Mods (Game Modifications)

Mods or game modifications are made by amateurs or sometimes developers. They use an existing game and make additions or changes to the files. The types of changes made by modifications vary wildly, sometimes a mod will replace all or some of the art giving the weapons and characters a new look but leave the game play unchanged, sometimes mods provide new maps and even new features to give players a completely different gameplay experience.

Mods which tweak an existing game are generally known as partial conversions while a mod which provides a completely new game will be called a total conversion. Mods always require the player to own the original game which has been modified. Generally they will download some files and replace the original game files in order to play the mod, some games are set-up to allow for mods and can be installed alongside the original without overwriting any files.

Mod are always distributed for free and developers generally make them for fun or to gain experience. They can also be a great way of testing out new gameplay ideas without going to the extent of developing a completely new game.

Some mods have made the transition to full commercial games; the most obvious example is Counter-Strike which was originally developed by a group of amateurs and released as mod but following amazing success subsequent versions have been developed as standalone commercial products.

Different games support modding to different degrees; one of the best engines for mods is the Source engine which has been used to develop Half-Life 2. The developer, Valve, also provide help distributing the mods and a number of tools to help amateurs develop them are provided free with any purchase of the game.

Working on a mod is a great way to gain experience in the industry and many professional developers started out modding. If you are interested in getting involved with a mod the best place to check out is the Mod Database.

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