Concepedia

Of Mods and Modders

Games and Culture · 2007 · 218 citations · 12 references

TL;DR

Fan‑programmers, or modders, are integral to the PC digital game industry, with fan culture deeply embedded in shared practices that economically and culturally benefit society. The study investigates the economic value, motivations, and broader high‑tech economic implications of fan‑produced game add‑ons in the PC first‑person shooter market from 2002‑2004. The authors surveyed the most commercially successful PC first‑person shooter games from 2002 to 2004 to collect data on fan‑produced add‑ons.

Abstract

This article is concerned with the role that fan-programmers (generally known as “modders”) play in the success of the PC digital game industry. The fan culture for digital games is deeply embedded in shared practices and experiences among fan communities, and their active consumption contributes economically and culturally to broader society. Using a survey of the most commercially successful PC games in the first-person shooter category from 2002 until 2004, this article answers a series of questions concerning fan-programmer produced content: (a) What is the value of the fan produced game add-ons in terms of labor costs? (b) What motivates fans to make add-ons for their favorite games? and (c) How does the fan-programmer phenomenon in PC gaming fit into broader trends in the high-tech economy?