Participatory culture of video games

Introduction
The purpose of this paper would be to highlight the participatory culture in the collection of 'mods' or modifications and how it instigates a collection of artwork and graphics amongst fans, building upon the gameplay and adding to the value of the video game. Mods refers to altered content from the original story, where either new content is added which makes the original story redundant or some content is added to the original story adding on to the experience. We see this culture in online realities and real life, games such as World of Warcraft (WoW), RuneScape, Guild of Wars, etc., allow users to add content to the gameplay, might it be in a digital form of graphic designs, cheat codes, and expansion packs or a real-life form of gaming meets, conventions, and release parties. Both these formats help extend the life cycle of a game by creating more interest and content, allowing for a longer gameplay for players and a portfolio for 'modders' (or mod makers). This form of free labour is often considered an integral part of the gaming community. The key word being 'free', considering any profits made out of fan art or mods lays the groundwork for a lawsuit. This highlights an interesting relationship between 'modders' and video game companies, since on one hand mods are highly appreciated in terms of profit by companies, yet any monetary compensation from mods has lead to lawsuits in the past over copyright infringement.

Why is this important?
Since the conception of Web 2.0, we have seen a huge rise of user-generated content, which has affected the way we, as users/creators, interact with content. The relationship between modifications and video games has evolved over the past few years; moving out of the web 2.0 and into real life, where we have seen an increase in merchandise, conventions, meets, contests and events. Studying the participatory culture of video games allows for us to understand how this user generated content extends the life cycle of a video game. As Braxton Soderman states, "The practice of fan modding is often analyzed as an unpaid activity that expands the content of a game, spreads its fan base, extends its profitable longevity in the market, and generally adds value to a product that a company then profits from.". By creating mods, the community insures that the visual and mental impact of a video game is more profound, with the help of external factors that reinforce the gameplay. The longer the video game can captivate user attention, the more profits the company makes. Working from that assumption, by analyzing mods and the difference they make in gameplay, it will be fair to assess the relationship between modifications and profitability.

Method
In order to collect data on the profitable longevity of video games due to mods, first method would be to interview five professional World of Warcraft (WoW) gamers on their experiences with the extensive mods for that game, and whether it has resulted in them playing the game for longer. The reason behind picking that specific game is the enormous user base, coupled with the extensive nature of modifications. The questions will be based on overall hours of gameplay, daily time spent on gameplay, financial investment in the game, contribution to mods, usage of expansion packs, addOns, and online mod communities. Second method would involve me downloading the game and applying some popular mods to get a better understanding of the concept. I will take notes on my findings and create a discussion on findings based upon that.

Research Question
How has participatory culture of mods affected the profitable life span of video games? This will include analyzing the shift that modifications have taken, from digital to real-life and how they affect the life span of a video game. I will also attempt at understanding the impacts of partial conversions (added content) and total conversions (new content resulting in a new game) in terms of their affect on life span.

Importance of Research Question
The research question will help understand the role participatory culture plays in either increasing or decreasing the profitable life span of video games. Whether it generates interest or if it turns players away from playing the game for longer. Is the originality of games more important or has peer modifications created a shift in our expectations from video games.

Broader Context
The concept of modifications in video games helps us understand the concept of free labour all over the net, with modifications for movies, television shows, sports, celebrities, artwork, etc.. Mods have become a way for people to contribute to the popular cultural topics. Does free labour increase profitable longevity? We are continuously seeing an increase in the amount of digital content over the net, ranging from memes based on popular issues to remixes of popular songs. Video games only contribute a portion of these mods yet they are the most interesting to study since mods are most invasive in the case of video games, and can result in game changing differences. The 'user interest' created by these modifications results in several commercial activities, which in turn leads to indirect revenue. User interest can be seen in the form of T-shirts, head bands, headphones, key chains, etc. being sold with the aim of promoting a certain video game, a movie, a band, a sports team, or a concert. Such commercial activities are a result of participatory culture, where fans and users are both, consumers and producers.