Game Modding: What it means to me

I'm an avid computer gamer.  I started playing games on an Apple ][ clone called a Laser-128 way back in 1986 or earlier thereabouts.  One of the first games I played was a strategy game called "Battles of Napoleon" and I also did the usual hash around with BASIC programming.  I also played those early Infocom games.

Okay, so I've been around awhile.  And I also was an early afficiando of editing games, what is now called "modding."  I remember when that term wasn't even around.  I remember when a lot of things weren't around.

But right now, I just wanted to make comments about people who mod.  Young kids probably.  Then again, to me, most of you are young kids. *grin* 

First of are people who want to make a mod of a game that isn't even in the area of the original game.  Like trying to turn Skyrim into a Vietnam era first person shooter.  The engine isn't even designed that way.  Or wanting to mod Crusader Kings II to reproduce the world of a favorite mecha anime.   I can understand this.  The people just want to combine something they love with something else that they love.  Thing is, this is usually not a good idea in RL or the computer gaming world.  Even if you could do it, it just doesn't work.  

It boggles my mind though because of the sheer breathtakingness of the ambition of some modders.  Basically an entire reskin of a game.  Changing everything, remaking a new game on the engine of an old one.  An old game that took a team of programmers, artists, and coders months to make with management standing over them with a whip at all hours to keep them going.  A single person reproducing this?  Yes, the ambition and the drive are to be commended but such a thing is just silly.

The second mods are the useless ones.  I'm sorry to be so blunt, so insulting, but that's what they are.  For instance, a mod for Morrowind that turned the sun green.  Yes, just turned the disc of the sun in the sky green.  Not the game lighting, just that one graphical element.  Green.  WHY?!?  I can do that myself, I can make tons of wierd and useless mods.  Why even do this, why even put it for download at a major mod repository?  Why does the repository even keep it?  Its one of those "it could be done" things, I suppose.  Also, for the person to feel like they did it, they made a mod and put it up for download.  Better than stealing other people's stuff and claiming it as your own, I suppose.

So, don't be overambitious and try to redesign a game from the ground up.  And don't do useless things just so you can say you did something [useless].