1. Introduction
[1.1] Among the many forms of fan creativity, the most specific to video games is the creation of game modifications, or mods. Only few media outside of video games allow for the depth of content changing by audience members. Modding can be defined as any change to any aspect of a video game (gameplay, graphics, interface, etc.) by altering the game's program code (Gee and Tran 2016). Mods can be used as a tool for fixing game problems, a way to personalize the gameplay, an opportunity for self-expression and creativity, and so on.
[1.2] The growth in the number and quality of modifications is paralleled by the increase in popular indie games, characterized by the lack of resources of large game studios, lack of publisher support (which leads to digital distribution) and the need for audience demand, since funding for such projects often depends on donations on sites like Kickstarter (Lolli 2019). The latter especially emphasizes the ideological transformation of the agency of players, who become sponsors of work on the product or even participants in the creative process (José Planells 2017). Additionally, recording video game playthroughs and live streaming are becoming increasingly popular practices and can also be considered part of fannish production (Cisternino 2024).
[1.3] However, even more than the rise of crowdfunded indie games and live streaming, the production of mods symbolizes new prospects for player engagement. There is a lot of empirical evidence of the potential value of modding—both in the context of increasing video game sales and replay value and strengthening the fan community (Poretski and Arazy 2017; El Afi and Ouiddad 2021). Mods are sometimes used as a tool to increase the cultural representation of virtual worlds and can give a voice to marginalized social minorities, allowing them to be heard through their favorite games (Moshirnia and Walker 2007; Collins 2020). The relationship between mods and player agency has often been the subject of study—most common empirical research material were mods for sandbox/life simulators like The Sims (Sihvonen 2011) or Minecraft (Lee et al. 2020a), and MMORPGs like World of Warcraft (Nardi and Kallinikos 2010).
[1.4] The game chosen for this research was The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. It is a single-player action RPG video game developed by Bethesda Softworks in 2011. Despite its age, Skyrim is consistently popular among gamers, as demonstrated by the analysis of Steam's current statistics (Steam Charts 2025). An important feature of Skyrim, as well as the entire Elder Scrolls series, is that interaction with the modding community was initially part of the company's public strategy (Gallagher et al. 2017). The large number of mods can be explained by the fact that Bethesda is one of the few companies that offers full-fledged modding tools, making the process of creating mods much more accessible (Lee et al. 2020b).
[1.5] Unlike projects such as The Sims and Minecraft, Skyrim offers a narrative-driven experience firmly rooted in the game's vast lore. Skyrim is the fifth title in the established Elder Scrolls franchise, known for its world-building and storytelling. With that in mind, how do Skyrim fan mods interact with game canon? How can mods influence the fan community? The answers to these questions will shed light on a broader sociological and cultural problem, namely the potential and prospects of cocreative relationships.
2. Theoretical framework
[2.1] It is worth noting that there are various problems associated with the production of mods that are also relevant for Skyrim. For example, considering the transformative nature of game mods, complex copyright issues arise (Weisdorfer 2024). Some mods, even those that have been verified by the platform, may contain discriminatory materials and contribute to the spread of prejudice and the objectification of women, among other things (Pera et al. 2021; Curtis et al. 2022). Also questionable is the ethics of the very practice of what Kücklich (2005) called "precarious playbor," which indicates a transfer of responsibility for any problems with gameplay from the company to the fan community. Moreover, Skyrim was the first game to implement a paid mods feature into its Steam Workshop in 2015, which was later canceled due to a huge backlash. In 2017, a similar idea was implemented through the Creation Club, where players can purchase Bethesda-sanctioned mods, most of which are made by other users (Mundee 2020).
[2.2] For this study, mods were analyzed through the lens of the concept of cocreative relationships. One of the first examples of the application of the cocreative concept to video games was carried out by Sue Morris in 2003, using the example of FPS shooters to prove that a so-called game only arises as a result of the joint efforts of developers and players. This concept, often used to describe the ideal model of family relationships or patient-therapist relationships, was most famously interpreted in the context of video games by John Banks (Banks and Deuze 2009; Banks 2013). Banks operationalized cocreativity as a new form of participatory culture and stated that it "involves people originating and adopting new ideas by learning how to do new things and creatively experimenting with variations" (2013, 167). This concept in general allows us to identify a trend towards democratization of creative work, characteristic of many areas of culture. It is also closely related to the definition of modders as prosumers (Hong 2013). Cocreativity has been repeatedly used in research on Skyrim—for instance, a study of its UI and other technical mods as a source of empowering cocreation (Small 2019).
