The release was full of flaws, and Valve canceled the idea after just three days in operation. The program clearly wasn’t ready, but does that mean that paying for Skyrim Steam mods is a bad idea?
Modders Should Be Paid - If That’s What They Want
Some people are totally okay with creating content for free. To those people, creating Skyrim Steam mods (or mods for other games) is a labor of love, not something they want to sell. That’s fine, and those people should be allowed to continue releasing their work for free. Had it been successful, Valve’s program would have allowed modders to make a career of modding. Making money at something like this means more content creators are drawn to the system, which might encourage higher-quality mods.
Unfortunately, that’s not how things panned out. With Valve and the game’s developers taking such a high cut of the profits, Valve’s system felt more exploitative of modders’ work than representative. While it makes sense that some money should go to the developers for creating the game and to Valve for hosting the content, the way it was split felt unfair to modders who could make considerably more money off of donations.
A better option and one Valve has said they’re considering for future versions of the paid Skyrim Steam mods system is a “pay what you want” option. This would allow players to choose the amount of money they want to contribute toward the developer, letting those who want to pay do so without having to go to the developer’s site to donate. A further improvement would be for Valve to take a page out of Humble Bundle’s book and start using sliders that would allow those who want to pay for mods to determine how much of their donation goes to Valve, the game’s developer or to the modder.
Page 2: Paying for Mods Outside of Steam
Skyrim Steam Mods Get Tangled Up In Licensing
Another downside to the potential for paid mods is that allowing modders to charge for their work would also require some limitations. You’re allowed to include copyrighted material in mods (like the infamous mod that replaces all of the dragons in Skyrim with Thomas the Tank Engine) if they’re free, but all that will change once modders start charging.
Regarding copyright issues, Valve would not require modders to charge, thereby sidestepping the problem of including licensed material. Addressing the concerns of modders whose code might be “borrowed” for paid mods is a little more difficult, as it would be difficult to track where the code came from and who’s borrowing from whom. Some people have proposed a licensing system that would allow modders to name a separate price for those who want to build on their initial mod. This would allow a part of the proceeds to go to the original modder as well. Because Valve’s original paid mod program didn’t address this shortcoming, it’s unclear what, if anything, they might do to remedy this in the future.
Valve’s Program Isn’t the Only Avenue for Paid Skyrim Steam Mods
Though Valve’s program didn’t work out, there are still options for modders who want to be paid for their work. Many modders accept donations via their websites, and there are also avenues like Patreon that allow fans to subscribe and pay a monthly amount of their choosing to support their favorite creator. These options allow modders to make money without relying on Valve as a middleman. They also encourage those who want to help modders to seek them out and contribute in a way that works for everyone.
If one thing is certain, it’s that the paid Skyrim Steam mods program opened up a dialog about paying for mods. Though the release didn’t go as planned and has been shut down, it’s encouraged many people to think about the work that modders put in with little reward. It has also encouraged some to seek out their favorite modders and thank them financially for their work. We don’t know what Valve’s later version of the paid mod program will look like if it comes to pass at all, but recognizing the work of modders is still good for the community and it’s hoped that these conversations will improve the modding community with or without Valve involved.
