Hard core gamers tend to have a game series that will always have their heart but sometimes that series may let them down and they seek to improve the game which then leads them to learn how to “mod” or modify the game or even create their own style of that game.
Thanks to resources such as Unity and Unreal plus things like the OUYA make it a lot more easier for people to create their own modifications or even their own games. Steam has become hip to this dawning and have ensured that there is a place for these “modders” to create their own works of interactive art by having the “Steam Workshop”.
Steam Workshop is there to try and consolidate content into one source and provide a vetting process to items before they are able to be put up in Steam. The first advantage to this workshop is that it’s easier to find newer content as opposed to searching through individual websites. Games with workshop functionality are listed clearly and once a gamer subscribes to that person’s modded content, Steam will make sure to download updates as needed which takes the stress off the gamer/player to download it manually.
A game that has mod workshop is Team Fortress; a First Person Shooter (FPS) game that has various settings to have shoot out matches with various roles to play. The creators of Team Fortress listen to suggestions made by their players to improve the game.
Popular and not so popular content can be rated by the people who play the game to let others know what’s out there dealing with this particular game. However, bear in mind that every game will have different content for their games. Such as Team Fortress 2 allows players to post items and hats for consideration while CounterStrike Global Offensive is about maps, stickers, and weapon finishes.
A key point about the Steam Workshop has to do with the commerce of digital items. Depending on the game, new content maybe easily integrated into the game or it will be vetted by a developer and if that was the case, again – it will be up to the players to give feedback to the developer.
If for instance, someone creates content for Team Fortress 2 and its bought then that person gets the royalties for it which brings in good money for developers and the content creators. It’s a win-win situation; the developer gets new content without having to create it themselves and creators get money for their creations as well as being part of something.
The Catch:
For anyone to start modding for Steam, the game in which a creator wants to mod for has to be part of the Steam Valve which allows content to be integrated into Steam’s feature and functionality.
Although a lot of game developers may feel like modding is blasphemy and can ruin their pride and joy, they also need to realize that there’s a community for their game and it’s actually the gamers/players that make the game have life and they make the game(s) evolve with their ideas and their modifications.