3. Methodology
[3.1] This article presents the results of a qualitative descriptive case study. Twenty popular mods presented at the Nexus were selected as information-rich cases, with their descriptions and comment sections on the mod download pages being the object of the study. The common feature of these mods is the significant substantive changes they make to the original narrative and overall gaming experience. However, they are all lore friendly, meaning they generally align with the established encyclopedia of The Elder Scrolls and enrich the original story without compromising its core elements. Mods were taken from thematic categories that most fully meet the objectives: mods that completely rework the plot or parts of it and mods that add new companions, locations, or quest lines. The content of mods, their descriptions on distribution platforms, as well as relevant discussions from their comment sections were taken as empirical material, on the basis of which multimethod qualitative text analysis was conducted.
[3.2] The model of cocreative relationships in video game industry was constructed as an analytical tool for the case study. This diagram reflects the process in which mod authors mediate the game's journey from the development company to the players, not only creating a feedback channel, but also enriching the final product (due to the influence of mod content on the virtual world of the game).
[3.3] This model presupposes a qualitative transformation of the perception of the game and the virtual world implemented in it, since in this approach the creative findings of fans should be included in the analysis along with the classical study of game design, mechanics, and so forth.
4. Analysis
[4.1] Further results of the fan comments on mods analysis will be presented, supported by examples of the most striking cases. Among the mods that change elements of the narrative, one of the most popular is "Alternate Start—Live Another Life" (Arthmoor 2016a). This mod allows the player to skip the long scripted introductory part of the game with an abundance of cutscenes and choose any biography of their choice for the main character. All available alternative starts have a lore-friendly status—however, some involve cutting off not only the starting part of the game but also the introductory stages of large quest lines (for example, you can make a character a member of any guild, skipping the need to complete the special quest to join). The main task of the mod is to improve the quality of replayability, since it is explicitly stated in the description that alternative starting options are not recommended for the first playthrough.
[4.2] There are many different add-ons and submods from other authors that add even more options and functions. Moreover, in the comments on the mod page fans repeatedly express hope that such a mod will be built into the next game of the series. Although this mod is not necessary for others, most mods are made compatible with it, emphasizing the strengthening of horizontal relationships among the modding community (Small 2019). These relationships arise from the focus on improving the user experience. The user, seeking to get the most out of fan content, may not limit themselves to installing only one or two mods—therefore, the authors of new modifications strive to make their products compatible with existing mods that are popular with the audience or warn about incompatibility if mods change the same files. It demonstrates the phenomenon of produsage—the collaborative production of content whose elements are interdependent or compatible with each other (Bruns 2013).
[4.3] At the same time, mods that change the main plot can be popular and important for the community, even if the changes they introduce concern only one particular twist. A striking example of this is the popularity of a mod called "The Paarthurnax Dilemma" (Arthmoor 2016b) that allows one of the conflicts (between the Blades and the dragon Paarthurnax) to be resolved through a compromise. This mod not only allows the main character to maintain relationships with both allies, but also significantly complicates the forceful solution to the issue, which was the only available option in the original version of the game. The plot situation changed by the mod has always caused controversy among fans (Engert and Perrello 2021)—the comments on the mod page confirm this. Amid the usual preponderance of questions and comments about various technical aspects of the mod, a significant number of users express gratitude for the opportunity to take the other side in this quest and criticize the limitations of the original plot.
[4.4] Thus, in the context of mods that change plot elements, three rhetorical structures can be noted, which largely determine their content. First, such mods expand the number of degrees of freedom—meeting the original selling point of Skyrim as a sandbox game where the player is offered a wide range of different activities and choices. In addition to this advantage, they address the problem of limiting player agency, which is associated with Skyrim (Nijtmans 2022), among other games. This problem, which goes back to the structure of drama from Aristotle's Poetics, is rooted in the interpretation of any interactive narrative (Hammond et al. 2007; Day and Zhu 2017). The need to tell a coherent and internally consistent story, even in open-world games, requires limiting the number of options available during playthrough. However, modifications like "Alternate Start" or "The Paarthurnax Dilemma" interfere with the developer's original intent and allow new features to be seamlessly interwoven, thereby compensating for gaps and potential vulnerabilities in the game narrative. This, in turn, has a positive impact on the user experience, as evidenced by relevant comments on the mod download pages. Moreover, it improves the immersiveness of the nonlinear game world, as it gives it more depth and player agency, opening up new playthrough options.
[4.5] However, implications of the popularity of such mods include the proliferation of critical rhetoric, ranging from criticism of the characters or plot to condemnation of the game and the development company. Rhetoric constructions of this kind are concentrated in the discourse frame of what can be called a transfer of responsibility, meaning the company releases a product, counting in advance on edits from the community. This is consistent with Kücklich's precarious playbor thesis, considering the real role of modders in the industry (2005). In this perception, the provision of convenient resources for modification becomes, on one hand, an object of criticism, and on the other hand a kind of redeeming factor for the game, creating the foundation for its replayability. In discussions around mods from other thematic sections, combinations of these discourse frames—transfer of responsibility and redeeming factor—are also presented, but it is in the context of narrative adjustments that their use reaches its peak.
