Aussies who took modding to a whole new level

For many of us with the burning desire to make games, the original inspiration came from actually playing them. And while on that path, we often find ourselves playing those games and thinking maybe we can do better. In some cases, this can be what encourages fledgeling developers to hone their craft by modding, before flapping their wings and flying towards professional careers in gaming.

The fact is, we all come from different backgrounds and various walks of life, we’re all drawn to gaming for diverse reasons, based on our own unique tastes and preferences. You only need look at our resident panel of experts here to know that: https://js13kgames.com/#experts

What all of them share is the passion for creativity, sharing their knowledge and expertise, and being part of a much wider gaming community. That’s what also drives the ideals behind modding, and many of the most famous games have cultivated huge and highly active modding communities, where the vast majority of contributors give freely of their time to make games better.

From simple quality of life improvements to make a game user interface better, cosmetic additions for characters and game worlds, to massive DLC sized expansions or total conversions. Modders have undoubtedly made a great contribution to the wider games industry, arguably enhancing the reach and appeal of numerous major titles over the years.

For a little context, just think about how popular Skyrim would have been (and still is), without the thousands of dedicated modders around the world. Nevertheless, while some studios and publishers welcome and embrace that input, actively encouraging it for the betterment of their games, others aren’t so keen about other people pulling their game coding apart.

This was the inspiration for a group of modding enthusiasts from Australia, who started their journey by launching ModDB.com back in 2002, which still remains one of the largest online repositories for mods for countless games released over the last couple of decades. Then came the proprietary mod.io software platform, enabling large and small studios alike to enable official mod support in their games, even offering it for free to indie developers: https://mod.io/about

Undoubtedly a game-changer within the industry, empowering User Generated Content (UGC) will shape trends around games for years to come, allowing developers and gaming studios to strengthen their levels of interaction with players. What’s more, facilitating easier integration of mods will enhance the ways people interact and engage with games. And who knows, it could inspire the next generation of modders and future games developers.

Given there are so many genres and niches within games development, the realms of possibility are practically limitless. There’s also lots of varied segments to the games industry. Focusing on Australia, which has become something of a global hub for games tech innovation, there’s everything from VR and AR development to Web3 and blockchain, with studios of all sizes focused on the latest cutting-edge advances.

One great example is the iGaming sector, which is renowned for both following and setting trends in development. Creative talents come from various backgrounds and influences, from those who started out modding or coding indie games, to experts in making safe and secure software that makes casino sites tick. Such sites and games are usually on the receiving end of the strongest reviews: https://www.gambleonlineaustralia.com/minimum-deposit-casinos/

We could even see casino games incorporating UGC in the not-too-distant future, as iGaming companies look towards products based around community interaction. It’s an interesting thought, and one that has already inspired the mainstream gaming industry. And that’s why we’re all here, because the chance to create makes us feel part of a much bigger community.

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