The ebbing appeal of game mods has begun to make waves in the home console environment, with both Bethesda’s Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim and Fallout 4 paving the way for user-generated content to make face on currently on Xbox One and soon on PlayStation 4. While gamers will have the benefit of customizing their game experience with these unique options, the modding community is facing an unfair level of frustration with its generated content, which may ultimately affect what makes it to consoles in the first place.
An all-too-common occurence within the modding realm is when mods are stolen and claimed by someone else, taking the credit for someone else’s hard work and effort.While Bethesda has issued the requirement to upload all mods with a Steam-linked account, efforts such as this don’t stop everyone. The only other line of defense on this front is for users to log a Digital Millennium Copyright Act, or DMCA, so that when a modder creates a mod he or she can dispute it and request the unauthorized copy to be removed. The down side to the DMCA route is that it’s a time-consuming path to take and often forces more effort out of the creator his or herself.
Some of the most popular mods, as one would expect, are mods that emulate in-game nudity, and one popular mod, called Caliente’s Beautiful Bodies Enchancer (CBBE), currently is not supported under the Steam-based requirements for hosting on consoles, since it’s hosted on a site called Nexus, the biggest PC modding community dedicated to its craft. While the mod does feature nudity, CBBE also enhances modification options for character creation, and mod creator Caliente wished to create a more family-friendly version of the mod so console players could reap in the benefits of further character customization without the nudity. However, Caliente considered it an issue with how Bethesda handles mod theft and has made it clear that something must change before CBBE makes an appearance on home consoles.
Furthermore, Caliente feels that mod creators should gain proper representation for the work they put into their non-profit content if that content is to be supported by Bethesda. Caliente said:
“Please let Bethesda know you’re on the Mod Author’s side, and the minimum legal requirement isn’t good enough. I furthermore urge all other mod authors to take the same stance…this is a community that can only succeed and thrive when creators’ hard work is respected.”
An official statement has yet to come from Bethesda on the matter, but with mod support already in effect for the Xbox One and soon to be implemented on PS4, user content may be limited due to constant theft and an improper system in place to protect that content from theft. For our sakes, those of us who haven’t had a lot of time to experience the wonders that game mods can offer, we can only hope that the modding community remains vigilant in generating content until a proper protective content system can be realized.