Finn, PatrickAycock, JohnCrémer, Loïc2024-05-082024-05-082024-04-19Crémer, L. (2024). A modder’s guidelines for moddable game development (Master's thesis, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada). Retrieved from https://prism.ucalgary.ca.https://hdl.handle.net/1880/118701https://doi.org/10.11575/PRISM/43543The act of unofficially modifying a video game known as modding may convey a range of benefits to its host game, including an expanded sales lifetime and a vision of what a game may have looked like had developers made different choices, among others. In this thesis, I make a case for this beneficial nature of modding and develop a set of guidelines for developing moddable games with the aim of shifting industry perspectives towards the practice, which tend to be mixed, toward a more positive outlook and help mod-encouraging studios provide a better modding experience to their users. This set is built on four pillars, each representing a stage in the development of a moddable game: Designing a moddable game, creating robust tools, writing effective documentation, and supporting the community. I created these guidelines using data collected from an autobiographical design study, wherein I became a modder myself and built modifications for three video games: Nintendo’s Pokémon FireRed Version, Bethesda’s The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, and Defiant Development’s Hand of Fate 2. After writing the set, I then created a proof-of-concept tool in line with two of its principles to demonstrate what an idealized modding tool based on my research might look like. These guidelines outline what makes a game more moddable, what makes a good modding tool, and how best to support a moddable game after launch. It is my intention that this thesis demystifies the process of creating moddable games and that the lessons learned in this project can prove useful to modders, researchers, and professional developers alike.enUniversity of Calgary graduate students retain copyright ownership and moral rights for their thesis. You may use this material in any way that is permitted by the Copyright Act or through licensing that has been assigned to the document. For uses that are not allowable under copyright legislation or licensing, you are required to seek permission.ModModdingGuidelinesGame DesignVideo GamesGame StudiesROM HackPokémonHand of FateThe Elder ScrollsSkyrimTool DesignDocumentationCommunity SupportBenefits of ModdingAccessibilityInclusionAutobiographical DesignFirst-Person ResearchModdable Game DesignIdealized ToolProof-of-ConceptMod DistributionModder CompensationUser Generated ContentOpen Game License (OGL)Computer Sciencemaster thesis