Mods

Mods. Modifications. Usually, when you hear this term, it’s in reference to video games. Mods for video games are changes to the core gameplay that add something new or remove an unwanted aspect of the original game. Whatever it is a mod actually does in any given instance, the idea is that it makes the gameplay closer to something that the user who installs the mod wants it to be (unless they are sorely mistaken as to what the mod is going to add).

Mods are a weird middleground between fully locked down software and free and open source software, in my mind. The actual software you are using doesn’t, in any regards, have to be free, and usually isn’t in most cases, But you’re still getting the chance to take what already exists and tailor it. For instance, I got on this topic because I’ve been adding mods to my Stardew Valley game (lovely game, please play and support). But I paid for that game, the source code isn’t available anywhere, and I’m not allowed to modify it and do whatever I want with it. In fact, the game doesn’t even officially support modding. There’s an open initiative to make a modding api for the game by the name of SMAPI.

I don’t believe SMAPI is breaking any hard set rules right now, and it’s actually filling a hole in the game that the (lone) developer may end up fixing. I think mods are very good for games, especially for games like Stardew Valley or Minecraft with very open ended gameplay. While mods are not a stand-in for the games being open source, I think that it makes more sense that they be moddable than be fully open source. See, Stardew Valley has a planned multiplayer update on the way. If the game was fully open source and free to redistribute, any number of small changes to the game could see multiple incompatible versions flying around. You could very easily get around this by just buying the game from our friendly lone developer, though he may see his game taken out from under him as another team.

There’s room to argue that it would be better if the game would be better, but for the time being, I’d like to say that I think modding is enough. A (well made) modding api gives modders easy access to the game by having a handy api to tap into without having to become full game developers on their own. They can make safe(r), modular changes to the game, and there’s usually a nexus where players can pick and find their favourite ones. If there’s any discrepancies with multiplayer games, most good modding systems tell the players which specific mods they’re missing, so they can go find them and install them, like package managers for python or javascript would for missing dependencies.

To wrap this all up succinctly, I think that mods are a beautiful addition to games, I think they serve a useful purpose to game developers and game players alike, and I think they may even be more beneficial than simply making a game open source without adding a modding api.

Anyway, I’ve had Stardew Valley on the mind for the past few hours if you can’t tell, so I’m going to get back to my sweet, sweet farming. Keegan out.