Queerness and Modification in Mainstream and Indie Games

The ethical dilemma of modding digital games: A literature review of the creation and distribution of mods

“…Additionally, modding a game presents a double-edged sword scenario. Even if problems are addressed and the community is satisfied and fulfilled, it might create a 'problem solved' perception for game companies, which can cause them cease proactive efforts in addressing certain aspects, assuming modders will resolve them (Howard, 2021). Moreover, the legal intricacies persist as one of the most pivotal issues to address.…”

“…In contrast, open-world games exhibit a higher modding activity, precisely because, in general, the mod will not affect the main structure of the game, but rather complement it. This modular perspective fosters the ecology of mods and cooperation between teams of modders (Poretski and Arazy, 2017), that combine and recycle resources from different mods, building new mods on top of existing ones (Howard, 2021; Poretski and Arazy, 2017; Small, 2018), a practice intrinsically linked to the participatory and remix culture, contributing to the growth of the modding phenomenon and the diversity of the digital game audience (Howard, 2021; Small, 2018).…”

“…Modders, stimulated by co-creation practices and mutual support, are able to provide games that otherwise would not be available in the country, either for market or infrastructure reasons (Messias, 2020). From a social perspective, Howard (2021) introduces the modding phenomenon as a means to make games more inclusive, specifically by altering how queerness is portrayed. Modders who engage in the activity with this purpose primarily modify the game’s discourse and elements so that they either have a greater emphasis on queerness or portray it positively.…”

“…While it is undeniable that mods can negatively impact the gaming experience (Poretski et al, 2019), either by providing the player with an unfair advantage over his/her peers or by erroneously portraying or ridiculing certain social groups (e.g., Howard, 2021;Maisenhölder, 2018), the benefits outweigh any negative effects (Poretski et al, 2019). Accordingly, numerous studies advocate the potential of mods as a tool capable of enhancing or expanding games that have been on the market for quite some time (Alcázar and Francisco, 2021;Kretzschmar and Stanfill, 2019;Poretski and Arazy, 2017;Sukhov, 2021;Wells, 2018), which sometimes are already considered commercially obsolete (Wells, 2018) or technologically outdated (Sukhov, 2021).…”

“…Issues such as AI, singularity, transhumanism, data privacy, gender representativity, social inequality based on digital access and competencies, the ‘Always-On’ Culture versus the Right to ‘Turn-off’, and excessive information tailoring resulting from algorithms, are just a fraction of a list that only tends to grow over time, spreading across social, political, scientific, and economical contexts. Modding is, for better and for worse, an exceptional playground to tackle a limited number of these concerns, particularly in enhancing the availability (Messias, 2020) and inclusiveness of digital games (Howard, 2021). It also serves, however, as an environment in which discussions surrounding digital ethics-related matters are likely to unfold, given that the unrestricted creativity within mod culture and the ambiguous legal framework continue to reside within a realm of uncertainty (Deng and Li, 2021; Kretzschmar and Stanfill, 2019; Postigo, 2008).…”