[4.6] Another category of mods important for this study are those that add new companions NPC (non-player characters) with unique dialogue and story. There are many popular companions of the protagonist among the community, added by fan mods, such as Inigo, Lucien Flavius, and Sophia. Even Bethesda director Todd Howard expressed approval for the first, citing it as an example of successful fan art. We will consider one of these mods that adds a companion: Vilja (Emma 2016). Vilja is a talkative bard who can provide new commentary on the world of Skyrim and individual quests, which could theoretically improve the perception of control (Kretzschmar 2019).
[4.7] The choice of this particular project was largely due to the specific history of the creation of the mod, originally developed by modder Emma (2016) for the previous part of the Elder Scrolls series—Oblivion. Interest in the mod was expressed by Oblivion fan and famous fantasy writer Terry Pratchett, who later took part in the creation of Vilja's dialogues and certain elements of her story. At the same time, as modder noted, she maintained complete creative control during the development process. It is known that modded Oblivion greatly influenced some of Pratchett's novels. In addition, when the writer's Alzheimer's disease began to make it difficult for him to navigate quests, Vilja's specially designed ability to remind him of what needed to be done came in handy (Maher 2019). Thus, modifications can not only improve the user experience but also increase accessibility by adapting gameplay to specific needs (Reisinho et al. 2024).
[4.8] The mod became a brand, transferred to the next part of the series—the chronological difference is narratively explained through the family connection of the heroines from the two games. The discourse of gratitude in the comments is based primarily on expressions of approval for the appearance of Vilja in the new game, coming from the fans of Oblivion—similar rhetoric is presented in the description of the mod: "Vilja is now in Skyrim." This can be interpreted as one of the formats for constructing nostalgia through mods (Griffin 2024)—it is also evidence of the deep interaction of mods as a medium with game lore.
[4.9] The "Vilja" mod comes with a questline, which, as stated in the mod's description, "should be a natural, integrated part of your life in Skyrim" (Emma 2016). However, some large-scale mods offer not only quest lines, but entire new locations, for example—"Forgotten City," "Wyrmstooth," "Moonpath to Elsywer," and "Falskaar." The Beyond Skyrim mod set (with the most popular one being Beyond Skyrim—Bruma) was chosen as the most suitable case, given its scope and large fanbase (BeyondSkyrimDC 2017). This set of mods connects the player's Skyrim experience with the game's broader lore, referencing both locations from previous games of the series and places mentioned only in dialogues and in-game books.
[4.10] Most often in discussions of these mods, reflection of one's own experience in Oblivion and other games in the series appears. Because of this, frames of nostalgia and the revitalization of previous experience in a new context so often arise in relevant discussions. At the same time, the scale of mods of this kind also serves as a basis for skepticism—comments often articulate uncertainty about authors' ability to bring all announced projects to completion.
[4.11] The comment sections of the mods reviewed contain several meaningful rhetorical functions. First, the discourse of gratitude is centered primarily around increasing player agency, accessibility, and replayability of the game. Second, these mods actively interact with the game canon, expanding the virtual world of the game and, for example, contributing to the construction of nostalgia. Additionally, mods are interpreted as a redeeming factor for the game, where the responsibility for solving various issues is transferred to the fan community.
5. Conclusion
[5.1] It was repeatedly established in the literature that mods contribute to increasing the value of the final product and industry representatives should encourage their development. However, as was shown in this study, mods also serve as a tool for constructing a fan community, and in a plethora of ways (which is closely intertwined with how they work with game lore). The created modified content attracts fans, who often act as prosumers in relation to it—creating their own variations or additions to mods, integrating their own mods so that they are compatible with this, and so forth. This process can be interpreted not as the formation of a single fandom, but as the rhizomatic construction of many intertwined fandoms united by the game canon.
[5.2] Often mods, especially large-scale ones, require the coordinated participation of many people, not only game designers, but also voice actors, writers, and composers. They are closely intertwined with other forms of media (e.g., literature) and sometimes result in full-fledged independent works of art. Thus, they allow fans to formulate and shape valid critical observations, as they are not only an addition to the gameplay but sometimes offer a valid alternative to the narrative or gameplay mechanics created by the original game developer.
[5.3] Most of the frequently downloaded modifications work with the game canon, through reference systems, reflections of events and locations by in-game characters, and independent stories rooted in the lore. Company representatives rhetorically approve of fan works and tolerate lore adjustments, even to the point of commodifying some mods through the Creation Club mechanism. However, mods also contribute to the framing of fan criticism of the company, in the optics of the dichotomy of having a big budget and a professional team versus small budget and being a fan work, passing through the axis of quality of user experience. Fan gratitude to modders is rhetorically intertwined with criticism of the company, when from the user's point of view, the community offers a better gaming experience than a company with much greater resources. Thus, cocreative relationships not only provide a channel for feedback but also help strengthen the fan community.
6. Acknowledgment
[6.1] This article was prepared within the framework of the Basic Research Program at HSE University.