My name is *********; I can be better known by my Steam handle, *****. I have been a proud Steam user for the past four years, and I've spent more money than I'd like to admit on games purchased through the program. I have always been happy with my Steam account, and I have introduced several friends and family members to Steam throughout the last few years. I've felt confident recommending Steam as a mode of purchase because I've always stood behind Steam's excellent pro-consumer policies.
Earlier today, I opened Steam to see a reference to the introduction of "New Ways to Support Workshop Creators." Upon opening the announcement, I was surprised to read that, beginning with The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, Steam would begin selling paid mods to their games.
I completely and wholeheartedly disprove of this practice, for several reasons: chief among which is the dangerous precedence that it sets for the modding community. With Valve and Steam's decision to allow paid mods, the modding community of Skyrim has been upset: perhaps the most notable implication for the future is the lack of an incentive for creators to update any mod past its release. The majority of the most popular Skyrim mods have been labors of love which updated frequently in order to release new content, fix bugs, or even work alongside other mods. With the introduction of paid mods, there is no longer any reason for doing so: as the user has already purchased the mod, the creator has no reason to continue updating it, and is actually incentivized against doing so, with the option of simply releasing another paid mod, as a sort of "DLC." An example of this can already be found with "Arissa - The Wandering Rogue," a mod which requires updates to the existing material be purchased.
Although creators do have incentive to release working mods through the paid Steam market, problems still exist with the current model. According to the paid mod announcement, Steam will allow refunds for any mod purchased, provided the request is submitted within 24 hours of said purchase. While allowing refunds is beneficial to the consumer, the allotted time limit does not make sense in the context of mods, which are usually continuously updated throughout their lifespans. This constant updating already creates several problems for free mods, with issues ranging from a mod becoming incompatible with other mods following an update, to creators releasing small portions of their mods early with the promise of later on adding more content, failing to ever do so. Should the creator of a paid mod opt to update their mod, or promise to do so in the future, and either break the mod through an update or fail to deliver on their promise, the consumer is not protected, and unable to receive any sort of refund for their broken or incomplete material, as the 24 hour deadline will have passed. The threat of this Early Access system is already present, with mods such as "Art of the Catch - Animated Fishing," which tells consumers that it is "early in development," and assures them that "additional features" will be included as time goes on.
I am also concerned about the amount of revenue that will be paid to mod creators. In the Steam Workshop page for Skyrim, it is mentioned that only 25% of any purchase made on a mod will be given to the creator of said mod; the rest will be split between the game's publisher and Steam itself. For example, of the $2.00 suggested price on several mods, the creators would make only $0.50. This hardly seems to be a fair example of "Supporting Workshop Creators" the way an option to donate to a mod creator would, or even the way a Patreon-style system would; rather, it comes across as a method of profiting off of the work of creators unaffiliated with either company while giving them very little for their work.
I am deeply upset by this new practice announced by Steam. I have always supported Steam because I saw it as different from other video game distribution companies which enacted anti-consumer practices; however, with the announcement of paid mods, I can no longer believe this to be true. It is for this reason that I deeply regret to announce that I will no longer be making any purchases through Steam while this practice is in effect. Although I have thoroughly enjoyed the last four years, I cannot in good conscience continue to support a business which does not act for the benefit of its consumers, and, until such time as the current policy on paid mods is changed, I will be taking my business elsewhere.
