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NewsWASD: Modding is (Sort of) Dead, Long Live User-Created Content

Posted 10/15/08 at 08:39:37 PM by Nathan Grayson

"Fallout 3, Far Cry 2, Fable 2... uh, LittleBigPlanet," I nonchalantly listed, sliding my scroll bar up and down a ludicrously large list of games that'll begin hogging shelf space next week. Instantly, a deafening shout of "OH! LittleBigPlanet!" flew straight and true, right into my unsuspecting ears, from the other side of a view-obscuring television. "You're so buying LittleBigPlanet!" My friend's voice continued, registering at somewhere around War-crime on the decibel scale.

Yeah, LittleBigPlanet's kind of a big deal around the gaming scene's more console-y bits, but what's it mean for PC gamers? Well, in these parts it's not quite a revolution, but it's pretty damn close.

Over the past couple years, "user-created content" has crept onto many game developers' billowing lists of PR-friendly buzz words, and with good reason. Whether it's Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion's character creation system or Spore's, well, everything, people love to spill their creative frustrations onto videogaming's canvas. (And drawing new Mega Man levels on graph paper is so nineties.)

Now stop! Take your finger off the scroll wheel; the comments section isn't going anywhere. Yes, PC gaming gospel states that we must fling ourselves into Internet forums, kissing the ground, and praising mods -- and games like Oblivion and Spore did not invent user-created content -- but guess what? Mods are old news, no matter how crazy-awesome they might potentially be.

Why? Consoles. Consoles. Consoles. Like it or not, aside from a few shining examples, game design has parked its heart in simpler interfaces and ease-of-use. PC gaming, its cash cow now six feet under for a number of reasons, simply isn't worth the effort these days. As a result, real mod support -- sloppily attempted in only a single console game -- watched its bungee cord snap as it plummeted right off developers' priority lists. After all, mod tools don't just appear out of thin air; they siphon extra time and cash away from other areas of development. When simple user-creation tools can offer a menagerie of similar (but less versatile) powers to a wider range of people, mod tools sadly get kicked to the curb.

Continue reading to find out why this trend might not be as awful as it sounds.

Comments: 10
TAGS: gaming, sony, mods, Consoles, fallout 3, Diablo III, far cry 2, WASD, LittleBigPlanet, user-created content

FeaturesThom Davis Has the Best Seizure Ever

Posted 09/29/08 at 06:09:20 PM by Tom Edwards

A man needs a place of his own, and when Thom Davis found using the family computer for his gaming pursuits to be less than ideal, he set about building the Seizure, the ultimate form-follows-function gaming rig. His goal was to create a rig that was gaming friendly, had no exposed wires, and looked good in the living room. We think he succeeded on all three counts.

While building the Seizure, Thom discovered that connector manufacturers definitely tend to think “inside the box,” and typically don’t make cables suitable for such a large rig, but with the assistance of a local electronics supply store, he was able to create the 6-foot cables he needed to complete the job.

More photos after the jump!

Comments: 6
TAGS: modding, mods, rig of the month, LEDs, computer mods, triple monitors, case mods, thom davis, seizure, wood

FeaturesThis Mod Goes HawgWild

Posted 09/22/08 at 05:55:21 PM by Tom Edwards

Vic McGuire found a diamond in the rough when he set out to build his latest mod. While browsing through a computer store, he found a custom case with chrome-plated front air grills in the junk pile and an idea came to mind. After arduously sanding the rust off the grills, Vic had the basis for the HawgWild U.S.A.

Hit the jump for more delicious photos!

Comments: 3
TAGS: mod, modding, mods, rig of the month, computer modding, vic mcguire, case mods, harley davidson

NewsMod Shop Gamers' Challenge Winners Announced!

Posted 08/07/08 at 06:25:08 PM by Nathan Edwards

The Mod Shop might be heading for the workshop in the sky, but that doesn't mean we're leaving our Gamers' Challenge contestants in the cold.

The contest prompt: Create your best mod featuring a brand, character (or characters), or theme from a game of your choice. Winner gets an all-expenses-paid trip to PAX.

We had a really hard time picking the winners for this one - they were all so good, we wish we could have chosen them all. But that's not how this works, so in the end our intrepid panel of judges had to pick just three: one Grand Prize winner, one Second Place, and a Juror's Prize for best first-time mod.

Hit the jump to meet the winners!

Comments: 1
TAGS: games, news, modding, mods, mod_shop, computer mods, computer modding, pax, penny arcade expo

FeaturesWe Love the Weighted Companion Cube Case, Not Sure If It Loves Us Back

Posted 07/08/08 at 08:21:57 PM by Tom Edwards

Scott Dacus is such a big fan of Portal his ringtone is the game’s theme song, “Still Alive.” However, an even bigger fan of the game commissioned Scott to build this case as a gift for his wife. We think this man is a genius or headed for divorce court—either way, he’s our new hero!