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On the other hand, plenty of game modders have started a productive career from modding. In an ideal world, I'd agree it would be better that that energy would
by indigochill 5y ago
On the other hand, plenty of game modders have started a productive career from modding.
In an ideal world, I'd agree it would be better that that energy would go into free software. But in our current world, if there's a proprietary game someone is hooked on to the point they get excited about modding when they otherwise wouldn't and that modding leads to a career or even just skill development and perhaps connections with other modders, then overall it seems like it's still a productive use of time, if not entirely an equitable one from a monetary perspective.
- paulryanrogers 5y agoThere is a balance. I made some connections and learned skills after a few years of moderate to serious modding. With today's free or cheap tools though I'd encourage folks who find joy in modding to consider making their own modest IP. We used to mod because there was little hope of making your own 3D game without an existing engine. (When licensing costs were in the hundreds of thousands and we were poor school kids.)
- cobertos 5y agoAnecdote, but I started in modding and made some amazing friendships through it as well as honed my abstract reasoning I use for programming professionally now. There definitely social benefits that can outweigh the more concrete software == value and time trade-off benefits, but I find communities that are "worth" it _much_ harder to find these days.