing creation and fun come to life is truly amazing. However, not all gracious and wonderful ideals last forever.
The name “Pondersaur” means “words with a roar” alluding to the creature’s distinct communication.
