Modding has been a staple of the PC gaming community for almost as long as anyone can recollect. A healthy modding scene can sustain a game well past its initial launch year as usually only someone’s creativity is the limit to what you can add. There has always been a healthy community focused around modding, but this is something that has never truly made it’s way to consoles. Though modding isn’t just to add bite-size content, it can lead to the entire creation of new franchises such as Day Z or DOTA.
Sure, people have altered or hacked into the system, but it’s incredibly rare for any title to allow their users complete freedom to alter it on any platform other than a computer. Though this could have something to do with the actual power of our last-gen systems, the entire concept of modding on our consoles never really caught fire until recently. This is obviously thanks to Bethesda and their announcement back at the last year’s E3 that Fallout 4 would allow mods on their console versions.
While this may not sound like a big deal to a PC user, the idea of receiving a plethora of high-end mods for a AAA game is pretty much unheard of. Titles like Team Fortress 2, Left 4 Dead, and Skyrim have a massive, thriving community that has been supported by a healthy stream of mods. This was only boosted by Valve introducing the Steam Workshop, which is basically a virtual storefront for any prospective gamer looking to add to their favorite titles. Yet here on consoles, we are just beginning to experiment with this idea and one can only predict that it will be a massive success.
By allowing mods into their titles, Bethesda is giving players the freedom and creativity to enhance their gameplay and experiences within Fallout 4. There is already a wealth of mods for players on Xbox One to choose from, such as the famous Macho Man Deathclaws and the deceptively useful Campsite. All of these and more can easily extend the life of Fallout 4 for years to come, which can help sustain a healthy, engaged community. However, Bethesda adding mods to Fallout 4 isn’t just ideal for their title but the entire industry itself.
There is no doubt that adding mods to consoles will have a ripple effect throughout the rest of the major gaming industry, regardless if Fallout 4 is successful or not. Bethesda is very much the guinea pig for this concept right now, as the future of console modding rests on their shoulders. If it’s a success, as we predict it will be, there is a high likelihood that we will see modding available in more console titles. What company wouldn’t want their fanbase generating more and more content for them? After all, studios are constantly pushing the idea of DLC at every press conference. Since mods are free, this seems like a prospect that is too good to pass up, which does beg the question, why now?
One argument that could be levied towards the modding community is the problem of quality. When you have tons of people making content for your title, there are bound to be some poor options that could break, crash, or bug out a player’s game in some unknown way. There’s no doubt that quality control would need to be an absolute must if we see more and more studios embrace this idea. No body wants to allow mods and just open the floodgates without any sort of regulation. Mods could also cause a lot of pushback from developers such as Nintendo, as they have been incredibly strict with allowing users to stream their content, let alone have the tools to mod it. Super Mario Maker is probably the closest you will ever get to actual modding when it comes to our favorite plumber.
Yet the negatives are far outweighed by the positives in this situation, as Bethesda’s move to add modding to Fallout 4 is everything consoles have needed right now. With so many big titles releasing each year, a games sustainability is always in question. There are always newer and shiner games releasing each month that players can sink hours into once they have run dry of another game’s content. However, if video game developers begin to allow mods on a more mainstream level, it can easily extend the life of a title well beyond it’s released content.
Though we as gamers would need to hold studios accountable if they send out unfinished games under the assumption that the modding community will just add more content. Modding is meant to enhance an already rich game, not actually add much-needed content into the title itself. It’s a fine balance that console games have not had to deal with, but one that could truly make our systems feel next gen. If Fallout 4’s newest feature turns out to the be the success many of us think and hope for, then this will truly be a game-changer for the entire industry. After all, every video game should include at least one Macho Man Randy Savage mod.
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